Sichuan pepper
Chinese	花椒
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin huājiāo

Sichuan pepper or Szechuan pepper is a common spice used in Asian cuisine. The husk or hull (pericarp) around the seeds may be used whole, especially in Szechuan cuisine, and the finely ground powder is one of the blended ingredients for the five-spice powder. It is also used in traditional Chinese medicine.

The plant belongs to the rue or citrus family, and botanically not closely related to the black pepper or chili peppers, despite its naming. The pericarp (hull or husk) is the part that is most often used, but region-wise the leaves of various species are used as well.^[1]

Another cousin native to China is Z. schinifolium, called xiang-jiao-zi (香椒子, lit. "aromatic peppercorn") or qing-hua-jiao (青花椒, lit. "green Szechuan pepper"), used as spice in Hebei.^[1]

The Szechuan pepper should be distinguished from the Japanese pepper or sanshō (Z. piperitum), even though sansho and the hua jiao may sometimes be lumped into being the same species or commodity commercially, or in popular literature such as cookbooks, or for the intents and purposes of import regulations.

Related species are also used in Tibetan, Bhutanese, Nepalese, Konkani, Thai and Toba Batak cuisines. It is also a close relative of the African spice uzazi.

Names[link]

This section may contain parts that are misleading. Please help clarify this article according to any suggestions provided on the talk page.

Recently harvested Sichuan pepper (known locally as 大红袍花椒, Da hongpao huajiao^[2]), being dried on the roadway in Linxia County, Gansu

Sichuan pepper is known in Chinese as huājiāo (花椒; literally "flower pepper"). A lesser-used name is shānjiāo (山椒; literally "mountain pepper"^{[citation needed]}; not to be confused with Tasmanian mountain pepper^{[excessive detail?]}), which is also the root of the Japanese sanshō (山椒^?). Confusingly, the Korean sancho (산초, 山椒) refers to a different if related species (Z. schinifolium), while Z. piperitum is known as chopi (초피).^[3]

The name hua jiao (lit. "flower pepper") in a strict sense refers to the Northern China peppercorn, Zanthoxylum bungeanum, or at least that appears to be the common consensus in current scholarly literature.^[4][5][6] However, hua jiao is also the generic term in commerce for all such viable spices harvested from the genus. This includes Z. simulans Hance), identified by a taxonomical authorities as the ye hua jiao (野花椒, lit. "wild peppercorn"),^[4][7] though elsewhere given as chuan-jiao (川椒, lit. "Sichuan pepper"^[8]), leading to the contention to hail this the bona fide "Sichuan pepper".

The Indian subcontinent uses a number of varieties of Sichuan pepper. In Konkani it is known as tephal or tirphal.^[9] In Nepali, Z. alatum is known as timur (टिमुर), while in Tibetan, it is known as yer ma (གཡེར་མ)^[3] and in Bhutan as thingay.^{[citation needed]}

In Indonesia's North Sumatra province, around Lake Toba, Z. acanthopodium is known as andaliman in the Batak Toba language^[3] and tuba in the Batak Karo language.^{[citation needed]}

In America, it is possible to come across names such as "Szechwan pepper," "Chinese pepper," "Japanese pepper," "aniseed pepper," "Sprice pepper," "Chinese prickly-ash," "Fagara," "sansho," "Nepal pepper," "Indonesian lemon pepper," and others, sometimes referring to specific species within this group, since this plant is not well known enough in the West to have an established name.^{[citation needed]} Some brands also use the English description "Dehydrated Prickly Ash" since Sichuan pepper, and Japanese sansho, are from related plants that are sometimes called prickly ash because of their thorns (Note however that purveyors in the US do sell native prickly ash species (Z. americanum), because it is recognized as a folk remedy^[10]).

Culinary uses[link]

Seeds and stems (left) and husks (right)

Sichuan pepper has a unique aroma and flavour that is not hot or pungent like black, white or chili peppers. Instead, it has slight lemony overtones and creates a tingly numbness in the mouth (caused by its 3% of hydroxy-alpha-sanshool) that sets the stage for hot spices. According to Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking, second edition, p429 they are not simply pungent; "they produce a strange, tingling, buzzing, numbing sensation that is something like the effect of carbonated drinks or of a mild electrical current (touching the terminals of a nine-volt battery to the tongue). Sanshools appear to act on several different kinds of nerve endings at once, induce sensitivity to touch and cold in nerves that are ordinarily nonsensitive, and so perhaps cause a kind of general neurological confusion."

