The visitor to the Sichuan provincial capital is invited to slow down and absorb its historic, cultural and other riches in thoughtful, satisfying sips Get a Chengdu local talking and you will soon discover that Chengdu is as much a state of mind as it is the sprawling provincial capital of Sichuan. To get a sense of that state of mind, you need go no further than the People's Park. People's Parks - or renmin gongyuan - are found everywhere in China, but few reflect the way life is lived in the boulevards and alleys that surround them the way Chengdu's parks reflect the city's unique lifestyle. As in parks elsewhere, you will see couples strolling hand in hand, families on outings and vendors of cold drinks and souvenirs hawking their wares. But in Chengdu, you will also find large numbers of people doing nothing much at all, unlike much of the new hustle-and-bustle China. 'Chengdu people, unlike people in other parts of the country like Shanghai, know how to relax and enjoy life,' said Zhang Fu, a city media relations official. You see them idling on benches overlooking the miniature lake dotted with paddle boats. You see them gathered in small knots, gazing at games of Chinese chess. And you see them en masse at the park's famous Renmin Teashop, hunched over newspapers, games of cards and mahjong, while staff pour tea and itinerant shoulder masseurs look for a few yuan in exchange for their services. Guidebooks rate the Renmin teashop high on their lists of the top 10 things to see and do in Chengdu. Teashops are as much entwined with the spirit of Chengdu as the public house is with London and the cafe with Paris. Chengdu is a city dotted with temples, teahouses and restaurants that serve some of China's best cuisine. Drop in at any of its xiaochi (little eats) restaurants, such as the two that flank the entrance to the charming Jinli dining and shopping street, next to Wuhou Temple, and observe tea drinkers tucking into the city's snacks. Unlike Cantonese dim sum, many of these snacks spicily live up to Sichuan cuisine's red-hot reputation. Chengdu is home to famous dishes, such as gongbao chicken and mapo doufu (ground pork and mashed bean curd in spicy sauce). Chilli peppers came to Sichuan by way of Europe after the 15th century discovery of the Americas, but the Chengdu basin had its own spicy condiment, the Sichuan pepper (huajiao), long before that, and it is used to mouth-numbing effect in a host of local dishes. The city's name is said to date back to the early 4th century BC, when the king of ancient Shu relocated his capital there. Legend has it that within two years the new base had 'become a city', and within another two it had 'become a metropolis', or literally cheng du. By the time of the Tang dynasty (618-907), Chengdu had been a flourishing cultural commercial city for close to a millennium. China's famous bard Li Bai (701-762) lived nearby, while the equally esteemed Du Fu (712-770) spent some years in Chengdu composing poetry. Meanwhile, archaeological discoveries named after the town of Sanxingdui, 40km north of Chengdu, where they were found, push the history of civilisation in the Chengdu basin back beyond 3,000 years. The high-quality bronze and jade workmanship challenge the long-held belief that Chinese civilisation emerged only in the central plains. Discovery of another site at Jinsha, on the outskirts of Chengdu, looks likely to confirm that Chengdu was a concurrent centre in the evolution of early Chinese culture. A golden sunbird unearthed at Jinsha in 2001 was adopted last month as China's 'cultural heritage logo'. Chengdu is also the gateway to Sichuan - home to the Wolong Panda Reserve, the mountainous Jiuzhaigou area, the great Buddha of Leshan and Mount Emei, one of China's four most famous Buddhist pilgrimage destinations. But for those with limited time, there are a host of destinations close to the city centre: the Sanxingdui Museum, Mount Qingcheng, dotted with Taoist temples, the over 2,000-year-old Dujiangyan irrigation project, and - a favourite with visitors - the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where you can see China's famous marsupial ambassadors. hub of activity September 25 - The Sixth China Flower Expo 2005 September 27 - The 2005 World's Strongest Man Competition October 12-14 - The 20th World Hakka Convention October 17 - The Jinsha China Cultural Heritage Festival October 20-27 - The 2005 Foods and Tour Festival of China