I’m Old Sichuan

On June 18, 1997, Sichuan and Chongqing officially went their separate ways, and the Chen siblings’ family split in two as well. Their younger sister went with their mother to live in Chengdu, while their older brother stayed in Chongqing with their father. The young siblings didn’t understand why Sichuan and Chongqing had split, let alone why their parents had divorced. They only knew that they would always love and annoy each other in equal measure, and that they would forever be old Sichuanese. From then on, Chen Yujiang climbed Chongqing’s hills and ate hotpot from a nine-grid pot, while Chen Yuting enjoyed Chengdu’s flat streets and swished ingredients in a split pot. The two siblings began lives that were alike yet different in the bustling neighborhoods of Sichuan and Chongqing. They ate skewers, dabbled in penny stocks, and played a little mahjong... A vivid portrait of everyday life in Sichuan and Chongqing unfolded, reflecting not only the siblings’ growth but also the changes of an era. In the blink of an eye, twenty years passed. The Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle began to take shape, and Sichuan and Chongqing moved from competition to cooperation, opening their doors, tearing down walls, and pursuing development together. Riding this wave of opportunity, the Chen siblings, proud old Sichuanese, found love and success, and continued to live life to the fullest, just like the region’s fiery hotpot.