Matthias Courvoisier, a lawyer from Zurich, married a local Chinese lady, and now has many Chinese in-laws. He introduces his life in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, including family, friends, the city and countryside, and other stories from the home of the panda.
When you hear about Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM, acupuncture might be the first thing that comes to your mind. But TCM represents a much broader system of medicine.
Xi'an has always proven popular with the tourists, thanks to the Terracotta warriors, and few visitors have been able to resist the charms of Chengdu's panda population.
However, traveling between the two major cities has always been something of a problem, due to the rugged natural environment.
Now, the National Development and Reform Commission has just announced that a new high-speed rail link between Xi’an and Chengdu has been approved.
The new railway will be designed and constructed by the China Railway First Survey and Design Institute.
The Xi'an-Chengdu railway will cost around 10 billion US dollars, and will be the first railway to run through the Qinling Mountains, which explains the high price tag.
According to the engineers involved the project is scheduled to be completed within 4 years.