Travel Guide to Sichuan Province – “The Land of Abundance”

Sichuan Province, abbreviated as Chuan or Shu, is a provincial-level administrative region of the People’s Republic of China and the birthplace of Taoism, with Chengdu as its capital. Located in inland southwestern China, in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, it has long been known as “The Land of Abundance”. It borders seven provincial-level administrative regions: Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan, Xizang, Qinghai, Gansu and Shaanxi.
The origin of the nickname “The Land of Abundance” can be traced to historical records. In Longzhong Dui by Zhuge Liang, Sichuan was first referred to as a “heavenly storehouse”: “Yizhou is a strategically impregnable land with thousands of li of fertile fields, a heavenly realm, on the basis of which Emperor Gaozu founded his imperial career.” Yizhou in the Han Dynasty included today’s Sichuan Basin and Hanzhong Basin. Through the writings of scholars and literati of successive dynasties, “The Land of Abundance” gradually became a synonym for the Sichuan Basin.
As of March 2024, Sichuan Province has 21 prefecture-level administrative divisions and 183 counties (cities and districts). By the end of 2025, its permanent population was 83.18 million. Chinese dialects in Sichuan mainly include Mandarin, Hakka and Xiang dialects, while the common language is integrated Sichuanese.
The terrain of Sichuan is high in the west and low in the east, sloping from northwest to southeast, dominated by mountainous landforms. The landscape is divided into four categories: plains, terraces, hills and mountains. Most parts of Sichuan belong to the mid-subtropical humid climate zone; the mountainous areas of southwestern Sichuan have a subtropical semi-humid climate, and the high mountains of northwestern Sichuan feature an alpine and frigid plateau climate.
Human activities in Sichuan date back to the Paleolithic Age more than 2 million years ago. The name “Sichuan” originated in the Northern Song Dynasty. In 997 AD, the Northern Song established fifteen administrative divisions (lu), among which the Sichuan region was divided into Xichuan Lu and Xia Lu. In 1001 AD, these two were further split into four: Kuizhou Lu, Yizhou Lu, Zizhou Lu and Lizhou Lu. Collectively, they were called “Chuanxia Silu” (Four Routes of Chuanxia) or “Sichuan Lu”, later shortened to “Sichuan”, hence the province’s name.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, in September 1952, the East Sichuan, West Sichuan, South Sichuan and North Sichuan Administrative Regions were revoked, and Sichuan Province was reestablished with the People’s Government of Sichuan Province set up in Chengdu. Chongqing was incorporated into Sichuan in September 1954 and separated in March 1997, establishing the current administrative division of Sichuan.
Sichuan is a strategic hinterland of China approved by the State Council, and a vital region supporting national strategies such as the new-era Western Development and the Yangtze River Economic Belt development. As of April 2023, Sichuan has 262 Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level, ranking sixth nationwide, 8 National Famous Historical and Cultural Cities, and 153 Representative Items of National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Sichuan boasts abundant, diverse, widely distributed and high-quality tourism resources. By the end of 2021, it is home to 5 World Heritage Sites:

3 World Natural Heritage Sites: Jiuzhaigou Valley, Huanglong Scenic Area, and Giant Panda Sanctuaries
1 Mixed World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site: Mount Emei – Leshan Giant Buddha
1 World Cultural Heritage Site: Mount Qingcheng – Dujiangyan Irrigation System

Four nature reserves in Sichuan are included in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves: Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong, Wolong, and Daocheng Yading.
It also has 5 sites listed among “China’s Top 40 Tourist Attractions”: Mount Emei, Jiuzhaigou–Huanglong, Southern Sichuan Bamboo Sea, Leshan Giant Buddha, and Zigong Dinosaur Museum. Sichuan has 21 Excellent Tourist Cities in China, 8 National Famous Historical and Cultural Cities, 804 A-level tourist attractions including 17 5A-level ones.
By the end of 2021, there were 165 nature reserves covering 80,300 square kilometers, accounting for 16.5% of the province’s total land area, including 32 national-level nature reserves. The province has 55 wetland parks, including 29 national wetland parks (including pilot projects). There are 15 national-level scenic areas and 79 provincial-level scenic areas.
Sichuan has 137 forest parks with a total area of 2.3248 million hectares, or 4.78% of the province’s land area, including 44 national forest parks, ranking among the top 10 nationwide. More than 220 geological relics have been discovered in Sichuan, including 3 global geoparks and 19 national geoparks.