In Mianzhu, the streets smell of spirits and the temples hum with history

People visit an ancient temple in Mianzhu.

With the temple and its related heroic legend, Mianzhu has enjoyed the reputation as being the place for loyal court officials and filial sons.

Mianzhu is also famous for its beautiful block prints. The city boasts one of the four schools of the millennia-old Lunar New Year block prints. The others hail from Tianjin's Yangliuqing, Shandong's Weifang and Suzhou's Taohuawu.

The prints are one of many traditional ways to celebrate the new year. They are adorned with auspicious symbols, such as harvests, rosy-cheeked toddlers bearing fish and door guardians.

Mianzhu's Lunar New Year block prints were invented during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and flourished during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), when nearly 1,000 artists in more than 300 workshops produced as many as 12 million prints a year.

Painters created Mianzhu prints by drawing a picture on paper fastened to wood as an outline for carving. The prints were produced when the raised surfaces were coated with ink and then pressed on paper to create image outlines.

Today, this art form has remained popular in rural Sichuan and are sold to many parts of the country. These prints are also frequently used as traditional Chinese art patterns on postcards, calendars, fans and silk products.

The city enjoys a subtropical humid monsoon climate. There are clear four seasons and abundant rainfall in the period from May to October. The best time to visit is in the spring and fall.

The city has no airport, but it is about 60 kilometers from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, and adjacent to Mianyang Nanjiao Airport to the north, about 70 kilometers away. There are regular coaches linking the three cities.