Recipes often suggest lightly toasting the tiny seedpods, then crushing them before adding them to food. Only the husks are used; the shiny black seeds are discarded or ignored as they have a very gritty sand-like texture. It is generally added at the last moment. Star anise and ginger are often used with it prominently in spicy Sichuan cuisine. It has an alkaline pH and a numbing effect on the lips when eaten in larger doses. Ma la (Chinese: 麻辣; pinyin: málà; literally "numbing and spicy"), common in Sichuan cooking, is a combination of Sichuan pepper and chili pepper, and it is a key ingredient in má là hot pot, the Sichuan version of the Chinese traditional dish. It is also a common flavouring in Sichuan baked goods such as sweetened cakes and biscuits.

Sichuan pepper is also available as an oil (Chinese: 花椒油, marketed as either "Sichuan pepper oil", "Bunge Prickly Ash Oil", or "Hwajiaw oil"). In this form it is best used in stir-fry noodle dishes without hot spices. The preferred recipe includes ginger oil and brown sugar cooked with a base of noodles and vegetables then rice vinegar and Sichuan pepper oil are added after cooking.

hydroxy-α-sanshool

Hua jiao yan (simplified Chinese: 花椒盐; traditional Chinese: 花椒鹽; pinyin: huājiāoyán) is a mixture of salt and Sichuan pepper, roasted and browned in a wok and served as a condiment to accompany chicken, duck and pork dishes. The peppercorns can also be lightly fried in order to make a spicy oil with various uses.

Sichuan peppercorns are one of the traditional ingredients in the Chinese spice mixture five-spice powder.

In Indonesian Batak cuisine sichuan pepper is ground and mixed with chilis and seasonings into a green sambal Tinombur or chili paste, to accompany grilled pork, carp and other regional specialities. Arsik in one of Batak Tapanuli dishes which use Shinchuan pepper as spice.

Sichuan pepper is one of the few spices important for Nepali (Gurkha), Tibetan and Bhutanese cookery of the Himalayas, because few spices can be grown there. One Himalayan specialty is the momo, a dumpling stuffed with vegetables, cottage cheese or minced yak meat, buff (water buffalo meat) or pork and flavoured with Sichuan pepper, garlic, ginger and onion is served with tomato and Sichuan pepper based gravy. Nepalese style chow-mein are steamed and served dry, together with a fiery Sichuan pepper sauce.

It is believed that it can sanitize meat that may not be so fresh, although in reality it may only mask foul flavours. The foul-smell masking property of Sichuan pepper made it popular in offal dishes.^{[citation needed]}

In Korean cuisine, two species are used: Z. piperitum and Z. schinifolium.^[11]

Composition of various species[link]

• Z. fagara (Central & Southern Africa, South America) — alkaloids, coumarins (Phytochemistry, 27, 3933, 1988)
• Z. simulans (Taiwan) — Mostly beta-myrcene, limonene, 1,8-cineole, Z-beta-ocimene (J. Agri. & Food Chem., 44, 1096, 1996)
• Z. armatum (Nepal) — linalool (50%), limonene, methyl cinnamate, cineole
• Z. rhesta (India) — Sabinene, limonene, pinenes, para-cymene, terpinenes, 4-terpineol, alpha-terpineol. (Zeitschrift f. Lebensmitteluntersuchung und -forschung A, 206, 228, 1998)
• Z. piperitum (Japan [leaves]) — citronellal, citronellol, Z-3-hexenal (Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry, 61, 491, 1997)
• Z. acanthopodium (Indonesia)

The genus name Zanthoxylum or Xanthoxylum comes from the Greek xanthon xylon (ξανθὸν ξύλον), meaning "blond wood."

US import ban[link]

From 1968 to 2005, the United States Food and Drug Administration banned the importation of Sichuan peppercorns because they were found to be capable of carrying citrus canker (as the tree is in the same family, Rutaceae, as the genus Citrus). This bacterial disease, which is very difficult to control, could potentially harm the foliage and fruit of citrus crops in the U.S. It was never an issue of harm in human consumption. The import ban was only loosely enforced until 2002.^[12] In 2005, the USDA and FDA lifted the ban, provided the peppercorns are heated to around 70 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Fahrenheit) to kill the canker bacteria before import.

