Chengdu, capital of southwestern China's Sichuan Province, was named one of the top 10 great ancient capitals in China at a forum in late October.

The one-week forum was hosted by Chinese Ancient Capital Association, a national academic organization established in Xi'an in 1983 .

Scholars attending the forum agreed that Chengdu, with a long history of more than 4,500 years, is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization and one of the oldest capital cities in the country.

As early as the Pre-Qin Period (Pre-221 BC), five Ancient Shu kings founded their capitals in Chengdu. The splendid, mysterious Sanxingdui Relics were reputed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World." The city also served as the capital of five important regimes later on.

Chengdu is a spectacularly unique ancient capital city, with distinct spirit and sustainable cultural identity, said Xiao Zhenghong, president of the association, adding that Chengdu is an inclusive and open city.

Originally, the four great ancient capital cities in China recoganized by scholars at home are Xi'an, Nanjing, Luoyang and Beijing. Later, more historical capitals, including Kaifeng, Hangzhou, Anyang, Zhengzhou and Datong were included into the list.