The cradle of civilization

The Chengdu Plain has fertile soil and a wet climate, making it an ideal place for planting mulberry trees and sericulture.

Can Cong, the first king of the Shu state, is traditionally believed to be a silkworm-breeding expert.

During the period before the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), silk had become one of the important products for international trade. A trade route linking Chengdu with South and Central Asia had been built, which is known as the "Southern Silk Road" today.

Shu embroidery and brocade gained huge popularity during the Qin Dynasty to the Three Kingdoms (220-280). Chengdu therefore became one of the three major centers for silk production and trade in China.

To manage and regulate the local brocade industry, the Shu Kingdom, one of the three regimes during the Three Kingdoms, set up a special office in Chengdu.

The officials were named jinguan, literally people who take charge of brocade, while the office was named jinguancheng. As a result, later generations referred to Chengdu as Jincheng or Jinguancheng.