Chengdu

Chengdu (成都 Chéngdū) is the provincial capital and largest city of Sichuan Province in southwest China.

Chengdu is on the edge of the fertile plains of the Red Basin in China's Sichuan Province. Due to its agricultural wealth, Chengdu is sometimes called the "Heavenly Land of Plenty". The Funan River bisects the city, although boat traffic, common until the 1960s, has all but vanished.

The Chengdu administrative area is home to more than 14 million people, with about 10 million of them in the Chengdu urban area. Chengdu has the reputation as a very "laid-back" city that emphasizes culture and relaxation. As a result of this and much green space, it is ranked one of the most livable mega-cities in China. It is credited with a good nightlife scene, and contains many new western style buildings in the large city center.

Summer weather is hot and humid, as the city is surrounded by small mountains to the east and sits in the Red Basin. Furthermore, an hour to the west lie the foothills of the mighty Tibetan Plateau and the fabulously scenic mountains of west Sichuan.

The city is famous for its lack of sun, so don't come expecting to get a sun tan.

• Jinli Ancient Street. This neighborhood is part of the old city of Chengdu; it features hotels and small stores built in an old-fashioned style. Antiques are sold in a variety of different stores. It is very popular among both tourists and locals, especially at night, with many bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. You will find a lot of famous local snack food over there, prices ¥1-10. Restaurants and bars in Jin Li are more expensive than outside. There are also antique hotels in there. Some consider Jin Li is to be tourist trap, which is partly true. However, this 'new old street' offers regional and fairly affordable street food specialties as well and can be combined with a visit to the Wuhouci Temple (entry fee ¥60, unless you are the holder of a Panda Card). Don't forget to take your camera.
• Kuanzhaixiangzi. Very nice place with lots of (expensive) tea houses, restaurants and local snacks. Great for relaxing. Streets date from late Qing-dynasty style but have been rebuilt. Free government Wi-Fi in this place.
• Tianfu Square. This square, overlooked by an enormous Chairman Mao statue in the center of the city, has been spruced up. Every evening at dusk, as well as at noontime, an elaborate water show, synchronized to music, bursts out from the square's fountains. Below the square is the hub of Chengdu's subway system. In the subway entrance plaza, a small shopping mall has been built, almost literally under Mao's nose.

Jinli Ancient Street. This neighborhood is part of the old city of Chengdu; it features hotels and small stores built in an old-fashioned style. Antiques are sold in a variety of different stores. It is very popular among both tourists and locals, especially at night, with many bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. You will find a lot of famous local snack food over there, prices ¥1-10. Restaurants and bars in Jin Li are more expensive than outside. There are also antique hotels in there. Some consider Jin Li is to be tourist trap, which is partly true. However, this 'new old street' offers regional and fairly affordable street food specialties as well and can be combined with a visit to the Wuhouci Temple (entry fee ¥60, unless you are the holder of a Panda Card). Don't forget to take your camera.

Kuanzhaixiangzi. Very nice place with lots of (expensive) tea houses, restaurants and local snacks. Great for relaxing. Streets date from late Qing-dynasty style but have been rebuilt. Free government Wi-Fi in this place.

Tianfu Square. This square, overlooked by an enormous Chairman Mao statue in the center of the city, has been spruced up. Every evening at dusk, as well as at noontime, an elaborate water show, synchronized to music, bursts out from the square's fountains. Below the square is the hub of Chengdu's subway system. In the subway entrance plaza, a small shopping mall has been built, almost literally under Mao's nose.

• A Thousand Plateaus Art Space, 87 Fangqin St 芳沁街87号 (In Yulin Community, next to Little Bar and K Gallery., +86 28-85126358. Tu-Su 11:00-18:00. A contemporary art gallery in Chengdu exhibiting Chinese and international artists. Exhibit openings generally happen once a month, and other events also take place. Free entry.
• Sichuan Art Museum, 6 Renmin Road West, Qingyang District (青羊区人民西路6号) (300 metres west of Tianfu Square Station at the intersection of Lines 1 and 2, +86 28 86636199. 09ː00-20ː00, no entry after 19ː00, closed on Mondays. Free.

A Thousand Plateaus Art Space, 87 Fangqin St 芳沁街87号 (In Yulin Community, next to Little Bar and K Gallery., +86 28-85126358. Tu-Su 11:00-18:00. A contemporary art gallery in Chengdu exhibiting Chinese and international artists. Exhibit openings generally happen once a month, and other events also take place. Free entry.

Sichuan Art Museum, 6 Renmin Road West, Qingyang District (青羊区人民西路6号) (300 metres west of Tianfu Square Station at the intersection of Lines 1 and 2, +86 28 86636199. 09ː00-20ː00, no entry after 19ː00, closed on Mondays. Free.

