Rivers and trees are key elements in Wenjiang’s urban design that create a better environment and give the city a sense of life.

With the theme “Better City, Better Life”, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo opens on Saturday in Shanghai.

Posters with the slogan are everywhere, so Expo visitors might ask the obvious question —“where are the better cities in China that offer a better life?”

The list might be not too long, but Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan province, is no doubt near the top.

Situated at the heart of the Sichuan Basin — widely known as “the land of plenty” — Chengdu’s quality of life was recognized by the UN when it was placed in the organization’s Habitat Scroll of Honor in 1998.

The city is heading toward modernization at a steady pace and in a composed manner, allowing its people to benefit from the material gains in a sustainable, growing economy while enjoying the fruits of a millennia-old civilization and well-preserved natural environment.

A role model

Wenjiang district, a newly urbanized area west of downtown Chengdu, is now seen by locals as a model of how to create a better life for residents.

With an area of only 277 sq km, a population of 338,400 and a gross domestic product of 17.1 billion yuan in 2009, Wenjiang’s administrators are not keen to promote themselves with just surging statistical figures.

Authorities and residents want the district to be a harmonious combination of prosperity and serenity, modernity and ancient heritage.

Wenjiang has a long history. Recent archaeological discoveries show it was the capital of the ancient Shu Kingdom some 4,000 to 5,000 years ago.