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Hu, Shiu-ying (2005) (preview), Food plants of China, 1, Chinese University Press, http://books.google.co.jp/books?id=2OiYydyrsygC&pg=PA504 
• Zhou, Jiaju; Xie, Guirong; Yan, Xinjian (2011) (preview), Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines - Molecular Structures, 1, Springer, http://books.google.co.jp/books?id=PMsXJnUYTFkC&pg=PA209 
• Zhang, Dianxiang; Hartley, Thomas G. (2008), "1. Zanthoxylum Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 270. 1753.", Flora of China 11: 53–66, http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=135262  PDF

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sichuan pepper

• Gernot Katzer's spice pages
• Recipes
  • Sichuan Bang Bang Chicken
  • Sichuan Crispy Beef (Dry-fried Beef, Gan Bian Niu Rou Si)
  • Chengdu Chicken Stir-fry
  • How to Make Five-spice Powder
  • BBC Food recipes

Coordinates: 30°N 103°E / 30°N 103°E / 30; 103

Sichuan Province
Chinese : 四川省 Sìchuān Shěng Sichuanese: Si4cuan1 Sen3
Abbreviations: 川 or 蜀  (pinyin: Chuān or Shǔ Sichuanese: Cuan1 or Su2)
Origin of name	Short for 川峡四路 chuānxiá sìlù literally "The Four Circuits of the Rivers and Gorges", referring to the four circuits during the Song Dynasty
Administration type	Province
Capital (and largest city)	Chengdu
CPC Ctte Secretary	Liu Qibao
Governor	Jiang Jufeng
Area	485,000 km2 (187,000 sq mi) (5th)
- Latitude	25° 58' to 34° 19' N
- Longitude	97° 21' to 108° 32' E
Population (2010)  - Density	80,418,200 (4th) 180 /km2 (470 /sq mi) (22nd)
GDP (2011)  - per capita	CNY 2.15 trillion US$ 340 billion (9th) CNY 21,182 US$ 3,129 (25th)
HDI (2008)	0.763 (medium) (24th)
Ethnic composition	Han - 95% Yi - 2.6% Tibetan - 1.5% Qiang - 0.4%
Languages and dialects	Sichuanese Mandarin
Prefectural level	21 divisions
County level	181 divisions
Township level*	5011 divisions
ISO 3166-2	CN-51
Official website http://www.sichuan.gov.cn/ (Simplified Chinese)
Source for population and GDP data: 《中国统计年鉴—2005》 China Statistical Yearbook 2005 ISBN 7503747382 Source for nationalities data: 《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》 Tabulation on nationalities of 2000 population census of China ISBN 7105054255 *As at December 31, 2004
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 Sichuan (help·info) (Chinese: 四川, known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan) is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu. The current name of the province, "四川", is an abbreviation of "四川路" (Sì Chuānlù), or "Four circuits of rivers", which is itself abbreviated from "川峡四路" (Chuānxiá Sìlù), or "Four circuits of rivers and gorges", named after the division of the existing circuit into four during the Northern Song Dynasty.^[1]

History[link]

The province and its vicinity were the cradle of unique local civilizations, which can be dated back to at least the fifteenth century BC (coinciding with the later years of the Shang Dynasty). Beginning from the ninth century BC, Shu (today Chengdu) and Ba (today Chongqing City) emerged as cultural and administrative centers where two rival kingdoms were established.

Shu's existence was unknown until an archaeological discovery in 1986 at a small village named Sanxingdui (三星堆) in Guanghan County. It is believed to be an ancient city of the Shu Kingdom, where excavations have yielded invaluable archaeological information.

A stone-carved gate pillar, or que, 6 m (20 ft) in total height, located at the tomb of Gao Yi in Ya'an, Sichuan, built during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD)

Although the Qin Dynasty destroyed the kingdoms of Shu and Ba, the Qin government accelerated the technological and agricultural advancements of Sichuan making it comparable to that of the Huang He (Yellow River) Valley. The Dujiangyan Irrigation System, built in the 3rd century BC under the inspection of Li Bing, was the symbol of modernization of that period. Composed of a series of dams, it redirected the flow of the Min Jiang, a major tributary of the Yangtze River, to fields, relieving the damage of seasonal floods. The construction and various other projects greatly increased the harvest of the area which thus became the main source of provisions and men for Qin's unification of China.

Various ores were abundant. Adding to its significance, the area was also on the trade route from the Huang He Valley to foreign countries of the southwest, especially India.

The area's military importance matches its commercial and agricultural significance. As a basin surrounded by the Himalayas to the west, the Qinling Range to the north, and mountainous areas of Yunnan to the south, Sichuan is prone to fog. Since the Yangtze flows through the basin and is thus upstream of eastern China, navies could be easily sailed downstream. Therefore Sichuan was the base for numerous amphibious military forces and also served as the refuge of Chinese governments throughout history. A few independent regimes were founded; the most famous was Shu Han of the Three Kingdoms. The Jin Dynasty first conquered Shu Han on its path of unification. During the Tang Dynasty, it was a battlefront against Tibet.