• Chengdu Museum, 1 Xiaohe Street, Qingyang District (青羊区小河街1号) (Metro lines 1 and 2, Tianfu Square Station. The museum is on the west side of the square, +86 28 62915593. May to October: 09:00-20:30, November to April: 09:00-20:00, no entry in last 30 minutes, closed on Mondays. A 6 floors museum containing different interesting things about Chengdu civilization from ancient times to modern times. Recommended to start the visit from the second floor upwards. The visit should take 2.5 hours. Free, Foreigner needs to register from the opposite side of the entrance to get ticket..
• Sichuan Museum, 251 Huanhua Road South, Qingyang District (青羊区浣花南路251号) (Take a train to Chengdu University of TCM and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital Station at the intersection of Metro lines 2 and 4, then either walk or catch bus no. 58 and get off at Songxian Bridge (送仙桥), +86 28 65521888, +86 28 65521569. Summer: 09:00-21:00, Winter: 09:00-20:00, no entry in last 30 minutes, closed on Mondays. 3 floors museum containing artifacts (bronze, pottery, carving, etc.), including coverage of different tribes in Sichuan. Visit can be completed in about 2 hours. Free, foreigner needs to go through the 'Foreigner' entrance and register..
• Sichuan Science and Technology Museum, 16 Renmin Middle Road Section One, Qingyang District (青羊区人民中路一段16号) (Metro lines 1 and 2, Tianfu Square Station. The museum is on the north side of Tianfu Square, +86 28 86609999. 09:00-17:00, closed on Mondays (except during the summer holiday period). This huge four-storey museum is filled with interactive exhibits about science, aerodynamics, space, mathematics, robotics and physics. Children will love the interactive displays and indoor playground on the 4th floor. Adults will appreciate the descriptions in both English and Chinese. Everyone will love the crowd-pleasers like the robotic orchestra and walk-through maps of Sichuan's waterways. During weekdays this museum can either be overrun by local school groups or be so deserted it's almost creepy. Overall, quite good value for money, especially on a rainy day. Free.
• Sichuan University Museum, 19 Wangjiang Rd, Wuhou District (武侯区望江路19号) (about a 15-min ride or a 40 minute walk from Xinnanmen bus station; you may also catch buses 19, 256, or 1107, +86 28 85412451. 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:30, closed on weekends. Excellent display of local artifacts and is worth while way of spending an hour or two. The museum is one of the better in China and there are four floors of well lit, air conditioned displays with decent English translations. Starting in the basement, enter the first room where dozens of stone carvings dating from the Han dynasty to the Tang are on display. The room next door has a moderately interesting display on the museum's history and numerous examples of ancient bronzes and stone age artifacts. The first floor is mostly artifacts from the Ming and Qing dynasty, including furniture, silk clothing, and an interesting display of leather puppets. The second floor has the perhaps the most engaging display: artifacts and daily use items from ethnic minority groups in China's southwest, including Tibetans, Miao, Yi, Qiang, Jianpo and Naxi. The third floor has a decent display of calligraphy scrolls, paintings, and ceramics. ¥30 (students ¥10).

Chengdu Museum, 1 Xiaohe Street, Qingyang District (青羊区小河街1号) (Metro lines 1 and 2, Tianfu Square Station. The museum is on the west side of the square, +86 28 62915593. May to October: 09:00-20:30, November to April: 09:00-20:00, no entry in last 30 minutes, closed on Mondays. A 6 floors museum containing different interesting things about Chengdu civilization from ancient times to modern times. Recommended to start the visit from the second floor upwards. The visit should take 2.5 hours. Free, Foreigner needs to register from the opposite side of the entrance to get ticket..

Sichuan Museum, 251 Huanhua Road South, Qingyang District (青羊区浣花南路251号) (Take a train to Chengdu University of TCM and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital Station at the intersection of Metro lines 2 and 4, then either walk or catch bus no. 58 and get off at Songxian Bridge (送仙桥), +86 28 65521888, +86 28 65521569. Summer: 09:00-21:00, Winter: 09:00-20:00, no entry in last 30 minutes, closed on Mondays. 3 floors museum containing artifacts (bronze, pottery, carving, etc.), including coverage of different tribes in Sichuan. Visit can be completed in about 2 hours. Free, foreigner needs to go through the 'Foreigner' entrance and register..

Sichuan Science and Technology Museum, 16 Renmin Middle Road Section One, Qingyang District (青羊区人民中路一段16号) (Metro lines 1 and 2, Tianfu Square Station. The museum is on the north side of Tianfu Square, +86 28 86609999. 09:00-17:00, closed on Mondays (except during the summer holiday period). This huge four-storey museum is filled with interactive exhibits about science, aerodynamics, space, mathematics, robotics and physics. Children will love the interactive displays and indoor playground on the 4th floor. Adults will appreciate the descriptions in both English and Chinese. Everyone will love the crowd-pleasers like the robotic orchestra and walk-through maps of Sichuan's waterways. During weekdays this museum can either be overrun by local school groups or be so deserted it's almost creepy. Overall, quite good value for money, especially on a rainy day. Free.

