Showcasing the richness of Sichuan

In an initiative to forge bonds and to promote Indian tourism in China, China India Tourism Year in India- a joint decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping to enhance tourism between the countries, a delegation from China and the Tourism Administration of Sichuan, one of the largest provinces of China were recently in the Capital. 

Known for its giant pandas and world famous spicy cuisine, Sichuan and its Tourism Administration aimed through this conference to spread better awareness about the province amongst Indian travellers with its tagline as ‘Sichuan - More than Pandas.’ Sichuan Tourism Administration highlighted the province to be home to not only the giant pandas, but also to diverse art and culture, breathtaking natural beauty, unique culinary, ancient history and vast resources which makes it the tourism cynosure of China.

Sichuan has favourable geographical and ecological resources with more than 4000 tourist attractions which includes nine of 5A level scenic spots, five world heritage sites, four world biosphere reserves, two World Geo Parks. 

Another cultural heritage which was brought to light in the Conference was the ‘Leshan Giant Buddha’ or ‘Lingyun Giant Buddha’ which is the sculpture of a seated ‘Maitreya Buddha’ located at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in southern Sichuan, close to the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture which has been carved out from a cliff, faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below its feet. Mount Emei Scenic Area including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and easily rivals other famous stone carvings such as the Sphinx and the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. 

As one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains of China, Mt. Emei features more than 26 temples including eight major ones which frequently hold Buddhist ceremonies. Wang Ning, Executive Vice Governor, Sichuan remarked: “I am hopeful that the Conference will help Indian people better understand Sichuan and create a positive atmosphere for the tourism in Sichuan from India. Both India and Sichuan are fascinating tourism destinations. Just like India, Sichuan has rich ancient heritage, cultural diversity and centuries old civilisation which we take pride immense pride in.”

Song Ming, Deputy Director General, Sichuan Tourism Administration who was also present at the conference, said: “This Conference is an important launching pad for us to boost tourism from India to Sichuan and is a precursor of an action plan that includes a number of incentives and trial measures for travellers as well as tour operators from India.”