The Leshan Giant Buddha, built during the latter half of the Tang Dynasty (618–907).

The Southern Song Dynasty established coordinated defenses against the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty in Sichuan and Xiangyang. The Sichuan tea industry was monopolized by the state to pay for warhorses, but this worsened the situation.^[2] The line of defense was finally broken through after the first use of firearms in history during the six-year siege of Xiangyang, which ended in 1273.

During the Ming Dynasty major architectural works were created in Sichuan. Bao'en Temple is a well-preserved fifteenth century monastery complex built between 1440 and 1446 during Emperor Yingzong's reign (1427–64) in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). Dabei Hall enshrines a thousand-armed wooden image of Guanyin and Huayan Hall is a repository with a revolving sutra cabinet. The wall paintings, sculptures and other ornamental details are masterpieces of the Ming period.^[3]

The Chinese rebel leader, Zhang Xianzhong, nicknamed Yellow Tiger, conquered Sichuan Province in the middle of the 17th century and massacred a large native population.^[4] A massive resettlement called Huguang fill Sichuan (湖廣填四川) lasted more than a century during the Qing Dynasty. A landslide dam on the Dadu River caused by an earthquake gave way on 10 June 1786. The resulting flood killed 100,000 people.^[5]

The current borders of Sichuan(which then included Chongqing) were established in the early 18th century. In the early 20th century the newly founded Republic of China established Chuanbian Special Administrative District (川邊特別行政區), which latter became Xikang province, including the western part of Sichuan province inhabited by Yi, Tibetan and Qiang minorities and eastern part of modern Tibet Autonomous Region.

In the 20th century, as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Wuhan had all been lost to the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the capital of the Republic of China had been temporary relocated to Chongqing. The difficulty of accessing the region overland from the eastern China and the foggy climate hindering the accuracy of Japanese bombing of the Sichuan basin and the city of Chongqing made the region the stronghold of Chiang Kai-Shek's Kuomintang government during 1938-45.

As the Second Sino-Japanese War was soon followed by the resumed Chinese Civil War, and the cities of the east fell to the Communists one after another, the Kuomintang government again tried to make Sichuan its stronghold on the mainland. Chiang Kai-Shek himself flew to Chongqing from Taiwan in November 1949 to lead the defense. But the same month Chongqing fell to the Communists, followed by Chengdu on 10 December. The Kuomintang general Wang Sheng wanted to stay behind with his troops to continue anticommunist guerilla war in Sichuan, but was recalled to Taiwan, many of his soldiers making their way there as well, via Burma.^[6]

The People's Republic of China, founded in 1949, abolished Xikang province of the Republic of China and merged western part of that province into Tibet Autonomous Region in 1965 while the rest of Xikang was returned to Sichuan province in 1955.

The province was deeply affected by the Great Chinese Famine of 1959-1961, during which period some 9.4 million people (13.07% of the population at the time) died.^[7] When Deng Xiaoping took power in 1978, Sichuan was one of the first provinces to undergo limited experimentation with free enterprise.

From 1955 until 1997 Sichuan had been China's most populous province, hitting 100 million mark shortly after the 1982 census figure of 99,730,000.^[8] This changed in 1997 when the city of Chongqing as well as the surrounding counties of Fuling and Wanxian were split off into the new Chongqing Municipality. The new municipality was formed to spearhead China's effort to develop its western provinces, as well as to coordinate the resettlement of residents from the reservoir areas of the Three Gorges Dam project. In 1997 when Sichuan split, the sum of the two parts was recorded to be 114,720,000 people.^[9] As of 2010, Sichuan ranks as both the 3rd largest and 4th most populous province in China.^[10]

In May 2008, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9/8.0 hit just 79 km northwest of the provincial capital of Chengdu. Official figures recorded a death toll of nearly 70,000 people, and millions of people were left homeless.^[11]

Subdivisions[link]

Sichuan consists of eighteen prefecture-level cities and three autonomous prefectures:

