Chengdu

Japanese: 成都 - せいと

It is a sub-provincial city (a prefecture-level city with autonomy equivalent to that of a province) and the capital of Sichuan Province, China. Its abbreviation is Rong. In 1983, it annexed the neighboring Wenjiang District, and as of 2017, it governs 11 city districts including Wenjiang, 4 counties including Dayi, and acts as the governing agent for 5 county-level cities including Dujiangyan. It has a population of 12,280,500 and a city district population of 6,981,400 (2015). In terms of population and industrial production, Chongqing, a centrally-controlled municipality to the east, is larger, but it has good natural conditions, a long history and culture, and is known as the "Land of Heavenly Lands."

Located on the western edge of the Sichuan Basin, at the tip of the alluvial fan formed by the Min River, the city is blessed with an abundant amount of water and a warm climate (annual average temperature of 16.7°C, annual precipitation of 998mm). It has a sister city relationship with Kofu City.

[Motohide Akiyama, Editorial Department, January 19, 2018]

history

Agricultural development had progressed from an early stage, and the state of Shu had already been formed in the pre-Qin period, which had become the base for the development of the Sichuan Basin. It is said that Qin defeated it and advanced into the Central Plains using its wealth. Due to the unique political and geographical characteristics of the Sichuan Basin, its rice-based agriculture, and the abundant handicraft production of silk textiles, known as Shujiangjin, this area had a power comparable to that of the Central Plains, Guanzhong, and Jiangnan. During the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei founded Shu Han here together with Zhuge Kongming (Zhuge Liang), and it was in a trilateral relationship with Wei and Wu. During the Tang Dynasty, it was known as the second largest city in the world after Yangzhou. During the An Lushan Rebellion of the Tang Dynasty, Xuanzong fled to Chengdu, which was called Nanjing. It was here that the poet Du Fu spent over four years and left behind some of his masterpieces.

After that, it continued to prosper in a stable state and was the center of not only Sichuan but the whole of Southwest China. During the Ming Dynasty, the imperial palace was built for the Shu King, who was a member of the imperial family, and this area is still the center of the city today. In 1930 during the Republic of China era, it became the city of Chengdu, and later incorporated the surrounding suburbs, and remains so to this day.

[Motohide Akiyama January 19, 2018]

Industry and Transportation

Agriculture and the tertiary industry have been developed here for a long time, but in 1964, the Chinese government started the "Third Line Construction" (a plan to move industry to the hinterland of Sichuan Province for national defense), which led to the relocation of many state-owned enterprises to the city, accelerating industrialization. In 1988, the National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone (Hi-Tech Zone) was established, and since 2000, efforts have been made to attract foreign companies under the "Great Western Development" policy, and many global companies have been moving into the city. In particular, the American company Intel built a chipset manufacturing plant in 2003, and as a result of continued capital increases, the plant has become one of the largest in the world in chip production capacity. In addition, factories for fighter jets, precision machinery, electronic parts, biopharmaceuticals, automobiles, etc. are located here. In recent years, it has attracted global attention as an emerging city, and in 2010, Forbes magazine (an American business magazine) ranked it as the world's number one city for the fastest growth in the next 10 years.

It is the transportation and logistics hub of southwestern China, where 12 expressways converge, including the Chengdu-Chongqing Line (Chengdu-Chongqing), Baocheng Line, Chengdu-Kunming Line, as well as the Chengdu-Chongqing High Speed Railway, which opened in 2015, and the Shanghai-Hanrong High Speed Railway (Shanghai-Wuhan-Chengdu), which opened in 2014. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport is located about 16 kilometers southwest of the city center, and is the largest hub airport in the southwestern region.

[Tang Lin January 19, 2018]

Culture and Tourism

Within the city, there are ruins related to the Three Kingdoms period, such as the Wuhou Shrine dedicated to Zhuge Kongming, as well as tourist sites such as the tomb (Yongling) of Wang Jian (847-918), former king of Shu during the Five Dynasties, and Du Fu Caotang. In addition, the Dujiangyan irrigation system in Dujiangyan city on the western outskirts of the city is one of the most famous water conservancy projects in Chinese history.

