On Dec 7, the “Famous people and bloggers see Chengdu” – Chengdu Impression seminar was held in Pingle ancient town of the Sichuan province. National Friendship Award winners, overseas Chinese famous bloggers, local well-known entrepreneurs along with executives from Forbes Asia were all in attendance. They talked about the livability of Chengdu and the planning prospects of the Tianfu New Area of Chengdu city.

“Chengdu is a perfect combination of classic and modern elements,” said Turkish expert Buze after visiting the Eastern Music Park, “It changed from a kinescope factory into a music square. It is so impressive.”

Luenning, a German expert, came to Chengdu for the first time. Before then, his memory of the city rested on The Good Woman of Setzuan written by Bertolt Brecht.

“Chengdu reminds me of pandas and nothing but pandas,” said Luenning. He couldn’t help his excitement for them stating, “This trip made my dreams come true, I love Chengdu and will pay another visit next year.”

What interested Narasiman, a Tamil expert from India, were the High-tech and Tianfu Software Parks in Chengdu. He was surprised at the development status of the software industry in Chengdu. “My son is working in the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) of India and I have many friends at Tata. I will tell them how wonderful Chengdu is and encourage them to seek development opportunities in Chengdu.”

Kim Suthaek, an expert from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) also visited Chengdu for the first time. He felt the charm of Chengdu as soon as he got off the plane. “Chengdu is growing fast and the new look of disaster-affected areas is surprising. I can see the strength of the Chinese people.”

Mohiuddin Taher from Bangladesh is already a Chinese expert, “My Chinese is not bad, I like the Thatched Cottage of Du Fu best and every tree has a story.” “More than 3,000 years ago, the walking sticks and Shu fabrics from Chengdu's Qionglai were sold in Egypt.”

At the seminar, Li Houqiang, an expert at the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences introduced Chengdu to all distinguished guests. “The interchange of the 30 degrees north latitude and the Mohe-Tengchong line, the birthplace of the world’s first paper money, the profound ancient Shu culture and Three Kingdoms culture…these are all the previous labels of Chengdu. Now, the Tianfu New Area will become the new label for the city.”

Li’s words resonated with domestic and overseas guests and renowned bloggers expressed their feelings and expectations for the Chengdu and Tianfu New Area.

Having been living in the Netherlands for a long time, Li Jianmang deemed Chengdu as the Europe in China, “The easy life and mild climate determine the Chengdu people’s relaxed and romantic nature. Their lifestyle is so close to Europe.”

With regard to the development and construction of the Tianfu New Area, a noted blogger named Yu Yiwei said, “In order to sustain such growth, the Tianfu New Area should control its logistics cost and focus on the development of the aviation industry and electronic information industry.”

Obrien Rogge, chief economic analyst of Forbes Asia communicated with guests through video connection. He said, “When talking about the wealth of a city, we should not singularly judge it by the factories, skyscrapers or various industries it contains. They are not the most precious wealth of a city.”

As he saw it, “The post-earthquake Chengdu boasts unique toughness, kindheartedness, leisureliness and gratitude. That urban spirit is the most valuable treasure of the city.”

“Recently, I was told that the Tianfu New Area is undergoing planning and construction by Chengdu and Sichuan province. I was informed that an international, modern and new city will be built here. It will cover an area of 1,578 square kilometers with a population of 6 million.” He thought that the broad geographic space, ample environmental capacity and enhanced ecological background will be the assets that gather global wealth for the city.

“I hope the Tianfu New Area can be developed into an integral part of China’s hinterland to open to Eurasia, a channel and platform for economic, technical, information and cultural exchanges and cooperation between West China and the world. I also expect that during my next visit, Chengdu and Tianfu New Area will bring me more surprises.”