Inland Sichuan a new frontier of opening-up

Sichuan province, located in the upper Yangtze River Valley in the southwestern part of China, does not share its borders with any country nor does it have a coastline. Due to its mild climate and fertile basin, Sichuan has been renowned as the "Land of Abundance" since ancient times.

However, the rugged routes connecting Sichuan to the rest of the country have become obstacles to the region's economic and social development, and its exchanges with other regions of the country and the outside world. Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Li Bai once wrote that the road to Shu (the ancient name of Sichuan) is more dangerous than that to the sky.

China's economy has developed rapidly since the launch of reform and opening-up in the late 1970s. However, Sichuan, constrained by its geography, was unable to fully participate in and benefit from China's coastal development policy.