Considering Chengdu

What we aim to discover in our stories in China is the how the ever-widening generational divide affects people and society. There's a split between an old and a new way of seeing the world. To learn about how this split plays out we might very well have stayed in the biggest cities -- the ones you hear about often. But in Shanghai and Beijing we have excellent, full-time reporters.

So we settled on Chengdu. It's big enough to have a little bit of everything, yet small enough to give us time to feel we know it. The best figure we can find on its metropolitan-area size is 11-million. And it's growing everyday; a magnet pulling people in from farms and villages with the lure of an easier and more exciting life.

Sudden and drastic changes to the skyline of Chengdu are the result of new projects underway.

Andrea Hsu, NPR

Chengdu draws tourists as well. People come from all over the country and the world to marvel at nearby majestic mountains, walk through stunning bamboo forests in a park to the south and to get a look at pandas.

The Locale

Located midway across the county in Southwestern China, it's in a basin where considerable pollution remains trapped much of the year. Construction cranes hover above block after block of the city. Old neighborhoods have been torn down, replaced by utilitarian skyscrapers and apartment blocks.

Factories grind out products for both domestic and foreign consumption. Streets are clogged with cars. The city is building a subway system, while Chengdu's airport rivals any in the world with its airy, spacious design.

In the center of Chengdu, Mao's statue stands amidst capitalist neon and glitz. His vision of the life under Communism did not include designer goods and skyscrapers. But he's not in charge any more. So Western hotels are opening up (the Sheraton has been there for the best part of a decade, a Holiday Inn Express is about to open). Numerous stores sell expensive western brand-names to the upwardly mobile. There is even a Rolls-Royce dealership near the airport.

A steady stream of Western businesses are setting up shop. Intel is the most prominent and oft cited. In addition to manufacturing, there is a growing international service sector, the local branch of the American Chamber of Commerce is headed by a entrepreneur who runs "The Coffee Beanery. Types of businesses choosing Chengdu are determined by shipping costs; the city doesn't have deep water access so transport is by land, air and rail.

Higher Education

Chengdu is a prominent university city. Sichuan Normal is spread between its leafy main campus and various satellites. Among them are Southwest Jiaotong University (Founded in 1896); University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (Founded in 1956); Southwestern University of Finance and Economics; Southwest University for Nationalities; Sichuan International Studies University and Chengdu University of Technology

Where the Pandas Are

Sichuan Province is panda-central. One of China's two major breeding centers has a beautiful facility on the outskirts of the city. Zhang Zhihe is the director of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. One of his innovations was changing the pandas' diet back to almost entirely bamboo, which dramatically improved both the pandas' health and propensity to procreate.

Music, Dance, Art, etc

This is a city that cares about food. Sichuan fare is magnificent, provided you like food that leaves your lips numb.

Spicy and hot style food in Sichuan is not a cliche. It's real. And it's delicious.

Andrea Hsu, NPR

 

If you're a regular listener to our radio program,you know we won't just do the hard news. We'll make sure you hear the music of the city, too. There's a lively club scene in Chengdu. A local legend has it that the most popular club in town sells 450 bottles of Chivas Regal on a weekend night, usually drunk mixed with green tea.

There's a limited alternative music scene based around a bar called The Little Bar, owned by the ex-wife of a well known Chinese artist. It's a cool, funky space that seems to spare no expense since it has up-to-date audio equipment that drives the sound.

Chengdu has a lively contemporary arts scene and a poetry circle.

So, overall, Chengdu is the sort of place that's perfect for a newsmagazine such as All Things Considered. We'll tell the story about how the habits and lives of the younger people differ from those of the older generations, and do that in all the realms we can find. And we'll present a mix of serious issues, social commentary, humor, and lots of quirky stories about creative things people are doing with their new-found wealth.
--Art Silverman with Chris Turpin

2:59 PM ET | 03-31-2008 | permalink

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