West meets East in modern ChinaMost North Americans, if they’ve heard of Chengdu at all, know it as the jumping off place for Tibet. This cosmopolitan capitol of China’s Sichuan Province deserves more.
A bustling metropolis of over nine million, Chengdu is home to dozens of joint-venture enterprises, international conglomerates in partnership with the Chinese government. The city swarms with American, European and Japanese businessmen who demand the best in western-style hotels. Downtown restaurants run the gamut from spicy hot local cuisine to MacDonald’s and KFC.
The major attraction for tourists, lying a few miles outside the city, is the China Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. To observe dozens of these gentle giants napping, feeding, and occasionally, playing, is an unforgettable experience.
The Research Base houses about 60 giant pandas, and the same
number of their much smaller, livelier cousins, the red pandas. Most of the adults and older cubs roam free, separated from the relatively few tourists by deep moats—not that giant pandas do much roaming.
The wonder is not that giant pandas are almost extinct, but that they have not been totally extinct for years. Extremely picky eaters, giant pandas will eat nothing but arrow bamboo, up to 20 pounds a day. When they’re not eating, they sleep. Their attitude toward exercise is similar to that of a couch potato.
Females are only receptive to males a few days of the year, and the males don’t seem to care. Cubs weigh only a few ounces at birth, and panda mothers are not known for their maternal instincts. At the Research Base, most breeding is by artificial insemination and most cubs are hand-raised. It’s working. Last spring, 15 cubs were born and survived infancy here.
Even the most casual visitor is virtually guaranteed a close-up look at the giant pandas. For a modest contribution to support the Research Base you can actually cuddle a cub and take photographs.
The smaller red pandas have less finicky appetites and more libido. They’re not in as grave danger of extermination as their giant cousins, but their habitat also has been largely destroyed. These lithe animals climb trees, hang by their tails, and drop nuts on the heads of unsuspecting visitors. Their coat color varies from strawberry blond to rust, but their faces have the same winsome white markings which make the giant panda so appealing.
Another unique attraction in Chengdu is the local version of Chinese opera called “ Changing Faces; Spitting Fire .” To call this an acrobatic show, a demonstration of sleight of hand, or a comic revue, is accurate, but doesn’t begin to tell the story. In fact, the government is so aware of the uniqueness of this local treasure that performers are forbidden to teach their secrets to anyone
outside Sichuan province. “Changing Faces” refers to lightning-quick changes of masks. Dancers’ faces go from scowl to laughter, leer to flirtation, horror to humor in less than the blink of an eye. In “Spitting Fire,” the same dancers do astonishing feats of fire-eating and fire-breathing. The finale, a side-splitting exchange between hen-pecked husband and nagging wife, is so well mimed that no translation is needed. The poor brow-beaten man desperately climbs over the sofa, rolls under the table, and ducks his spouse’s missiles. And, he does it all while balancing a lighted candle on his forehead. Between gasps of amazement and belly laughs, the audience sips tea and crunches peanuts. If the show isn’t enough, foot massages are available both before and during the performance.
Downtown Chengdu is a marvelous window on the new China. Though many cities have torn down their statues of Mao in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution, the former dictator still dominates the central square here. At his back are the gaudy yellow and red city hall and exhibition hall. Mao faces a lovely open park with lavish fountains as his arms point up and down the bustling business street.
On a Sunday afternoon, slim young women dressed in the latest western styles are seen shopping in fashionable boutiques while other families window shopped, bought toys from street vendors for their obviously adored children, and lunched at MacDonald’s. Teen-agers sought out the latest CDs while their elders scanned the newsstands.
Chinese student eager to practice her English approaches a couple of Caucasians. Some were surprised by her open discussion of the “excesses” of the Cultural Revolution and her confession that even Mao “made some mistakes.”
It’s a new China, and Chengdu is a vibrant and fascinating part of it.
A bustling metropolis of over nine million, Chengdu is home to dozens of joint-venture enterprises, international conglomerates in partnership with the Chinese government. The city swarms with American, European and Japanese businessmen who demand the best in western-style hotels. Downtown restaurants run the gamut from spicy hot local cuisine to MacDonald’s and KFC.
The major attraction for tourists, lying a few miles outside the city, is the China Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. To observe dozens of these gentle giants napping, feeding, and occasionally, playing, is an unforgettable experience.The Research Base houses about 60 giant pandas, and the same
number of their much smaller, livelier cousins, the red pandas. Most of the adults and older cubs roam free, separated from the relatively few tourists by deep moats—not that giant pandas do much roaming.The wonder is not that giant pandas are almost extinct, but that they have not been totally extinct for years. Extremely picky eaters, giant pandas will eat nothing but arrow bamboo, up to 20 pounds a day. When they’re not eating, they sleep. Their attitude toward exercise is similar to that of a couch potato.
Females are only receptive to males a few days of the year, and the males don’t seem to care. Cubs weigh only a few ounces at birth, and panda mothers are not known for their maternal instincts. At the Research Base, most breeding is by artificial insemination and most cubs are hand-raised. It’s working. Last spring, 15 cubs were born and survived infancy here.
Even the most casual visitor is virtually guaranteed a close-up look at the giant pandas. For a modest contribution to support the Research Base you can actually cuddle a cub and take photographs.
The smaller red pandas have less finicky appetites and more libido. They’re not in as grave danger of extermination as their giant cousins, but their habitat also has been largely destroyed. These lithe animals climb trees, hang by their tails, and drop nuts on the heads of unsuspecting visitors. Their coat color varies from strawberry blond to rust, but their faces have the same winsome white markings which make the giant panda so appealing.
Another unique attraction in Chengdu is the local version of Chinese opera called “ Changing Faces; Spitting Fire .” To call this an acrobatic show, a demonstration of sleight of hand, or a comic revue, is accurate, but doesn’t begin to tell the story. In fact, the government is so aware of the uniqueness of this local treasure that performers are forbidden to teach their secrets to anyone
outside Sichuan province. “Changing Faces” refers to lightning-quick changes of masks. Dancers’ faces go from scowl to laughter, leer to flirtation, horror to humor in less than the blink of an eye. In “Spitting Fire,” the same dancers do astonishing feats of fire-eating and fire-breathing. The finale, a side-splitting exchange between hen-pecked husband and nagging wife, is so well mimed that no translation is needed. The poor brow-beaten man desperately climbs over the sofa, rolls under the table, and ducks his spouse’s missiles. And, he does it all while balancing a lighted candle on his forehead. Between gasps of amazement and belly laughs, the audience sips tea and crunches peanuts. If the show isn’t enough, foot massages are available both before and during the performance.Downtown Chengdu is a marvelous window on the new China. Though many cities have torn down their statues of Mao in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution, the former dictator still dominates the central square here. At his back are the gaudy yellow and red city hall and exhibition hall. Mao faces a lovely open park with lavish fountains as his arms point up and down the bustling business street.
On a Sunday afternoon, slim young women dressed in the latest western styles are seen shopping in fashionable boutiques while other families window shopped, bought toys from street vendors for their obviously adored children, and lunched at MacDonald’s. Teen-agers sought out the latest CDs while their elders scanned the newsstands.
Chinese student eager to practice her English approaches a couple of Caucasians. Some were surprised by her open discussion of the “excesses” of the Cultural Revolution and her confession that even Mao “made some mistakes.”
It’s a new China, and Chengdu is a vibrant and fascinating part of it.
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