Map	#	Name	Administrative Seat	Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2010)
	— Sub-provincial city —
	9	Chengdu	Qingyang District	成都市 Chéngdū Shì	14,047,625
	— Prefecture-level city —
	3	Mianyang	Fucheng District	绵阳市 Miányáng Shì	4,613,862
	4	Guangyuan	Lizhou District	广元市 Gǔangyúan Shì	2,484,125
	5	Nanchong	Shunqing District	南充市 Nánchōng Shì	6,278,622
	6	Bazhong	Bazhou District	巴中市 Bāzhōng Shì	3,283,771
	7	Dazhou	Tongchuan District	达州市 Dázhōu Shì	5,468,092
	8	Ya'an	Yucheng District	雅安市 Yǎ'ān Shì	1,507,264
	10	Deyang	Jingyang District	德阳市 Déyáng Shì	3,615,759
	11	Suining	Chuanshan District	遂宁市 Sùiníng Shì	3,252,551
	12	Guang'an	Guang'an District	广安市 Guǎng'ān Shì	3,205,476
	13	Meishan	Dongpo District	眉山市 Méishān Shì	2,950,548
	14	Ziyang	Yanjiang District	资阳市 Zīyáng Shì	3,665,064
	15	Leshan	Shizhong District	乐山市 Lèshān Shì	3,235,756
	16	Neijiang	Shizhong District	内江市 Nèijiāng Shì	3,702,847
	17	Zigong	Ziliujing District	自贡市 Zìgòng Shì	2,678,898
	18	Yibin	Cuiping District	宜宾市 Yíbīn Shì	4,472,001
	19	Luzhou	Jiangyang District	泸州市 Lúzhōu Shì	4,218,426
	21	Panzhihua	Dongqu District	攀枝花市 Pānzhīhūa Shì	1,214,121
	— Autonomous prefectures —
	1	Garzê (for Tibetan)	Kangding County	甘孜藏族自治州 Gānzī Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu	1,091,872
	2	Ngawa (for Tibetan & Qiang)	Barkam County	阿坝藏族羌族自治州 Ābà Zàngzú Qiāngzú Zìzhìzhōu	898,713
	20	Liangshan (for Yi)	Xichang	凉山彝族自治州 Liángshān Yízú Zìzhìzhōu	4,532,809

Geography[link]

Sichuan, within its present borders, consists of two very geographically distinct parts. The eastern part of the province is mostly within the fertile Sichuan basin (which is shared by Sichuan with the now-separate Chongqing Municipality). The western Sichuan consists of the numerous mountain ranges forming the easternmost part of the Tibetan Plateau, which are known generically as Hengduan Mountains. One of these ranges, Daxue Shan, contains the highest point of the province - Gongga Shan, 7,556 meters tall.

Lesser mountain ranges surround the Sichuan Basin from north, east, and south. Among them are the Daba Mountains, in the province's northeast.

Plate tectonics formed the Longmen Shan fault, which runs under the north-easterly mountain location of the 2008 earthquake.

The Yangtze River and its tributaries flows through the mountains of western Sichuan and the Sichuan basin; thus, the province is upstream of the great cities that stand along the Yangtze River in the central and eastern China, such as Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing and Shanghai. One of the major tributaries of the Yangtze within the province is the Minjiang River of central Sichuan, which joins the Yangtze at Yibin.

Due to the great difference in the terrain, the climate of the province is highly variable. The Sichuan Basin (including Chengdu) in the eastern half of the province experiences a subtropical monsoon climate with long, warm to hot, humid summers and short, mild to cool, dry and cloudy winters, with China's lowest sunshine totals. The western areas have a mountainous climate characterized by very cold winters and mild summers, with plentiful sunshine. The southern part of the province, including Panzhihua, has a sunny, subtropical climate with very mild winters and hot summers.

Sichuan borders Qinghai province to the northwest, Gansu province to the north, Shaanxi province to the northeast, Chongqing municipality to the east, Guizhou province to the southeast, Yunnan province to the south, and Tibet Autonomous Region to the west.

• 

  Larix potaninii in autumn colour.

• 

  Jiuzhaigou Valley

• 

  Garzê Prefecture

• 

  Zitong County

Politics[link]

The politics of Sichuan is structured in a dual party-government authoritarian system like all other governing institutions in mainland China.

The Governor of Sichuan is the highest ranking official in the People's Government of Sichuan. However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor has less power than the Sichuan Communist Party of China Provincial Committee Secretary, colloquially termed the "Sichuan CPC Party Chief".

Economy[link]

The capital of Sichuan, Chengdu.

