Chengdu, China - Tea? Would you like some tea? As one of the largest tea-producing cities in China, this is a question most tourists will get used to quickly when they are in Chengdu.
The Chinese are known for their love of tea. It is the preferred beverage with most of their meals, and serves as the national drink.
In Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province in southwest China, there are many tea houses where people come together to enjoy the flavours and relaxing functions of tea.
There are a variety of flavours, including green tea – the most popular – scented tea, wulong tea, white tea, red tea and yellow tea.
In October, Galencia Property invited a group of journalists to experience the lifestyle of the Chinese.
The overpopulated city is filled with high-rise buildings to accommodate families and people who cannot afford to buy homes. In most cases, the buildings are low-density apartments built on top of, or next to, shopping centres, and offer underground parking.
An example of this luxury high-rise lifestyle is the Huaqiao Fenghuang International City in west Chengdu. The residential and commercial complex has over 5 000 units and takes up 500 000m2.
The building process also takes into consideration the environment by ensuring there is enough space for trees and gardens.
Huaqiao Fenghuang Group is the mother body of Galencia. The international consortium has 12 subsidiaries in China and has been in South Africa for 10 years.
It is involved in many industries, including industrial manufacturing – paper making and packaging, agriculture, real estate and finance.
Currently, Galencia is building an office building, China Chinese Merchants Financial Centre, as well as a resort and residence, Chinese Merchants International Community, in Chengdu and Cape Town respectively.
In South Africa there are six completed projects – residential houses and flats – and Galencia is working towards establishing international communities like the ones it has in China.
New developments are in the works in South Africa and China, including a new apartment complex and international city that will be built in the financial centre of the city of Chengdu.
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is home to the country’s national treasure.
The base keeps the pandas in a natural habitat with large enclosures, a laboratory, museum, clinics and baby panda house. There are also shops and restaurants.
Visitors to the base can go on tours to see the pandas relaxing and eating bamboo.
If you are looking for something more spiritual, the Leshan Grand Buddha site should tick all the right boxes.
A once-in-a-lifetime experience, the site is a story through the history of Buddha, and the beliefs of the religion that have held strong through the ages.
The grand Buddha statue is 71m tall and has 8.3m-long fingers.
Built in the year 713 and finished in 803, it took more than 90 years to carve the Buddha.
Visitors to the site are encouraged to take part in the rituals for well wishes for long life, happiness and wealth.
October is the middle of autumn in China, and the weather is humid and overcast.
Most Starbucks outlets in the city centre close at 11pm, and teenagers can be found enjoying free wi-fi there.
The famous Tianfu square is lit until late. The central square connects main roads in the centre of Chengdu, and the lights create a beautiful rainbow of light, brightening the city’s core.
The huge wholesale market downtown is where most shopowners gather their stock to sell it at higher prices.
The wholesale market is as busy as a good month-end weekend on Smal Street Mall in downtown Joburg.
There is also a digital wholesale market where products from Apple to Samsung are sold at discounted prices.
The New Century Global Centre, which opened in July last year, is a 100m-tall building which is about 500m by 400m and takes up a whopping 1 700 000m2, making it the largest building in the world based on floor space.
The centre houses a shopping mall, office space, a hotel and a host of other functions.
Transport in the city is never a hassle.
Commuters prefer to ride bicycles, bikes and scooters or use the subway to go to work or school to avoid the traffic.
The intricate highway system can be a little overwhelming for the average tourist, but a few days in, and after second-guessing whether it’s safe to cross the road, you get the hang of it.
Street food is available on every corner and is the best way to experience the way the people eat. Noodle bars and tea gardens can be found in most corners of the city.
The landscaping on the Chinese highways is at the forefront of design, and they have managed to minimise the negative impact that the concrete has on the environment.
There are flower pots at many corners and mini gardens at most intersections to keep the city pretty and environmentally friendly.
Chengdu has a population of 16 million people, with nine districts, four county-level cities and six counties.
The popular Jinli Street is another popular tourist destination that takes you through the 3 000-year history of Chengdu.
The capital of Sichuan is the hub of technology, commerce, finance, telecommunications and transport in south-western China.
Having already won various awards and honours, including National Garden City, China’s Most Dynamic Economic City, China’s Best Tourism Destination and National Civil City, among many others, it has also been named the next decade’s fastest-growing city in the world by Forbes, and China’s best city by Fortune.
Chengdu is involved in development that will see it establish core economic growth in western China and building an international metropolis.
Chengdu may not be as well known by foreigners as Hong Kong or Shanghai, but it is fast becoming the destination of choice for many.
The Star