It is the center of Sichuan cuisine, which uses a lot of spices, and was recognized as a "Creative City of Gastronomy" by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 2010. It is also known as the birthplace of paper money, and the Jiaozi (cash note), produced in the workshop of Wanfo Temple during the Song Dynasty, is said to be the world's first paper money.

[Motohide Akiyama, Editorial Department, January 19, 2018]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

中国、四川(しせん)省の副省級市（省と同程度の自主権を与えられた地級市）で、同省の省都。略称は蓉(よう)。1983年には隣接する温江(おんこう)地区を併合し、2017年時点で温江など11市轄区、大邑(たいゆう)など4県を管轄し、都江堰(とこうえん)など5県級市の管轄代行を行う。人口1228万0500、市轄区人口698万1400（2015）。人口や工業生産量では東方にある中央直轄市の重慶(じゅうけい)のほうが大きいが、良好な自然条件のうえに古い歴史と文化をもち、「天府の国」と称される。

　四川盆地の西端、岷江(びんこう)のつくる扇状地の扇端に位置し、豊かな水量と温暖な気候（年平均気温16.7℃、年降水量998ミリメートル）に恵まれている。甲府市と姉妹都市提携を結んでいる。

［秋山元秀・編集部　2018年1月19日］

歴史

早くから農業開発が進み、すでに先秦(せんしん)時代より蜀(しょく)国が形成され四川盆地開発の拠点となっていた。秦はこれを滅ぼし、その資力をもとに中原(ちゅうげん)へ進出したといわれる。四川盆地の独特の政治地理的性格と、米を中心とする農業に加え、蜀江錦とよばれた絹織物などの豊富な手工業生産により、この地は中原、関中(かんちゅう)、江南と匹敵する力をもっていた。三国時代には劉備(りゅうび)が諸葛孔明(しょかつこうめい)（諸葛亮(しょかつりょう)）とともにここに蜀漢を建て魏(ぎ)、呉と鼎立(ていりつ)し、唐代には揚州(ようしゅう)に次いで天下第二の都会と称された。唐の安史の乱に際しても、玄宗は成都に逃れ南京(なんけい)と称した。詩人杜甫(とほ)が4年余りを過ごし名作を残したのはこのときである。

　そののちも安定した状態で繁栄を続け、四川のみならず西南中国全体の中心であった。明(みん)代には皇族である蜀王のために皇城が築かれたが、この地区は今日でも市街の中心になっている。中華民国時代の1930年成都市となり、その後周囲の郊区を編入して今日に至る。

［秋山元秀　2018年1月19日］

産業・交通

古くから農業と第三次産業が発達していたが、1964年に中国政府が始めた「三線建設」（国防のため、工業を三線＝四川省などの奥地に移す計画）によって多数の国有企業が本市に移され、工業化が加速した。1988年に国家ハイテク産業開発区（高新区）が設置されたほか、2000年からは「西部大開発」政策のもとで外資企業の誘致に力が注がれ、世界的な企業が次々に進出した。なかでもアメリカのインテル社は、2003年にチップセットの製造工場を建設し、その後も増資を重ねた結果、同工場は世界最大級のチップ生産能力を有するに至った。このほかにも、戦闘機、精密機械、電子部品、バイオ医薬品、自動車などの工場が立地する。近年は新興都市として世界の注目を集めており、2010年『フォーブス』誌（アメリカのビジネス誌）の「次の10年でもっとも成長する都市ランキング」では世界1位に選ばれた。

　中国西南地区の交通、物流の中心地であり、12本の高速道路が集まり、成渝(せいゆ)線（成都―重慶）、宝成線、成昆線のほか、2015年開通の成渝高速鉄道、2014年開通の滬漢蓉(こかんよう)高速鉄道（上海(シャンハイ)―武漢(ぶかん)―成都）も通じる。市中心部の南西約16キロメートルには成都双流国際空港があり、西南地区最大のハブ空港となっている。

［唐　琳　2018年1月19日］