资阳市

Why this place

Ziyang sits on the corridor between Chengdu and Chongqing, and it is where Chang Hong, one of the earliest Chinese astronomers, and the Song scholar Chen Tuan came from. It has the Anyue cliff carvings, one of the great Buddhist-sculpture sites of Sichuan.

What to see

• The Anyue cliff carvings — tens of thousands of figures cut into the rock in the Tang and Song
• The Chen Tuan memorial and the old temples of the hills
• The Tuojiang River and the plain countryside

What to eat

• Sichuan cooking; Ziyang is known for its 'linjiangsi' bean curd and its preserved meats
• The local 'lean' pork dishes

Best time

March–May and September–November