About Chengdu

1. The city

Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province, lies in the mainland of the Chengdu Plain, in central Sichuan. Covering a total land area of 12,400 square kilometers, Chengdu has a jurisdiction of over 7 districts, 4 cities and 8 counties. Chengdu is one of the most modern cities in southwest China. Its subtropical monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature 22 ℃, moderate rainfall, sunlight. As the capital of Sichuan Province, it has a long history and extremely advanced manufacture industry.

2. The people

By the end of 2012, the population of Chengdu had reached 6.70 million, of which over3.30 million were urban residents. Its natural population growth rate of 0.12%. The people of Chengdu are also known for their hospitality and great tolerance.

3. The climate

Located in the west areas of the Sichuan basin, Chengdu has its own climatic features. Firstly, the eastern part of the city is different from western part in climatic zone, due to the abrupt change of the height from the east to the west. In Chengdu, generally speaking, the west is cool while the east is warm at the same time.This dramatic change in temperature is favorable for the agricultural development. Secondly, the winter in Chengdu is short. The annual average temperature is around 16.4 degree. Even in the cold January, the average temperature is about 5.degrees. It rarely snows. Compared with other areas of the Changjiang River, it is 2-3 degrees higher. Thirdly, the wind speed is low. The normal speed of wind is around 1 to 1.5 meters per seceond. The total sunshine hours average 1,042 to 1,412 each year.

4. Language

Mandarin is the official language in China. Mandarin is the language used among the people of the different races.

5. Banking

RMB is short for the Chinese of "renminbi". and RMB is widely used in China. just like other country's currency, RMB has many different kinds according to the denominations. the denomination of RMB ranges from 1jiao to 100yuan. RMB has 2 kinds of units, which called jiao, and yuan. The exchange to the dollars is about one dollar to six yuan.

Banks are opened from Monday to Sunday with banking hours from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Most banks handle cheques and currency exchange. There are some public bank corporation, such as China Construction Bank(CCB), Agricultural Bank of China(ABC), Industrial and Commercial Bank of China(ICBC), Bank of China(BOC).

6. What to wear

It is getting cold in November in Chengdu. Usually it rains in the night and becomes sunny in the day. To bring some warmer cloth, such as cotton dress, feather dress.

7. Chengdu snacks

  Chunxi Road where is the center of Chengdu, there are all kinds of gourmet and fashion shop. In this place, you can eat delicious food, such as Sichuan cuisine, Chicken noodles, Sichuan jelly, Dan dan noodles, Bean curd, Braised pork pan kuei, Yunnan bridge noodles, Dragon wonton, Shrimp pots, Cold string and so on.

Useful tips

Electricity

The voltage is 220volts.

Tap water

Tap water is clean, but it is not safe to drink from the tap. It needs to be boiled first.

Shopping

Shopping in Chunxi Load is expensive, but shopping in Xipu is inexpensive, there are some kinds of shops. Such as clothing shop, shoes store, stationery shop, market and so on. You can by everything what you want to buy in this place. Shops in city normally open from 9:30 am to 9:30 pm. But some mini markets open 24 hours.