Under the framework of building Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, Sichuan and Chongqing's culture authorities have recently signed a series of cooperation agreements such as the Strategic Cooperation Agreement on Advancing Protection and Utilization of Cultural Relics under Building Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle and the Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement on Prioritizing Culture Industry under Building Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle. These agreements have shifted Chongqing-Sichuan cultural exchanges into a higher gear.

"When talking about Chinese regional cultures, we usually refer to those originating in the same region and with obvious commonalities and only certain differences in location and environment as Gemini cultures. With high similarities, Bashu culture is undoubtedly a typical Gemini culture." According to Lan Yong, Director of the Institute for Historical Geography at Southwest University, these agreements signed by Sichuan and Chongqing's culture and tourism authorities will be conducive to both places no matter in facilitating their scholars' in-depth research on Bashu cultural heritages or their efforts to build livable cities for a high-quality life.

Then what kind of bonds do Sichuan and Chongqing have since ancient times? Which aspects should Sichuan and Chongqing's history and culture scholars focus on under the framework of building the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle? Director Lan accepted an exclusive interview on these questions.

Many Chongqing restaurants have their roots in Chengdu

"Like other Gemini cultures, Ba culture and Shu culture both deeply affected by the environment of Sichuan Basin have merged, exhibited prominent commonalities and become well established after the past millennia of mutual influence." As early as the ancient times, there had been exchanges between Sichuan and Chongqing, said Director Lan. "According to historical literature, Yufu, founder of the ancient Yufu kingdom, the oldest in the history of State of Shu, is from Ba region."

As mutual exchanges increased, Ba and Shu began to merge. Till in the early 20th century, when the government set up two administrative divisions in the region, Ba and Shu were divided, but it didn't affect their cultural exchanges. "For example, Ba and Shu had frequent exchanges in cuisine culture." At that time, there were many restaurants had establishments in both places. For example, Yi Zhi Shi, a famous restaurant in Chongqing, was founded in Chengdu and then moved to Chongqing. Gu Gu Yan, another famous Chongqing restaurant, was also founded in Chengdu by a well-known Sichuan chef Huang Jinglin and moved to Chongqing in the 1940s.

Notably, frequent cultural exchanges have also brought about great similarity in dialects.

Chinese Sichuan Cuisine History published thanks to the help of Sichuan bibliophiles

"Looking back over the thousands of years, we can easily find that although Sichuan and Chongqing were in an 'on-again-off-again' relationship due to administrative division, their scholars shared the same demands basically in Bashu culture research due to the influence of the Sichuan Basin." With similar demands, their scholars had maintained frequent exchanges, which have given a significant boost to both places' cultural development.

This was especially deeply felt by Lan himself, who was born in Sichuan's Luzhou and studied and worked in Chongqing.

In September 2019, Lan's other work Chinese Sichuan Cuisine History, made its debut in Chongqing. From the perspective of orthodoxy historiography, this book studies the evolution of ingredient structure, cooking method, flavor and taste, and making method in the Bashu region in different historical periods.

"Although I author the book, I need to thank all the scholars and bibliophiles of Sichuan whoever helped me with the writing. Thanks to their help, this book can be finished and published. For the book, I have consulted more than 600 related books and ancient records. Of them, the old Sichuan recipes provided by a Chengdu's bibliophile called Canggenren are most helpful," said Lan.

Since the reform and opening-up, Sichuan and Chongqing's scholars who share the same cultural demands have been cooperating on studying Bashu history and culture.

"In the 1980s, A Dictionary of Sichuan History was compiled jointly by Chengdu and Chongqing's scholars. Over a decade ago, the General History of Bashu Culture was published. The bulk of the content was by Chengdu scholars, and the content about transportation and education was by Chongqing scholars. Moreover, the expert teams of many large cultural projects like Bashu Quanshu and Shu Cang were also made up by Sichuan and Chongqing scholars," said Lan.

Reveal stories behind unique Bashu cultural heritages together

What cooperation can Sichuan and Chongqing carry out in history and culture fields under the framework of building the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle?

"We should go deeper into existing resources, and advancing the compilation of multi-volume series like Bashu Quanshu and General History of Bashu Culture Series is no doubt a top priority." Stressing this, Lan advised Sichuan and Chongqing scholars to go deeper into existing cultural resources through holding regular seminars or academic forums or other means. By doing so, he hopes that the creation and publication of Bashu Quanshu, a multi-volume series that collects historical literature about Sichuan and Chongqing, can be accelerated, thereby filling a gap in related fields.

Moreover, Lan also suggested more government efforts on tourism development and cultural creativity around Bashu street cuisine, Bashu ancient towns, and Chuanjiang Culture. "It is necessary to pay more attention to stories behind unique Bashu culture heritages like Chuanjiang, Sichuan cuisine, and Shudao. At the same time, Sichuan and Chongqing's culture authorities should work together to roll out more quality tourism routes themed Bashu ancient towns and alike promotions, thus allowing more people to know Bashu culture."