panda!

Chengdu and Songpan

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July 11th 2005
We have been having a great time cruising around Chengdu and Songpan, of the Sichuan province. Chengdu is a far western city with fewer historical attractions, and thus fewer tourists. Hardly anyone here we encountered could speak English, even in American style pizza joints and cafes. We visited the poet Dufu's museum, a Taoist monastary, and some nice parks. The panda breeding center, with a ... read more

Asia » China » Sichuan » Chengdu

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For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. A... ... read more