Rich history a major draw for visitors

A visit to Sichuan is a perfect trip back to ancient times. The province has a history of more than 3,000 years and a lot of material evidence of that history is kept intact.

China's history books noted the ancient Shu Kingdom in the region during the Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC) or even earlier.

Many researchers doubted the records in the books until Sanxingdui Ruins was discovered in the 1920s. Massive excavations beginning in the 1950s proved this was one of China's most significant archaeological discoveries in the last century.

A great number of unearthed items finally consolidated historians' belief in the ancient Shu Kingdom.

For instance, there is a bronze mask featuring a man with protruding eyes, which is in line with the description of the kingdom's founder Can Cong.

The discoveries also proved that Sichuan was a cradle of Chinese civilization, with a large amount of bronze production and a high aesthetic standard in handicraft works like statues and brick drawings.

What's more, the discovered items also reflect the belief and imaginations of the ancient people. For instance, a sunbird statue demonstrates their worshipping of the sun.

The relics site and a museum for the relics in Deyang city are now popular destinations for many tourists interested in history and culture.

The Jinsha relics site, discovered in the suburbs of Chengdu, points to a continuity of the civilization after the Sanxingdui period of the ancient Shu Kingdom.

The ancient Shu Kingdom ended in 311 BC after it was conquered by the Qin State four years earlier.

The rule of the Qin State marked the beginning of a new era where Sichuan was known as the "land of plenty".

This was because of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, the greatest irrigation project of its kind at the time.

Qin official Li Bing and his son took charge of designing and building the project on the Minjiang River about 2,200 years ago.

Since the project was completed, the Chengdu Plain has been free of flooding and people have been living affluently.

Dujiangyan is the oldest surviving irrigation system in the world without a dam, and a wonder in the development of Chinese science.

To this day, Dujiangyan plays a crucial role in the draining of floodwater, irrigating farms and providing water for more than 50 cities and counties across Sichuan province.

A UNESCO World Heritage site, Dujiangyan is also a popular tourist destination in the northwest of Chengdu. It is only 57 kilometers from the center of Chengdu.

The provincial capital of Chengdu itself is a center of cultural tours in Sichuan.

The legacies left by many historical figures living in the city have become precious resources for local tourism.

Among those resources, the Temple of Marquis Wu, in memory of Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of the Shuhan State during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280). Zhuge is worshipped by the people because of his wisdom and moral integrity.

Sharing the same fame of the temple among tourists is the Thatched Cottage of Du Fu. Du Fu is one of the most renowned poets in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Not far from Chengdu are the Qingcheng and Emei mountains, the hubs for Taoism and Buddhism in the region.