Sichuan has been historically known as the "Province of Abundance". It is one of the major agricultural production bases of China. Grain, including rice and wheat, is the major product with output that ranked first in China in 1999. Commercial crops include citrus fruits, sugar canes, sweet potatoes, peaches and grapeseeds. Sichuan also had the largest output of pork among all the provinces and the second largest output of silkworm cocoons in China in 1999. Sichuan is rich in mineral resources. It has more than 132 kinds of proven underground mineral resources of which reserves of 11 kinds including vanadium, titanium, and lithium are the largest in China. The Panxi region alone possesses 13.3% of the reserves of iron, 93% of titanium, 69% of vanadium, and 83% of the cobalt of the whole country.^[12] Sichuan also possesses China's largest proven natural gas reserves, although the majority of which is transported to more developed eastern regions.^[10]

Sichuan is one of the major industrial centers of China. In addition to heavy industries such as coal, energy, iron and steel, the province has also established a light industrial sector comprising building materials, wood processing, food and silk processing. Chengdu and Mianyang are the production centers for textiles and electronics products. Deyang, Panzhihua, and Yibin are the production centers for machinery, metallurgical industries, and wine, respectively. Sichuan's wine production accounted for 21.9% of the country’s total production in 2000.

Great strides have been made in developing Sichuan into a modern hi-tech industrial base, by encouraging both domestic and foreign investments in electronics and information technology (such as software), machinery and metallurgy (including automobiles), hydropower, pharmaceutical, food and beverage industries.

The auto industry is an important and key sector of the machinery industry in Sichuan. Most of the auto manufacturing companies are located in Chengdu, Mianyang, Nanchong, and Luzhou.^[13]

Other important industries in Sichuan include aerospace and defense (military) industries. A number of China's rockets (Long March rockets) and satellites were launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, located in the city of Xichang.

Sichuan's beautiful landscapes and rich historical relics have also made the province a major center for tourism.

The Three Gorges Dam, the largest dam ever constructed, is being built on the Yangtze River in nearby Hubei province to control flooding in the Sichuan Basin, neighboring Yunnan province, and downstream. The plan is hailed by some as China's efforts to shift towards alternative energy sources and to further develop its industrial and commercial bases, but others have criticised it for its potentially harmful effects, such as massive resettlement of residents in the reservoir areas, loss of archeological sites, and ecological damages.

Sichuan's nominal GDP for 2011 was 2.15 trillion yuan (US$340 billion), equivalent to 17,380 RMB (US$2,545) per capita.^[14] In 2008, the per capita net income of rural residents was 4,121 yuan (US$593), up 16.2% from 2007. The per capita disposable income of the urbanites averaged 12,633 yuan (US$1,819), up 13.8% from 2007.^[15][16]

Foreign trade[link]

According to the Sichuan Department of Commerce, the province's total foreign trade was US$22.04 billion in 2008, a year on year increase of 53.3 percent. Exports were US$13.1 billion, a year on year increase of 52.3 percent, while imports were US$8.93 billion, a year on year increase of 54.7 percent. These achievements were accomplished because of significant changes in China's foreign trade policy, acceleration of the yuan's appreciation, increase of commercial incentives and increase in production costs. The 18 cities and counties witnessed a steady rate of increase. Chengdu, Suining, Nanchong, Dazhou, Ya'an, Abazhou, and Liangshan all saw an increase of more than 40 percent while Leshan, Neijiang, Luzhou, Meishan, Ziyang, and Yibin saw an increase of more than 20 percent. Foreign trade in Zigong, Panzhihua, Guang'an, Bazhong and Ganzi remained constant.

Minimum wage[link]

The Sichuan government raised the minimum wage in the province by 12.5 percent at the end of December 2007. The monthly minimum wage went up from 400 to 450 yuan, with a minimum of 4.9 yuan per hour for part-time work, effective Dec. 26 2007. The government also reduced the four-tier minimum wage structure to three. The top tier mandates a minimum of 650 yuan per month, or 7.1 yuan per hour. National law allows each province to set minimum wages independently, but with a floor of 450 yuan per month.

Economic and technological development zones[link]

Chengdu Economic & Technological Development Zone[link]

Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone was approved as state-level development zone in February 2000. The zone now has a developed area of 10.25 square kilometers and has a planned area of 26 square kilometers. Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone (CETDZ) lies 13.6 kilometers east of Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province and the hub of transportation and communication in southwest China. The zone has attracted investors and developers from more than 20 countries to carry out their projects there. Industries encouraged in the zone include mechanical, electronic, new building materials, medicine and food processing.^[17]

Chengdu Export Processing Zone[link]

Chengdu Export Processing Zone was ratified by the State Council as one of the first 15 export processing zones in the country in April, 2000. In 2002, the state ratified the establishment of the Sichuan Chengdu Export Processing West Zone with a planned area of 1.5 km2, located inside the west region of the Chengdu Hi-tech Zone.^[18]

Chengdu Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone[link]

