Leshan City is located at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi Rivers in the middle of Sichuan Province.
Leshan City Proper is 318 square miles (825 square kilometers) in size and has a population of 533,000. The name Leshan means, “Pleased with the Place”. Leshan, known as Jiazhou in the ancient time, has a history of 3,000 years. It served as the capital of Shu State whose King was Kai Ming during the Bashu period (more than 3,000 years ago), historically reputed as “seat of Kai Ming's central government”. Moreover, from ancient times on, people have used the verse “Jiazhou, a land of abundance in fish and rice, and a place of elegance famous for Mountain Emei and the Moshui River” to eulogize it.
Leshan is a mix of very old and very new. The older parts of the city contain many markets that serve the local population. They line the streets and offer a variety of foods as well as the freshest vegetables in the area. The main modes of transportation in these parts of town are on foot or bicycle. Farming is still the main industry of the outlying areas and the markets are a big part of everyday life in the area. Everything from poultry and fish to a wide variety of local produce are abundant. The high population puts limits on the amount of vehicles on the roads and usually the only people driving a vehicle, other than taxis and buses, are the ex-patriots, executives and government employees who are working there.
In direct contrast, the newer skylines of Leshan are decorated with high rise office towers, apartment buildings (leased) living flats (owned) and even an amusement park. The walkways along the riverbank are very nice and stretch the length of the shoreline.
With the industries of medicine and chemistry, electronics, construction and decorating materials and tourism as its four economic pillars, the government leaders are determined to build Leshan into an international city with world renowned tourist attractions. With Mountain Emei and the Leshan Giant Buddha in the center, the land of Leshan is clustered with many scenic resorts, nature reserves, and forest parks and key historical sites under protection. The construction of transportation and communication facilities is proceeding robustly. The Chengdu-Kunming Railway runs through five counties and districts. Passenger boats and 500 ton class freighters can sail from Leshan Harbor and Leshan Bulk Cargo Dock to all of the harbors along the Yangtze River. Chengdu-Leshan Expressway connects the city directly with the Shuangliu International Airport of Chengdu. The City own grid is powerful enough to meet its demand for electricity. Leshan abounds in hydroelectric resources with a potential power generating capacity of 4 million kW and is the major hydroelectric power-generating center in Sichuan.
Leshan has fostered friendly relations and economic cooperation with more than 50 cities worldwide. A large international man made forest industrial group, an international monetary group, companies from Malaysia, Norway and Thailand have opened enterprises in Leshan. Since 1994 the city has obtained upwards of $100 million of foreign investment every year.
As Leshan continues to evolve into a market driven economy they have a need to get information from other parts of the world as to the best way to do things, from running a government to protecting their resources. They also have a tremendous culture to share with the rest of the world. They are interested in exchanging performance troops with Gilbert and sharing the famous Sichuan Opera and other performing arts with our community. They have a lot to offer in this area. The people of Leshan are keenly interested in the arts, culture, foreign investment, and education, all of which are excellent starting points to a successful sister city relationship. There are many economic avenues to pursue including investment, consulting contracts, and even manufacturing. |
Asia Travel 
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