Many foreign leaders and political celebrities have beaten a path to Chengdu over the past decade.

In October 2004, then-French president Jacques Chirac delivered a strong speech there, underlining the economic partnership between his government and Beijing, before heading to the capital to cement further trade links between the two countries.

In June 2007, then president Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines visited the western city, together with a delegation of more than 100 government officials and business people.

Her visit included a tour of the SM Chengdu mall, owned by the Philippine company SM Prime Holdings.

In August 2011, US Vice-President Joe Biden gave a 45-minute speech on China-US relations at Sichuan University, and visited Intel Corp's operation in the city.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also visited Chengdu during his fourth official trip to China, two years ago.

He toured various Singaporean companies operating in the city, and his visit was followed shortly after by the delivery of a pair of Chinese pandas to the island state.

And last year, British Prime Minister David Cameron tasted hotpot and enjoyed Chinese tea at the Thatched Cottage of Du Fu, the great Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) poet, giving a touch of informality to an official trip there.

The most recent high-profile visitor was US first lady Michelle Obama, who arrived there on the last stop of her China trip in March.

She impressed students at Chengdu No 7 High School with bittersweet stories from her own school days.

(China Daily European Weekly 07/11/2014 page15)