Life with ArielChengdu is the capital of Sichuan province in China and located in the center of Chengdu Plain which is known as “Country of Heaven” or “Land of Abundance”. It is a city of gastronomy, famous for its delicious spicy food. Its surroundings have stunning natural attractions, rich cultural heritage, and are living habitats of China’s national symbol – giant pandas.
But I’m more impressed by its laidback lifestyle and affordable living, which is why more and more young people are moving to Chengdu nowadays. I remember watching an interview of the owner of a very popular food stall. He usually ends his business by 2-3pm despite strong customer demand, just because “you can always make more money but time to relax and have fun is limited.”
Chengdu
Chengdu is the sixth largest city in China. It can easily take 1-2 hours to get to somewhere one way. Fortunately, its subway system is just as amazing as those of the top tier cities. So it’s easy to get around. You just have to account for the time you will spend on the road in your plan. I think the best way to enjoy Chengdu is to do city stuff.
Shop at Chunxi Road
Chunxi Road is the most well-known shopping strip in Chengdu. You will find all types of stores there from affordable local brands to top-tier luxuries as well as many good restaurants, food stalls and coffee shops. Some of them are in contemporary high-rises and others in Chinese traditional single-floor constructions. This area is a fusion of modern and classics.
Visit a Museum or Heritage Site
China’s cities are full of history. Chengdu is no exception. I highly recommend the Jinsha Site and Sanxingdui Site. They are, in my opinion, must-sees of Chengdu. Both are major archeological discoveries in China and unearthed civilizations from over 3,000 years ago. The famous Gold Sun Bird plaque at Jinsha Site dates back 2,000 years and is still shining today. It is only 0.2mm thin and in 94.2% gold. The round shape of the sun and 4 birds flying around it symbolize the circle of life and power of nature. It became the official logo of Chinese cultural heritage in 2005.
Other great options are Wuhou Shrine and Du Fu Thatched Cottage which I didn’t get a chance to go. Wuhou Shrine is a memorial museum built over 2,000 years ago in the honor of Zhuge Liang, a famous political and military strategist during the Three Kingdom period. Du Fu Thatched Cottage was the humble living place of Du Fu, one of the most influential poet in China’s history. He wrote hundreds of famous poems during his four years living at this cottage.
See pandas
Sichuan is the home of giant pandas. Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is the most famous place to see and learn about those cute, clumpy black-and-white creatures. You will be able to closely observe pandas of different ages eating, drinking, walking, playing, and even nursing. In addition, the research base has a branch in Dujiangyan (also named Panda Valley) to help pandas adapt to the wilderness (see the Dujiangyan section below).
Eat at the Wide and Narrow Lanes
The Wide and Narrow Lanes were originally built in the Qin Dynasty but has turned into a touristy destination of food stalls, restaurants, and teahouses. If you have time, try ear picking and watch face changing shows. They are unique things to do in Chengdu.
Have afternoon tea at People’s Park
People’s Park to Chengdu is like Central Park to New York City. It’s a place for people to temporarily escape from busy life, enjoy a walk in the greens, and have some teas and snacks at a teahouse. Most people in the park are local residents. And the teahouses are always packed. With a pot of good tea, some people can spend an entire afternoon there, chatting or playing Majiang or poker games.
Try a Night Market
Eating at a night market is the best way to get a taste of Chengdu people’s lively nightlife. The food is cheap and delicious. You can choose to eat while walking around, or sit and eat on the streets. Merchants’ yelling of orders in local dialects and visitors’ laughters start around dinner time and carry on till 2-3am.
Dujiangyan (~70 km from Chengdu)
Dujiangyan is famous for the oldest irrigation system in the world. It was built over 2,000 years ago in the Qin Dynasty. Although without a dam, it was able to control the flow of Min River (the main river of Chengdu Plain), prevent floods, facilitate irrigation, and thus benefit the life of millions living on the Chengdu Plain.
