| 1882 Perron map CHENGDU, SICHUAN, CHINA, #77 |
Nice map titled Bassin de Tchengtou fou, from wood engraving with fine detail and clear impression, approx. size with margins is 15.5 x 14.5 cm. From La Nouvelle Géographie universelle, la terre et les hommes, 19 vol. (1875-94), great work of Elisee Reclus. Cartographer is Charles Perron.
Chengdu
Wade-Giles romanization Ch'eng-tu
city and capital of Sichuan sheng (province), China. Chengdu, in central
Sichuan, is situated on the fertile Chengdu Plain, the site of Dujiangyan, one
of China's most ancient and successful irrigation systems, watered by the Min
River. The system and nearby Mount Qingcheng, an early centre of Daoism, were
collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000. The irrigation
system, first set up during the Qin dynasty (221–207 BCE), diverted half the
waters of the Min River eastward to irrigate the plain through a dense network
of channels. This system has survived basically in its original form and enables
the area to support what has been claimed to be one of the densest agrarian
populations anywhere in the world. Pop. (2002 est.) city, 2,663,971; (2005 est.)
urban agglom., 4,065,000.
The city is said to have been founded by the Qin before they achieved control of
all China during the 3rd century BCE. Under their imperial regime the county of
Chengdu was established; the name dates from that period. First under the Qin
and then under the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), it was the seat of the
commandery of Shu, and in 221 it became capital of the independent dynasty of
Shu. Under the Tang dynasty (618–907) it was known as Yizhou, one of the
empire's greatest commercial cities. In the late 8th century it became a
secondary capital. After 907 it again became capital of two short-lived
independent regimes—the Qian (Former) and Hou (Later) Shu (respectively, 907–925
and 934–965). During that time it was immensely prosperous, and its merchants
introduced the use of paper money, which rapidly spread throughout China under
the Song dynasty (960–1279).
Chengdu became famous for its fine brocades and satins. The city was also
notable for its refined culture and display of luxury. Throughout history it has
remained a great city and a major administrative centre, and it has been the
capital of Sichuan since 1368. Chengdu developed rapidly during World War II,
when many refugees from eastern China, fleeing the Japanese, settled there. The
influx of refugees to the city stimulated trade and commerce, and several
universities and institutes of higher learning were also moved there. In 2008 a
strong earthquake in Sichuan (centred near Chengdu) killed some 4,300 people in
the city and nearby vicinity and injured more than 26,000 others, but it caused
relatively little damage to the city's buildings and infrastructure.