Sichuan

Introduction
Land
- Relief
- Drainage
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
People
- Population composition
- Settlement patterns
Economy
- Agriculture and forestry
- Resources and power
- Manufacturing
- Transportation
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Health and welfare
- Education
Cultural life
History

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

The Great Hall of the People at night, Chongqing, China.

At a Glance

Sichuan summary

Quizzes

Roofs of the Forbidden City, Beijing, China

All About Asia

Related Questions

How did Sichuan become the Shu-Han kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period?
How did transportation routes change Sichuan’s economic development after the 1950s?
How do the landscapes of eastern and western Sichuan differ?
How do winter water-storage fields help rice farming in Sichuan?
How does rainfall in eastern Sichuan compare with rainfall in western Sichuan?
How does the Sichuan Basin’s geography affect its climate?
How has Chengdu served as a cultural center in Sichuan’s history?
How was Sichuan governed during the Zhou and Qin dynasties?
What are Sichuan’s major industries?
What flavors distinguish Sichuan cuisine from other Chinese cuisines?
What happened during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake?
Where do the Yi people of Sichuan mainly live?
Where is Sichuan province located in China?
Which ethnic groups live in Sichuan province?
Which farm animals are especially important in Sichuan province?
Which ingredients are commonly used in Sichuan cuisine?
Which is the highest mountain in Sichuan province?
Which major crops are grown in Sichuan province?
Which mountain ranges surround the Sichuan Basin?
Which natural resources support manufacturing in Sichuan province?
Which provinces and regions border Sichuan province?
Which religious traditions are practiced in Sichuan province?
Which traditional crafts and cottage industries are produced in Sichuan?
Why are foggy and cloudy days common in the Sichuan Basin?
Why are giant panda reserves in Sichuan important?
Why are highways in Sichuan difficult and hazardous to build?
Why are terraced fields widely used in eastern Sichuan?
Why can farmers in the Sichuan Basin grow crops for nearly the entire year?
Why did Chongqing serve as the Nationalist government’s wartime capital?
Why did Sichuan become divided among warlords in the early Chinese republic?
Why did factories and people move from coastal China to Sichuan during the Sino-Japanese War?
Why does Sichuan experience powerful earthquakes?
Why has the Dujiangyan irrigation system been important to farming on the Chengdu Plain?
Why has the Sichuan Basin been called “Heaven on Earth”?
Why is eastern Sichuan more densely populated than western Sichuan?
Why is eastern Sichuan sometimes called the “land of one million steps”?
Why is silk production important in Sichuan?
Why is the Jiuzhai River valley a major tourist destination?
Why is the Sichuan Basin sometimes called the Red Basin?
Why is the Yangtze River important for transportation in Sichuan?
Why was travel into and out of Sichuan difficult for centuries?
Why was the Great Wall of China built?
Can you see the Great Wall of China from space?
What caused the Russo-Japanese War?
Where was the Russo-Japanese War fought?
How did the Russo-Japanese War end?
What is the climate in Guangzhou?
What UNESCO World Heritage site is found at the heart of Beijing?
What are the major ethnic groups in China?

Geography & Travel States & Other Subdivisions

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External Websites

Maps of World - Sichuan Province, China

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Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Sichuan - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Sichuan

province, China

Also known as: Ssu-ch’uan, Szechwan

Written by

Charles Y. Hu

Former Professor of Geography, University of Maryland, College Park. Author of monographs on the military geography of China.

Charles Y. HuAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 7, 2026 •History

Sichuan, sheng (province) of China. It is located in the upper Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) valley in the southwestern part of the country. Sichuan is the second largest of the Chinese provinces. It is bordered by the provinces of Gansu and Shaanxi to the north, the territory of Chongqing municipality to the east, the provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan to the south, the Tibet Autonomous Region to the west, and the province of Qinghai to...

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