My Sichuan experience

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I have visited China a number of times over the past 25 years, but did not come to Sichuan until I arrived as Consul General in 2014. This was not for lack of interest. My previous China visits were mostly for business, and business was almost always in Beijing, but I had long wanted to serve in our Consulate in Chengdu. Everyone I know in the Foreign Service who has served in Chengdu has raved about it, and told me it was the “hidden gem” among China assignments.

So when I arrived nearly two years ago, my image of Sichuan was based on what I had heard from colleagues who had served here over the past three decades. That set me up for my first surprise. From their stories, I expected to find a dusty, but colorful, frontier town. Little did I realize that Chengdu had already transformed into a modern, vibrant, international city with efficient subways, a wide array of foreign restaurants, and a large and growing expatriate population. While I appreciated these conveniences, I did initially worry about whether all of this progress had come at the expense of the old Sichuan my friends and colleagues had spoken so fondly of. Fortunately, the deeper I went into the side streets, parks, and temples of Chengdu, and to the small towns around outside of the city, the more of old Sichuan I found as vibrant as ever. You don’t need to look hard to find people drinking tea, playing mahjong, or showing off their song birds just as they have for centuries.

My second surprise in Sichuan was the people. The combination of intense local pride and openness towards outsiders reminded me so much of Americans. The more I thought about it, however, the comparison made sense. Sichuan, like America, is both multicultural and a home to immigrants. Despite Sichuan’s thousands of years of history, most of the Sichuan’s modern residents trace their roots to the early Qing Dynasty, when people from around China resettled in the province after it was devastated by war. This was about the same time European immigrants arrived in America. Also like America, Sichuan is also a melting pot of different cultures, in Sichuan’s case Han, Tibetan, Qiang, Yi. Chengdu is the only big city in China that has such a multicultural feel, something that makes it very familiar to Americans. Of course, I have also felt a strong sense of friendship from the Sichuan people based on our shared history of sacrifice during World War II. It has been amazing to meet so many Chinese veterans of the war here in Chengdu, and to learn so much about U.S.-China cooperation during the war at the wonderful Jianchuan Museum in Anren.

My third surprise about Sichuan has been how well it is prepared to meet the challenges of the future. Chengdu clearly realized that in order to be successful in China’s “new normal” economy, you need to be a place that enables people to thrive. This is evident in the city’s promotional videos that show real entrepreneurs from around China talking about how they chose Chengdu to start their businesses because of its conveniences, culture, and lifestyle. Mayor Tang’s “My home is Chengdu” is a similarly terrific initiative to make foreign residents lives’ easier, something that will no doubt attract even more top foreign businesses. The fact that Uber’s biggest market in the world – bigger than New York City – is Chengdu is testament to the city’s openness to innovation and support for providing its citizens a superior living environment. I see similar vision and initiative around the province. For example, Jiuzhaigou, a sister park with America’s Yosemite, has set the standard in China for sustainable tourism. Mianyang has transformed itself from a closed, defense industrial center to an international hub for high-technology research – and even boasts two Starbucks! New infrastructure projects are linking once remote places like Kanding to Chengdu and beyond, further enhancing Sichuan’s appeal as a destination for visitors from around the world.

As I approach the mid-way point for my time in Chengdu, I know there will be many more surprises in store. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to explore every corner of 天府之国 and meeting its incredible people. I look forward to many more exciting Sichuan experiences to come!

The author is the Consul General of the US Consulate in Chengdu.

The opinions expressed do not represent the views of the China Daily website.

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