Trendy Chengdu

What’s your first thought when you hear the name of China’s 4^th biggest city, Chengdu?  Likely you will think of pandas, undoubtedly Chengdu’s biggest attraction.  This area is the only place where tourists can go to see the pandas in their natural habitat and even volunteer, at a price, to help with their care.  But Chengdu also has beautiful parks, great shopping and the spiciest food in all China – the home to the world-famous Sichuan cuisine.

Chengdu, called the city of abundance, has its own special historical characteristics. But it may not be known that Chengdu is increasingly identified as China’s “capital of cool”.  Some say that what’s ‘hot’ in Chengdu today will be ‘hot’ in China tomorrow! 

Pharrell Lanscilo Williams, widely known as Pharrell, is an American record producer, songwriter, rapper, and singer. He has won multiple Grammy Awards and is currently the men’s creative director of the well-known luxury brand Louis Vuitton. Besides his success in the music field, he is also influential in the fashion arena as a bridge between the United States and Asia. Furthermore, he has a deep understanding of the fashion culture of China, Japan, and other Asian nations.  Louis Vuitton chose to hold its first ever fashion show in Mainland China in Chengdu. The Louis Vuitton boutique in the Taikoo Li area, home to numerous glass-fronted fashion megastores, ranked first in the national Louis Vuitton sales rankings, with a monthly sales record of 350 million yuan.

Chengdu also has a long history of Christian influence dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) when East Syriac missionaries established several monasteries in Chengdu.  In recent times, Protestant missionaries first arrived in Chengdu in 1868 with a succession of workers from LMS, British and Foreign Bible Society and China Inland Mission (now OMF).  In 1887, a number of Anglican missionaries arrived in Chengdu and other Sichuan cities, including three of the famous “Cambridge 7”.   A conservative estimate of the number of Protestants in Sichuan today is 200,000.

Things are not all plain sailing today.  In 2018, Wang Yi, a well-known Chengdu pastor was detained along with one hundred of his congregation.  Wang was reportedly arrested on allegations of “inciting subversion of State power”. Other churches have been told to join the Three-Self church or be shut down.  On 14^th February, 2022, police in Chengdu raided a Sunday service of the Early Rain Covenant Church and detained their leaders.

So, whilst the people of Chengdu are often seen as free spirited, there would appear to be less freedom for those who choose to follow the ways of Christ.

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