Why Szechuan is the chilli capital

In my various travels around China, I came across this poor chef toiling over a mountainpile of chilli in the province of Szechuan. Is this a version of potato peeling punishment, Chinese style? The mystery of why Szechuan became the chilli capital of China, The World, is solved.

Apparently in Szechuan they punish their customers too. I'm sure they put extra szechuan pepper bells in my dish because my chinese was really awful when I ordered. And it taught me a painful lesson to always be sure of what I was ordering.