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miracle. A development that drew se- rious attention. At the moment nearly all relevant multinationals have settled in Chengdu. With the emphasis on business services and IT & software. A process that makes the President of the United States Joe Biden quite nervous. Anyone who looks around in Chengdu quickly understands the reason for Bid- en's trembling lower lip. At the moment China has more than 60 high tech in- dustrial development zones spread over the country.
Meanwhile, the 2600-year-old Chengdu doesn’t look like a working city at all. You never
get the feeling that the city is overpopulated, even with 21
million people. The climate is subtropical and there are res- taurants and terraces all over
the place. After the uplift in the economy and the realisation of
a state-of-the-art infrastruc-
ture, the next step was to give
the city a soul. The spearheads
of this policy are not only
sports and culture, but also education and sustainability. Especially in the area of sustainability, the city is an exception in Asia. With 1,514 parks, Chengdu is considered the greenest city in China and a beautifully coloured bicycle ring of five hundred kilometres ensures that you imagine yourself, cy- cling through a kind of half-opened cylinder, in the Asian version of Ocean Boulevard. Then the canal belt XL. At night, beautifully lit performances on the quays, dancing on pontoons and music on the water.
Thanks to architect Min Joa, who 256 years before Christ devised an irriga- tion plan that ensured that no river in the extremely water-rich area ever burst its banks again. Chengdu also has a dif- ferent kind of Chinese people than in Beijing and Shanghai.
A bit Burgundian and quite open. Also striking is the Tibetan quarter, where monks walk the streets in their wine- red and yellow robes. So it is no sur- prise that Chengdu has been chosen as the city with the happiest people in
China for fourteen years in a row. The Happy City now wants to share that with the world. Showing that as the capital of Sichuan, it has more to offer than just world-famous cuisine and pandas, of which there are more than eighteen hundred in the wild in this part of China.
No fewer than sixty-five universities and colleges now act as a safety net for the new generation from home and abroad. For those who want to study
That sport, in a dynamic city of mil- lions, was connected to culture, edu- cation and sustainability. A nicer cock- tail couldn’t have been served to 6500 student athletes from 113 countries. Young people from all over the world, who underwent an unique experience, which delivered the message that many doors are still wide open.
The cherry on the cake was the Chinese students dominating the World Uni- versity Games with 103 gold medals
and 178 podium places. Mean- while thousands of young athletes experienced various technical tour de forces. From 5G technology to taxis without drivers. And not to forget, ro- bots as training partners, first aid providers, translators and much more.
All these support the further growth of ambitious Cheng- du. After the World University Games the main parts of the 49 stadiums and facilities were opened for public use and in most cases also for free. Giving
people extra options to train and relax after their day of work.
Meanwhile the city got so inspired that in 2025 it will organise the World Games. Hence, Chengdu appeals to the ‘Agenda 2020’ plan of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has a pyramid model of events with the Olympic Games on top, of course.
In the ‘Agenda 2020’, the World Univer- sity Games are noted as the bottom of the events pyramid, while the World Games has the status of First Division under the Olympic Games.
By organising the first two events Chengdu needs just one more step to follow Beijing (2008) as the second Chinese Olympic city.
So 750 years after Marco Polo arrived in Chengdu, a global greatness is ap- pearing in the assumed backyard of China. With sports in the yellow jersey, supported by innovation, sustainability, culture and an inspired young genera- tion. And by 21 million people who are proud of their Sports City of the Future.
A baby Panda is seen at the Chengdu Re- search Base of Giant Panda Breeding on April 19, 2011 in Chengdu, China.
in an environment full of perspective. Therefore the time was right to use top sports to gain more international rec- ognition.
So Chengdu started in a modest way by organising the World University Games, the formerly Universiade. Well, modest... But it seemed like the blue- print of the Olympic Games was per- fectly copied - from beautiful stadiums to impressive logistics.
Although just a handful of journal- ists from Europe, Africa and America would show up from July 28 to August 8 2023 – around this time also the Asian Games and World Championships of athletics and gymnastics were held - the always positive thinking people of Chengdu didn’t mind.
With the opening of the 31st FISU World University Games on Friday July 28 by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chengdu made its first step and that is what it was all about.
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PHOTO BY IAN WALTON/GETTY IMAGES