Chengdu is the capital of China's southwestern Sichuan ("Four Rivers") province. It is one of the wealthiest cities in China, and also one of the country's most important transportation and communication hubs.

Sichuan Province and the Chengdu region have long been the capital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Today, with the onset of Western medicine in the country, Chengdu is a major pharmaceutical research and development center. Similarly, Chengdu's Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone increasingly attracts a variety of multinational and domestic companies.