Travel highlights of China’s Sichuan Province.

They say it is a mistake to return. Ten years had passed. I no longer recognised the city after its metamorphosis. The citizens, I am sure, love the butterfly but I loved the caterpillar. Where had the old Chengdu of winding bustling streets disappeared to? My nineteenth birthday had been spent being initiated into the delights and dangers of huajiao (Sichuan peppercorns). Today the old shack of a restaurant near the river is no more and in its place sits a sparkling bank.

My purpose, however, was not to reminisce but to explore the wilds of Sichuan. First though I had a pilgrimage to make. Whilst China is often symbolized by the panda, the true home of the bear cat is Sichuan. With the chances of seeing a panda in the wild being similar to having a big win in the lottery there are three real options for seeing them. Firstly there is Chengdu Zoo, prison to about 6 specimens. Also in Chengdu, is the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Centre home to around 20 giants and maybe more red pandas. Finally there is the most famous option, the Woolong Nature Reserve, which lies around 140km or 4 hours away from Chengdu. This is the largest of the special reserves set up for pandas. Along with wild pandas roaming around there are about 30 kept at the China Research and Conservation Centre for the Giant Panda on the edge of the reserve. The cages here are small and unless you wish to hike in the 200,000 hectares of reserve (not allowed in the spring mating season) you are best off going to the research centre on the outskirts of Chengdu.

Unfortunately I cannot find an electronic version of this article.

Mark Andrews has written about everything from Japanese houses to heli hikes on New Zealand glaciers, test drives of Chinese cars to bar and restaurant reviews. He currently specialises in travel articles and reviews of Chinese cars plus articles about the Chinese auto industry.