I'm not a plastic blog (part 2)

I've been following the Anya Hindmarch I'm not a plastic bag bag saga with interest. In the latest developments, it seems that a number of women were crushed as Hong Kong fashionistas fought it out for one of only 1600 of the prized cotton bags available on the island. As a result, the sale of original I'm not a plastic bag bags has been banned in mainland China, which is rather ironic, given that the bags are actually made there. Not to be denied, however, the up-and-coming fashion-conscious Beijingers are already making orders for genuine 'A grade', fake I'm not a plastic bag bags, which are reportedly identical to the originals. In a further insult, the demand for I'm not a plastic bag bags is so high that the fakes are actually more expensive, expecting to fetch about 9GBP compared with the 5GBP original.

都江堰 - Du Jiang Yan Irrigation Project

The Du Jian Yan Irrigation Project is situated 56km northwest of Chengdu, a 50-minute bus ride from Cha Dian Zi bus station in western Chengdu (茶店子西门公共汽车站) (on a direct, "deluxe" bus, for 15RMB a go). The project was constructed by the Shu Governor, Li Bing, in the 3rd century B.C. It is the world's largest example of a damless irrigation system and classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The irrigation system serves to control and divert the flow of water for irrigation of the Chengdu Plain and consists of three components: the Fish Mouth dike (鱼嘴), the Flying Sand Spillway (飞沙堰) and the Bottleneck (宝瓶口).


Pay attention now, here comes the science bit: if I've understood the principle correctly (which, not being an eco-engineer, is far from likely), the Fish Mouth divides the Minjiang river into an outer and inner canal. The outer canal follows the course of the river and is shallower than the riverbed, while the deeper inner canal diverts faster flowing water along the face of the surrounding mountain. The inner canal serves to remove silt; the outer canal acts as an overflow when water levels are high so as to prevent flooding. The long, deep Bottleneck guides water from the inner canal into the irrigated area and was carved out of the face of the mountain, even before explosives were in common use, by repeatedly heating and cooling the rock, causing it to crack. Barriers made from bamboo and rocks, held together by rope, were used to protect the river banks.

Several temples and ancillary features were subsequently built on the site, and the walk back up the mountainside through the Songmao Road (松茂故道) is well worth it, giving some great views of the river and Du Jiang village (and the city, although that's not so nice......).

Giant pandas

The Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base (成都大熊猫繁育研究基地) is located in the northeast part of the city, a short cab ride away from the city centre. The base holds the largest population of captively-bred giant pandas in the world (as well as some red pandas) and, as the name suggests, conducts research into panda breeding, including genetic typing to match potential mates. The site provides a simulated natural environment for artificially-bred pandas, with separate enclosures for cubs, and sub-adult and adult bears. Newborns are kept in a nursery (in cots - very cute.....).

The best time to visit is between 8.30am and 10am, when the animals feed. Being the outwardly lazy animals that they are, pandas seemingly do little other than eat and lounge around (secretly my ambition in life), so if you don't catch them while they're munching, you're unlikely to see them move. As the book implies, the giant panda eats shoots and leaves. Although there are some 90 different types of bamboo, the panda appears to be quite discerning, favouring only about 20 of these. Bizarrely, pandas appear to be rather stubborn eaters, eschewing an active, hunter-gatherer carnivorous lifestyle in favour of chowing down and munching on 15 to 20 kilos of bamboo a day instead, despite the fact that they lack enzymes to digest grasses efficiently. They're also fastidious breeders; females ovulate once a year, between March and May, leaving a period of only two or three days when fertilization can occur. Mothers give birth to twins, but usually abandon one of the babies, who dies after a few days. Giant pandas are indigenous to southwest China, namely the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, and Tibet, with an estimated 1600 specimens left in the wild.

The general appeal of pandas appears to be partly due to certain similarities with humans, both in their facial expression and anatomic function; unlike other bears, pandas possess a "pseudo-thumb", which I'm told involves a sesamoid bone. This thumb enables pandas to grasp objects much like humans, and they use this ability to grab bamboo shoots, using their mouths to strip off the leaves (see pictures below). It's really rather mesmerizing. They also appear to be designed to sit on their ass for extended periods of time, which humans are also known to do. All of this makes me think that humans must, at least in sentiment, be the direct descendants of pandoid ancestors.

The Chengdu Breeding Centre recently released Xiang Xiang, a tagged four-year old male, into the wild, at the nearby Wolong Reserve. Sadly, he doesn't seem to have fared very well, and it's reported that he's been bullied by wild males. Spare a thought for the poor guy....

A cautionary note: although getting to the Research Base by taxi is fairly straightforward (taxis in Chengdu are metered), getting a taxi back into the city doesn't seem to be. The drivers loitering around there seem to make a business out of conning tourists by not using their meters. Private drivers might give you a better deal. A ride into the city centre should cost your around 30RMB (15RMB=1GBP).