Sichuan University Museum, 19 Wangjiang Rd, Wuhou District (武侯区望江路19号) (about a 15-min ride or a 40 minute walk from Xinnanmen bus station; you may also catch buses 19, 256, or 1107, +86 28 85412451. 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:30, closed on weekends. Excellent display of local artifacts and is worth while way of spending an hour or two. The museum is one of the better in China and there are four floors of well lit, air conditioned displays with decent English translations. Starting in the basement, enter the first room where dozens of stone carvings dating from the Han dynasty to the Tang are on display. The room next door has a moderately interesting display on the museum's history and numerous examples of ancient bronzes and stone age artifacts. The first floor is mostly artifacts from the Ming and Qing dynasty, including furniture, silk clothing, and an interesting display of leather puppets. The second floor has the perhaps the most engaging display: artifacts and daily use items from ethnic minority groups in China's southwest, including Tibetans, Miao, Yi, Qiang, Jianpo and Naxi. The third floor has a decent display of calligraphy scrolls, paintings, and ceramics. ¥30 (students ¥10).

• Anshun Bridge, 66 Binjiang Road East, Jinjiang District (锦江区滨江东路66号) (The nearest bus stop is Hejiang Pavilion (合江亭), which is served by bus nos. 343 and 1093. A scenic, historic bridge crossing the Jin River in the middle of Chengdu. A bridge at this location was mentioned in the writings of Marco Polo. However, in the 1980s the bridge was destroyed by flooding, and was rebuilt in 2003. There is a restaurant on top of the bridge.
• Du Fu's Thatched Cottage, 37 Qinghua Road, Qingyang District (青羊区青华路37号) (Take a train to Chengdu University of TCM and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital Station at the intersection of Metro lines 2 and 4, then either walk or catch bus no. 58 and get off at the Du Fu's Thatched Cottage bus stop. Alternatively take a train to Caotang Road North Station on Metro Line 4 and walk south for about 900m, +86 28 68921800. May to September: 08:00-20:00, October to April: 08:00-18:30. Du Fu was a renowned poet during the Tang Dynasty. The thatched cottage was where he lived from 760 to 765 and wrote many of his best works. The cottage eventually fell into ruin and had to be rebuilt. The current buildings date mostly from the Ming and Qing dynasties. ¥60.
• Jinsha Archaeological Site, 2 Jinsha Site Road, Qingyang District (青羊区金沙遗址路2号) (Metro Line 7, Jinsha Museum Station, +86 28 87303522. May to October: 08:30-20:00, November to April: 08:30-18:30, no tickets sold in last 60 minutes, closed on Mondays. Site featuring various tools and art pieces from around 3,000 years ago. The amount of unearthed items is just massive. They include pottery, blades, jade items, building foundations and various golden art pieces. There are two main buildings: the hall constructed over the centre of the excavation site and the modern exhibition hall with various artifacts on display. ¥80.
• Yongling Mausoleum, 10 Yongling Road, Jinniu District (金牛区永陵路10号) (Take a train to Chengdu University of TCM and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital Station at the intersection of Metro lines 2 and 4, then catch bus no. 42 and get off at the Yongling Intersection (永陵路口) bus stop, +86 28 87789003. Tomb and museum: 08:30-18:00, Gardens: 06:30-22:00. Yongling is the tomb of Wang Jian, the founding emperor of the Shu Kingdom, also known as Great Shu or Former Shu, which ruled over much of Sichuan during the early 10th century. An on-site museum displays artefacts that have been excavated from the tomb. ¥20.

Anshun Bridge, 66 Binjiang Road East, Jinjiang District (锦江区滨江东路66号) (The nearest bus stop is Hejiang Pavilion (合江亭), which is served by bus nos. 343 and 1093. A scenic, historic bridge crossing the Jin River in the middle of Chengdu. A bridge at this location was mentioned in the writings of Marco Polo. However, in the 1980s the bridge was destroyed by flooding, and was rebuilt in 2003. There is a restaurant on top of the bridge.

Du Fu's Thatched Cottage, 37 Qinghua Road, Qingyang District (青羊区青华路37号) (Take a train to Chengdu University of TCM and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital Station at the intersection of Metro lines 2 and 4, then either walk or catch bus no. 58 and get off at the Du Fu's Thatched Cottage bus stop. Alternatively take a train to Caotang Road North Station on Metro Line 4 and walk south for about 900m, +86 28 68921800. May to September: 08:00-20:00, October to April: 08:00-18:30. Du Fu was a renowned poet during the Tang Dynasty. The thatched cottage was where he lived from 760 to 765 and wrote many of his best works. The cottage eventually fell into ruin and had to be rebuilt. The current buildings date mostly from the Ming and Qing dynasties. ¥60.

