For the latter part of our Chinese National Holiday, a few of us decided to go to Chengdu, China. Chengdu is the capital city of the Sichuan Province in Southwest China and is China’s 5th largest city. Often referred to as the "Country of Heaven" or "The Land of Abundance," the city is home to 260 Fortune 500 companies, making it worthy of such a nickname for its strong economy.
The city is also known for its many canals, large number of Chinese minority groups, and of course Sichuan cuisine. Whether mild or extra spicy, Sichuan food will cause you to sweat puddles and is sure to clear you of your sinuses. We got the chance to indulge in Hot Pot (the cooking of meat and vegetables in a broth like dish while on a burner), Mapo doufu (a type of tofu set in a chili spiced and bean based sauce), and enough deserts to make any one person sick.
After enjoying the city’s amazing food, we got to shop and site see at the Kuan zhai xiang zi market in the heart of Chengdu and the Huang long xi market right outside of the city next to the river. I also forgot to mention, Chengdu is made extremely popular for its PANDAS, which we got to see plenty of at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. There, we got to watch as Pandas rolled around in their areas, eat tons of bamboo, and escape the site of tourists as they slept.
See below for pictures of our Chengdu Vacation!
Jonathan Thibeaux
<p>Jonathan Thibeaux hails from Lafayette, LA and is a 5th year biology major at Morehouse College. A self-proclaimed "media enthusiast, writer, motivator, and certified dreamer,” he is working hard to catapult himself from a pre-medical past into the world of media and television. At Morehouse, he served as the Senior Co-Chair of the Campus Alliance for Student Activities, Co-Campus Based Leader for the Gates Millennium Scholar Group, Maroon Tiger Columnist, and Presidential Ambassador. Choosing to defer his degree for a year, he will be spending a year in Shanghai, China and Cape Town, South Africa for an immersive educational experience. Through his blog and affiliations he hopes to provide a safe and inspiring space for teenagers and adults to document and experience their lives, without the pressure to conform to social constructs. He hopes to one day work in Marketing as a television executive and possibly even becoming the talent of his own show. This fall he will be blogging for Shanghai, China.</p>
