Chengdu

(Travellers | Cities | Routes | Trade Goods | Themes)

by Sally K. Church

The following comes from Henry Yule's notes on Marco Polo:

"Baron Richthofen observes that Ch’êng tu is among the largest of Chinese cities, and is of all the finest and most refined. The population is called 800,000. The walls form a square of about 3 miles to the side, and there are suburbs besides. The streets are broad and straight, laid out at right angles, with a pavement of square flags very perfectly laid, slightly convex and drained at each side. The numerous commemorative arches are sculptured with skill; there is much display of artistic taste; and the people are remarkably civil to foreigners. This characterizes the whole province; and an air of wealth and refinement prevails even in the rural districts. The plain round Ch’êng tu fu is about 90 miles in length (S.E. to N.W.), by 40 miles in width, with a copious irrigation and great fertility, so that in wealth and population it stands almost unrivalled." (Letter VII. pp. 48 66.)

"[Mr. Baber (Travels, p. 26) gives the following information regarding the population of Ch’êng tu: “The census of 1877 returned the number of families at about 70,000, and the total population at 330,000 – 190,000 being males and 140,000 females; but probably the extensive suburb was not included in the enumeration. Perhaps 350,000 would be a fair total estimate.” It is the seat of the Viceroy of the Sze ch’wan province. Mr. Hosie says (Three Years in Western China, p. 86): “It is without exception the finest city I have seen in China; Peking and Canton will not bear comparison with it.” Captain Gill writes (River of Golden Sand, II. p. 4); “The city of Ch’êng Tu is still a rich and noble one, somewhat irregular in shape, and surrounded by a strong wall, in a perfect state of repair. In this there are eight bastions, four being pierced by gates.”

“It is one of the largest of Chinese cities, having a circuit of about 12 miles.” (Baber, p. 26.) “It is now three and a half miles long by about two and a half miles broad, the longest side lying about east south east, and west north west, so that its compass in the present day is about 12 miles.” (Captain Gill, II. p. 4.) - H. C.]

- Book II, Part II, Chapter XLIV, "Concerning the Province and City of Sindafu", Henry Yule, trans., ed., The Book of Ser Marco Polo, The Venetian, Concerning the Kingdoms and Marvels of the East, 3rd ed. (with commentaries by Henri Cordier), 2 vols. (London: John Murray, 1903), p. 36, note 1.