The Oldest Irrigation System
The idea behind Dujiangyan irrigation system is simple but brilliant. The system consists of three main parts. First, the Fish Mouth Levee divides the water into inner stream and outer stream. The inner stream flows fast and narrow, while the outer stream is slow and wide. Second, the Bottle Neck Channel distributes water in the inner stream to farmlands on Chengdu Plain during dry season and channels excess water to the outer stream during flood season. It’s based on the simple concept that water will naturally flow to the fast inner stream first. When the water level rises at the narrow inner stream, it will flow to the outer stream which is then merged back to the Min River. Lastly, the Flying Sand Weir takes advantage of natural swirls of water and drains out silt and sediment. Thus, it prevents clogging in the system.
Other than the irrigation system, the scenic area around it is beautiful and great for hikes. You will find bridges, ancient fortifications, and temples along the way. When you visit, buy tickets and get tour guides at the ticket office only. You will find many people following you to the park lot and claiming they are tour guides and can get you in without a ticket. They are all frauds. Unfortunately, my family and I fell for the great deal. We ended up on a muddy village road that was not even walkable and just got a peek of the Fish Mouth Levee from far distance. At the end, we decided to drive back and enter with official tickets any way.
Panda Valley
Panda Valley is a branch of Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. It focuses on pandas’ adaption to the wilderness. It’s far less crowded and more natural than the Chengdu location. The entire park is like a bamboo forest. Pandas freely roam around bamboos, hills, and valleys, while visitors are constrained on designated walkways only.
“Blue Tears” in Min River
The so-called “Blue Tears” is a popular spot for photos of Min River at night. It’s essentially a blue light reflection of the river. Although a man-made attraction site, it’s impressive and worth a stop. There is a wide bridge connecting the banks of Min River where a pagoda-style corridor erects. At night, the blue river and the golden corridor make a dazzling scene.
Mount Qingcheng
Although I didn’t get a chance to visit Mount Qingcheng, my mom said it’s stunning. It’s one of the most important Taoism sites in China. The mountain is in lush green all year around, making it a great hiking spot and a perfect place to escape from summer heat. You can hike from both the front and the back of the mountain. Either way it will take about 5-7 hours to complete round trip. You can also choose to take the gondola for a more chill visit.
Leshan (~140 km from Chengdu)
Leshan is a great place for a weekend trip outside Chengdu. It’s the home of the spectacular Mount Emei and tasty cuisines like Qiaojiao Beef and sweet-skinned duck.
Mount Emei
I visited Mount Emei when I was in 6th grade. It was absolutely beautiful, covered with various types of plants that I had never seen in my hometown. At the top, clouds floated under my feet. It felt like the top of the world. Moreover, wild and aggressive monkeys were everywhere – they were terrifying to me. It is also a sacred Buddhism mountain and considered a place of enlightenment.
Leshan Giant Buddha
Leshan Giant Buddha is 71 meters tall, the largest and tallest Buddha statue in the world. It was wondrously built more than 1,000 years ago, facing Mount Emei with Min River flowing under its feet. There are steep staircases winding up to the cliff next to the Buddha for tourists to appreciate the artwork in detail from bottom to top.
Suoluo Valley
Suoluo Valley is a niche destination even among Chinese. But it turned out to be a highlight of my China trip this year. “Suoluo” is alsophila spinulosa in English, a type of tree fern that dates back to the Jurassic age. Leshan has a valley of those plants, undisturbed by the crowd. Thanks to them, the valley has the freshest air and clearest creeks. Each plant is like a huge green umbrella covering the hiking trail. The hike itself will probably take only 2-3 hours. But it was so beautiful that we stopped every 5 minutes to take pictures. More importantly, it was very quiet and peaceful in the valley. We encountered only about 10 people in total, which is extremely rare for attraction sites in China.
Leshan Food
Jiaxing Road is the place to find local favorites from Qiaojiao beef, Bobo chicken, sweet-skinned duck to street barbecues and tofu puddings. Everything I tried was delicious and super cheap (5 dishes for 30USD!). Besides the spiciness, all dishes were fresh and flavorful and went very well with rice. I wish I had two stomachs.