Established in 1988, Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone was approved as one of the first national hi-tech development zones in 1991. In 2000, it was open to APEC and has been recognized as a national advanced hi-tech development zone in successive assessment activities held by China's Ministry of Science and Technology. It ranks 5th among the 53 national hi-tech development zones in China in terms of comprehensive strength. Chengdu Hi-tech Development Zone covers an area of 82.5 km2, consisting of the South Park and the West Park. By relying on the city sub-center which is under construction, the South Park is focusing on creating a modernized industrial park of science and technology with scientific and technological innovation, incubation R&D, modern service industry and Headquarters economy playing leading roles. Priority has been given to the development of software industry. Located on both sides of the "Chengdu-Dujiangyan-Jiuzhaigou"golden tourism channel, the West Park aims at building a comprehensive industrial park targeting at industrial clustering with complete supportive functions. The West Park gives priority to three major industries i.e. electronic information, biomedicine and precision machinery.^[19]

Mianyang New & Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone[link]

Mianyang Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was established in 1992, with a planned area of 43 square kilometers. The zone is situated 96 kilometers away from Chengdu, and is 8 km away from Mianyang Airport. Since its establishment, the zone accumulated 177.4 billion yuan of industrial output, 46.2 billion yuan of gross domestic product, fiscal revenue 6.768 billion yuan. There are more than 136 high-tech enterprises in the zone and they accounted for more than 90% of the total industrial output. Zone is a leader in electronic information industry, biological medicine, new materials and production of motor vehicles and parts.^[20]

Transportation[link]

Expressways[link]

On 3 November 2007, the Sichuan Transportation Bureau announced that the Sui-Yu Expressway was completed after three years of construction. After completion of the Chongqing section of the road, the 36.64 km expressway connected Cheng-Nan Expressway and formed the shortest expressway from Chengdu to Chongqing. The new expressway is 50 km shorter than the pre-existing road between Chengdu and Chongqing; thus journey time between the two cities was reduced by an hour, now taking two and a half hours. The Sui-Yu Expressway is a four lane overpass with a speed limit of 80 km/h. The total investment was 1.045 billion yuan.

Rail[link]

Major railways in Sichuan include the Baoji–Chengdu, Chengdu–Chongqing, Chengdu–Kunming, Neijiang–Kunming, Suining-Chongqing and Chengdu–Dazhou Railways. A high-speed rail line connects Chengdu and Dujiangyan.

Demographics[link]

Tibetans as a main ethnic minority group in Sichuan.

The majority of the province's population is Han Chinese, who are found scattered throughout the region with the exception of the far western areas. Thus, significant minorities of Tibetans, Yi, Qiang and Naxi reside in the western portion forming a traditional transition zone between Central Asian and East Asian cultures. The Eastern Lipo, included with either Yi people or Lisu people as well as the A-Hmao also are among the ethnic groups of the provinces. Sichuan was China's most populous province before Chongqing was carved out of it; it is currently the fourth most populous, after Guangdong, Shandong and Henan.

It was the third most populous sub-national entity in the world, after Uttar Pradesh, India and the Russian SFSR until 1991 when the Soviet Union was dissolved. It is also one of the only four to ever reach 100 million people (Uttar Pradesh, Russian RSFSR, Maharashtra, and Sichuan). It is currently 6th.

Culture[link]

This section requires expansion.

The Li Bai Memorial, located at Zhongba Town of northern Jiangyou County in Sichuan Province, is a museum in memory of Li Bai, a Chinese poet in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), at the place where he grew up. It was prepared in 1962 on the occasion of 1,200th anniversary of his death, completed in 1981 and opened to the public in October 1982. The memorial is built in the style of the classic garden of the Tang Dynasty.

Languages[link]

The most widely used variety of Chinese spoken in Sichuan is Sichuanese, which is the lingua franca in Sichuan, Chongqing and part of Tibet. Although Sichuanese is generally classified as a dialect of Mandarin, it is highly divergent in phonology, vocabulary, and even grammar from the standard language.^[21] Minjiang dialect is especially difficult for speakers of other Mandarin dialects to understand.^{[22][23][24][25]}

The prefectures of Garzê and Ngawa (Aba) in western Sichuan are populated by Tibetan and Qiang people. Tibetans speak the Kham and Amdo dialects of Tibetan, as well as various Qiangic languages. Qiangic languages is also spoken by the Qiang and other related ethnicities. The Yi of Liangshan prefecture in southern Sichuan speak the Yi language, which is more closely related to Burmese; Yi is written using the Yi script, a syllabary standardized in 1974. Like in all of mainland China, regional languages are being supplanted by the mandatory instruction of Mandarin Chinese in nearly all schools regardless of the ethnicity of the students. However, certain accommodations to non-Chinese speakers are made in the minority inhabited regions of Sichuan, including some bi-lingual signage and public school instruction in non-Mandarin minority languages. Tibetan exile communities have claimed the Chinese government practices both implicit and explicit language discrimination in these areas.

