"Nine days to open a Chengdu", Chengdu is known as the "country of heaven", is one of the first batch of China's historical and cultural cities and "China's top ten ancient capitals", surrounded by mountains and rivers are infiltrated with rich historical connotation and cultural charm. Whether it is the splendid and long-standing ancient Shu civilization, or the poetry and song written by the literati and inkers, whether it is the ancient streets and alleys with profound meaning, or the fashionable and trendy modern neighborhoods, they are deeply engraved in the genes of Chengdu's cultural context. In the long river of history for thousands of years, the Shudi civilization has always been like a trickle of water, flowing through the past and future of the Chengdu Plain.
"East Asian Capital of Culture" is an international city brand and a new platform for international exchanges and cooperation between the elected cities and countries in China, Japan and South Korea. In August this year, Chengdu was selected as a "Candidate City for the 2023 East Asian Cultural Capital", which fully demonstrated Chengdu's cultural attractiveness and competitiveness. The creation of the East Asian Cultural Capital is an important opportunity for Chengdu to become an international city, and it is a new channel to reorganize the cultural and tourism context of Chengdu and build an international exchange platform.
How to create the Cultural Capital of East Asia? Culture is the core.
As early as 4,000 years ago, the dawn of civilization had begun on the vast Chengdu Plain. The ancient Shu people in the upper reaches of the Min River descended the river and crossed the mountains into the Chengdu Plain. "Silkworm bushes and fish squids" reclaimed the soil where the Shu civilization grew.
About 3,000 years ago, the splendid Jinsha civilization opened the foreshadowing of the ancient Shu Dynasty's establishment of the capital in the Chengdu Plain, and has now become a dazzling pearl revealing the roots of this famous historical and cultural city.
During the Qin and Han dynasties, "the five capitals were listed", the Sui and Tang dynasties were "promoted one and benefited two", and the "noisy famous metropolises" that flourished and developed in history left a large number of precious cultural relics.
From Li Bing, Wen Weng, Si Ru Xiangru, Yang Xiong, Zhuge Liang, Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Shi, and then to Mr. BaJin; from Wangdi Crying, Wuding Kaishan, Si Ma Qiao, ZhijiShi to today's Huaxi Dam, Kuanzhai Alley, Taiguli; from Han Fu, to Tang poetry, to Huajian Zi; from Shu Jin, Shu embroidery to Sichuan opera, it has continued to become the blood flowing in the Chengdu context, moisturizing the Tianfu.
The splendor of the Bashu civilization benefits from the cultural forms and cultural genes of pluralistic symbiosis. As the intersection of China's three major economic belts - the Southern Silk Road, the Northern Silk Road and the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Chengdu is the hub of the ancient Chinese mainland opening up to the outside world, and its unique geographical location has created Chengdu's urban character of "Happy Torong World", and has also set off a gust of Bashu wind in an exotic land.
In the more than 2,000 years since the Qin Dynasty, all kinds of immigrants and talents of all colors have carried various advanced ideas, cultures and technologies, and have continuously entered Chengdu. At the same time, the culture with the imprint of Shudi also spread overseas. The wonderful story of the Shu Kingdom in the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and the Tang Dynasty "poetic sage" Du Fu who lived in Chengdu for many years are well known in Japan and Korea, and the monks of Japan and South Korea have also left footprints here to seek the Fa and practice.
In today's international world, Chengdu is moving towards the world with a more open and confident attitude. In the four positioning of Chengdu 2035 master plan, Chengdu will build an international gateway hub city, from the southwest inland to the international frontier. The number of foreign consular offices in Rong has increased to nearly 20, the number of international sister cities and friendly cooperation cities has increased to 103, and 25 "Overseas Chengdu" workstations have been set up in 24 countries. The "most cute diplomatic ambassador" Chengdu giant panda has visited Japan, South Korea and other countries and regions many times, and is deeply loved by foreign people, and the "Panda City" has attracted tourists from many countries and regions. The regional culture of Chengdu Plain shines brightly in the cultural exchanges and gathering with the world.
Chengdu continues to nourish, promote and integrate development in harmony and inclusiveness. This openness and inclusiveness has spawned a cultural temperament and aesthetic interest of "elegant fashion", and nature and humanities, classical and modern, East and West can be naturally integrated.
Culture is the root of Chengdu's growth, and the cultural blocks that grow out based on historical and cultural sites give expression to the cultural relics of thousands of years ago; the "community beauty space" with cultural characteristics appears in Shijing Lane to create a new aesthetic experience of life; and the continuous cultural exchange promotes its own culture to be all-encompassing and foreign cultures.
"The sea is full of rivers, and there is tolerance is great." The process of creating the Cultural Capital of East Asia will further promote the development and improvement of Chengdu's urban cultural functions and open a new era of international life in Chengdu.
(Photo courtesy of the organizer)
Editor-in-charge: Wu Min