For Portuguese biomaterials professor Juao Mano, Chengdu before represented only giant pandas.

It was the same for a staff member at US publishing company Wiley-Blackwell.

With only one and a half days in Chengdu, she says she must somehow make the time to see the famed animals that symbolize China.

It is a common perception among foreign participants at the World Biomaterial Congress now underway in the capital of Sichuan province.

But Chengdu has other attractions due to its rich history, cultural relics and renowned spicy cuisine.

The fertile Chengdu Plain is known as Tianfuzhiguo in Chinese, or Land of Abundance.

Archeological discoveries suggest the city dates back to 316 BC.

In later generations, its prosperity gradually expanded across the Sichuan Basin and then into western China. It is considered one of the five great metropolises in Chinese history.

Visitors to Chengdu today can pay a visit the Temple of Wuhou that memorializes Liu Bei, king of the Shu State during the legendary Three Kingdoms period (220-280) and his minister Zhu Geliang, considered one of the wisest of all ancient Chinese.

The humble residence of Du Fu (712-770), one of the great ancient poets, attracts many visitors every day who pay respect to the patriotic writer.

Hotpot and other local dishes are also on the must-do list for visitors to Chengdu. Shujiujiang, one of the most well-known hotpots restaurants in the city, is packed full every day at dinnertime.

The modern side of the metropolis offers trendy and plentiful options for modern shoppers. A business complex to open on Chengdu's bustling Chunxi Street in 2013 will include popular retailer Lane Crawford, which offers a range of luxury brands like LV and Gucci. For those who think there is more to leisure life than shopping, a walk along Chunxi Street offers a glimpse of the beautiful local women for which the city is noted.

A Chinese saying warns: "Do not visit Sichuan when you are young". The pleasant and satisfying way of life could lure you into a life of indolence before you have made your mark. For most, it is a risk worth taking.

xuxiao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/03/2012 page16)