Cuisine[link]

The Sichuanese are proud of their cuisine, known as one of the Four Great Traditions of Chinese cuisine. The cuisine here is of "one dish, one shape, hundreds of dishes, hundreds of tastes", as the saying goes, to describe its acclaimed diversity. The most prominent traits of Sichuanese cuisine are described by four words: spicy, hot, fresh and fragrant.^[26] Sichuan cuisine is popular in the whole nation of China, so are Sichuan chefs. Two famous Sichuan chefs are Chen Kenmin and his son Chen Kenichi, who was Iron Chef Chinese on the Japanese television series "Iron Chef".

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  Kung Pao chicken, one of the most famous Sichuan cuisine

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  Mapo Tofu

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  Hot pot in Mala style

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  Dan dan noodles

Education[link]

Colleges and universities[link]

• Chengdu Institute of Technology
• Sichuan University (Chengdu)
• Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (Chengdu)
• Southwest Jiaotong University (Chengdu)
• University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (Chengdu)
• Southwest University of Science and Technology (Mianyang)
• Sichuan Normal University (Chengdu)
• Southwest University for Nationalities (Chengdu)
• Sichuan Union University
• West China University of Medical Sciences
• Southwest University of Finance & Economics
• Sichuan Agricultural University
• Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Sichuan Institute of Technology
• Southwest Institute of technology (Mianyang)
• Chengdu Institute of Information Technology
• Mianyang Economy & Technology College
• Neijiang Normal University
• Luzhou Medical College
• Sichuan University Of Physics
• Xihua University (Chengdu)

Collapse of schools during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake[link]

See also: Allegations of corruption in the construction of Chinese schools, Collapse of schools in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake

During the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, a disproportionately high number of school structures collapsed, especially in rural areas of Sichuan, leading to allegations of corruption and promises by the government for an official inquiry. However, it remains unclear whether the allegedly shoddy construction was unique to Sichuan, as opposed to a nation-wide practice that only became visible in Sichuan due to the earthquake.

Executive vice governor, Wei Hong, on 20 November 2008 confirmed that 19,065 identified schoolchildren died, and more than 90,000 were dead or missing after the earthquake. He stated that 200,000 homes had been rebuilt, and 685,000 were under reconstruction, but 1.94 million households were still without permanent shelter. 1,900 schools had been reconstructed, with initial relocation of 25 townships, including Beichuan and Wenchuan, two of the most devastated areas. The government spent $441 billion on relief and reconstruction efforts.^[27][28]

Tourism[link]

Giant Pandas eating bamboo in Chengdu, Sichuan

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

• Dazu Rock Carvings, listed as property of the Chongqing municipality
• Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area
• Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area
• Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area
• Mount Qincheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System
• Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries

Sports[link]

Professional sports teams in Sichuan include:

• Chinese Basketball Association
  • None
• Chinese Football Association Super League
  • Chengdu Blades
• Chinese Volleyball League
  • Sichuan Volleyball Team
• China Table Tennis Super League
  • Sichuan Quan-Xing Table-Tennis Team

Twin states and regions[link]

• Washington, United States (1982)
• Michigan, United States (1982)
• Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan (1984)
• Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan (1985)
• South P'yŏngan, North Korea (1985)
• Midi-Pyrénées, France (1987)
• North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (1988)
• Leicestershire, United Kingdom (1988)
• Piedmont, Italy (1990)
• Pernambuco, Brazil (1992)
• Tolna County, Hungary (1993)
• Valencian Community, Spain (1994)
• Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium (1995)
• Barinas State, Venezuela (2001)
• Friesland, Netherlands (2001)
• Almaty Province, Kazakhstan (2001)
• Mpumalanga, South Africa (2002)
• Suphan Buri, Thailand (2010)

See also[link]

• 2008 Sichuan earthquake
• Eight Immortals from Sichuan
• The Good Person of Sezuan
• Qutang Gorge

Notes[link]

Economic data'

• Economic profile for Sichuan at HKTDC

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sichuan

• Sichuan Government website
• Sichuan travel guide from Wikitravel
• Sichuan Poverty Network
• Sichuan Travel Information

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		Sichuan    East
		Yunnan	Guizhou