As the first world-class sports event to take place in western China, the Chengdu 2021 FISU World University Games helped usher an even-more invigorated sports and university vibe into Chengdu. The World University Games took place in the summer of 2023 (28 July – 8 August).
As the capital of the Sichuan Province, the city has taken advantage of hosting the summer 2021 event by boosting its own sports IP as Chengdu builds itself into a world-famous city of sports events.
Combining great strides in sports with the place’s time-honoured history ensures the student-athletes that came east for the event a feast of food, sports and culture that reverberate well beyond the field of place and the events of the day.
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Also known as Hibiscus City, Chengdu is the capital of China’s Sichuan province. As an emerging city on the world scene, the city wears many hats; it serves as a national central city, an economic driver, a hub of technology and finance, and a centre of culture & innovation. With all this— plus its permanent population of 16 million — Chengdu is rightly hailed as “the land of abundance.”
A famous historical and cultural city within the country, Chengdu is the cradle of the ancient Shu civilization and Taoism philosophy.
As one of the ancient Chinese capitals, Chengdu boasts 4,500 years of culture. Almost all the great Chinese poets in the history visited or spent an episode of their lives in Chengdu. Great names such as Li Po, Du Fu, Lu You, among others, created a myriad of their best-known poems here.
Those coming to Chengdu are in for a treat as the city holds the title “Best Tourist City in China” by both the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China and the World Tourism Organization.
Part of Chengdu’s popularity as a travel destination comes to it being the home of China’s national treasure – giant pandas! That’s certainly not all, as famous tourist attractions dot the Sichuan province, including the Jiuzhai Valley, Huanglong. National Park, Leshan Giant Buddha, Mount E’mei, Sanxingdui Relics Site and the Yading Nature Reserve.
Chengdu isn’t only a nice to visit, it’s a great place to live. Located in the subtropical monsoon climate zone, Chengdu enjoys a pleasant climate with distinct seasons. With the city’s park-like setting, abundant rainfall, warm summers, and mild winters, diverse topographies and landscapes bless the region. Mountains, hills, plains, rivers, lakes and reservoirs distributed add a certain charm and variety to the bustling metropolis.
The Giant Panda National Park and its nature reserve, and other natural parks including forest parks, geological parks, scenic spots and wetland parks are the city’s pride. The construction of seventeen thousand kilometres of Tianfu Greenway, the longest of its kind in the world, and Mount Longquan Forest Park (Chengdu’s Green Heart) is underway to take advantage of Chengdu’s natural habitat.
With three thousand plus kilometres of urban greenway development already completed, transportation is convenient in the city. The rapidly-expanding urban rail network is undoubtedly helping this as well.
One place you won’t be seeing much change from the ancient times is on the Wide and Narrow Alley and Jinli Street.
These well-known pedestrian streets feature the various courtyard-style retail stores that are meticulously maintained from an earlier age and feature plenty of places to graze on the world-famous Sichuan cuisine. With an array of snacks and the unforgettable spicy hotpot have Chengdu holds the title of UNESCO Capital of Gastronomy, the first Asian city to earn this distinction. For the past 11 years, Chengdu has topped the list as China’s happiest city.
Sports are part of the fabric of life in the city, as Chengdu is the fastest developing cities in China with the highest percentage per population engaging in sporting activities. University sport is well represented, as Chengdu boasts over 60 institutions of higher education, including Sichuan University and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.
With several modern sports venues such as the Dong’ an Lake Sports Park and Fenghuangshan Sports Park, the city has successfully hosted over 100 international sports events before earning the right to host the 31st FISU World University Games.
Previous events that have come to the heart of Sichuan Province include the 18th World Police and Fire Games, the ITTF Men’s World Cup and Women’s World Cup, and the Chengdu Marathon addition to the World Marathon Majors series.
Besides hosting the Chengdu 2021 FISU World University Game, the city has been on a roll earning rights hosting duties with the World Team Table Tennis Championships coming in 2022, the Asian Cup in 2023, and the World Games in 2025.
