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Mandarin Tweety in China

China

Chengdu[+]

Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province, near Tibet. There are several places to visit in this great city, but I was limited to a taoist temple, the beautiful Jinli street and the pandas breeding base outside the city. I also used Chengdu as a starting point for going to Leshan and Dazu.

QingYang gong temple

Green goat temple : Lao Tzu pavilion

This great Taoist temple is worth the visit. It is also known as the green goat temple because the founder of Taoism, Lao Tzu, would have appeared here in the form of two green goats. A legend adds that the temple would have been built on his birthplace. It is still active with regular ceremonies.


Taoism is a Chinese religion based on the teachings of Lao Tsu in the 5th century B.C. As a matter of fact, his real existence is not proven, nevertheless, he is nicknamed the "old child" because he would have been born with white hair... The Tao that would have been written by the latter is the book that includes the basics of Taoist thought. It aims to achieve the "Way" or "Path" (Tao) and includes some elements from Buddhism.
Among his teachings, let's point out the "non-action" meaning that a man should not try to interfere with nature; and harmony through the yin and yang (or Taijitu) from the "original chaos" (or chi, which is the "vital" energy existing in everything).
There are many Taoist trigrams which are used to form 64 hexagrams that are used (this can be Outside of Taoism) for divination via the "Book of Changes".


Taoism is also based on ancient Chinese mythology. The Queen Mother Wang lived in a palace of jade and cultivated peaches of immortality (which at best ripened every 3,000 years).
Among the deities let's quote : the 3 stars who are humans who have attained divinity through their merits (Fuxing the god of happiness, Shouxing the god of longevity and Luxing the god of wealth and fees), the 8 immortals who are not gods but humans having achieved immortality granted by the Queen Mother Wang as a reward for their practice of the Tao...


In Taoism, there is no explicit mention of reincarnation, but it seems there has been more or less the influence of Buddhism ...

Jinli street

Jinli Street is a charming reconstruction of a Sichuan traditional shopping street with restaurants and souvenir shops. It is pedestrian and lively. We are easily tempted by snacks offered along the street and we are astonished at the ear cleaners practicing on a square. How about a nice stroll in the evening, coupled with a show at Wuhou theater located at the end of the street ! The theater is also a tea house and tea is included in the fare. The show is interesting and I recommend getting seats in the front row. Thus, at best it will happen to you the same as me and you will be asked to go on stage (Westerners do not go unnoticed in the public) to be the target of a knives thrower (but does he really throw his knives ?) and at worst you will still have the pleasure of seeing bian lian (quick mask changing) right in front of you. This art from Sichuan, which is also a national pride, has been kept secret for a long time.

Jinli street by night Typical Sichuan show : masks changing

Giant pandas breeding base

A young giant panda

It is located only 12 km (7.5 miles) northeast of the city, making it easily accessible by taxi. It is better to get there early in the morning (around 9am) to be among the first ones to see the young pandas coming out.


Sadly, it only remains one hundred pandas in freedom... This park is dedicated to their preservation. Note that the panda is a large consumer of bamboos !
Besides the giant panda, one also sees the little red panda. There is also the possibility to go and see part of the "nursery" (with incubator).