Jinsha Archaeological Site, 2 Jinsha Site Road, Qingyang District (青羊区金沙遗址路2号) (Metro Line 7, Jinsha Museum Station, +86 28 87303522. May to October: 08:30-20:00, November to April: 08:30-18:30, no tickets sold in last 60 minutes, closed on Mondays. Site featuring various tools and art pieces from around 3,000 years ago. The amount of unearthed items is just massive. They include pottery, blades, jade items, building foundations and various golden art pieces. There are two main buildings: the hall constructed over the centre of the excavation site and the modern exhibition hall with various artifacts on display. ¥80.

Yongling Mausoleum, 10 Yongling Road, Jinniu District (金牛区永陵路10号) (Take a train to Chengdu University of TCM and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital Station at the intersection of Metro lines 2 and 4, then catch bus no. 42 and get off at the Yongling Intersection (永陵路口) bus stop, +86 28 87789003. Tomb and museum: 08:30-18:00, Gardens: 06:30-22:00. Yongling is the tomb of Wang Jian, the founding emperor of the Shu Kingdom, also known as Great Shu or Former Shu, which ruled over much of Sichuan during the early 10th century. An on-site museum displays artefacts that have been excavated from the tomb. ¥20.

• Qingyang Temple, 9 Xierduan, Ring Rd One, Qingyang District (青羊区一环路西二段9号) (Take a train to Chengdu University of TCM and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital Station at the intersection of Metro lines 2 and 4, exit the station via Exit A, then walk south in a straight line for about 700 meters, +86 28 87710035. 08:00-18:00. This Taoist temple is the oldest and biggest of its kind in the area, located in the west of downtown. A large and still-active temple that takes into consideration Taoist philosophy in its construction, and with both a park next door and a number of relaxed courtyards inside. While it has a long history, the buildings are modern, cheaply-made concrete constructions, and it quite frequently shows. The statues inside are also cheap modern constructions of no real interest. A teahouse and a vegetarian restaurant can be found within the temple complex. ¥10.
• Wenshu Temple, 66 Wenshu Temple St, Qingyang District (青羊区文殊院街66号) (Metro Line 1, Wenshu Temple Station, +86 28 86930623, +86 28 86952273. 09:00-17:00. This Tang Dynasty Buddhist temple is the most impressive, and perhaps also the most used, temple in Chengdu. It is dedicated to the Buddhist representation of Wisdom, Wenshu Pusa (Manjusri Bodhisatva), and contains more than 450 Buddha statues and other precious relics. In addition to the halls and gardens, the temple also has a charming tea house that offers an insightful window of Chengdu life as it is frequented by locals who engage in games of chess, reading, knitting and just chatting with family and friends. The temple also has a delightful vegetarian restaurant with seats offering views over the gardens. There are many shops around the temple. Free.
• Wuhouci Temple, 231 Wuhouci Main Street, Wuihou District (武侯区武侯祠大街231号) (Near Jinli Street, south-west of Tianfu Square and 750m from Gaoshengqiao Station on Metro Line 3. You may also take bus routes 1, 57, 82, 334, 335, 1126 and Night 11, +86 28 85552397. May to October: 08:00-20:00, November to April: 08:00-19:00, no tickets sold in last 60 minutes. This temple is built to commemorate Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮), who was the minister of Shu (蜀) in the Three Kingdoms Period. He is famous through the Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. There are dozens of dust covered statues of obscure historical figures behind glass and not much else. The gardens are attractive, but not extensive. ¥60.

Qingyang Temple, 9 Xierduan, Ring Rd One, Qingyang District (青羊区一环路西二段9号) (Take a train to Chengdu University of TCM and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital Station at the intersection of Metro lines 2 and 4, exit the station via Exit A, then walk south in a straight line for about 700 meters, +86 28 87710035. 08:00-18:00. This Taoist temple is the oldest and biggest of its kind in the area, located in the west of downtown. A large and still-active temple that takes into consideration Taoist philosophy in its construction, and with both a park next door and a number of relaxed courtyards inside. While it has a long history, the buildings are modern, cheaply-made concrete constructions, and it quite frequently shows. The statues inside are also cheap modern constructions of no real interest. A teahouse and a vegetarian restaurant can be found within the temple complex. ¥10.

Wenshu Temple, 66 Wenshu Temple St, Qingyang District (青羊区文殊院街66号) (Metro Line 1, Wenshu Temple Station, +86 28 86930623, +86 28 86952273. 09:00-17:00. This Tang Dynasty Buddhist temple is the most impressive, and perhaps also the most used, temple in Chengdu. It is dedicated to the Buddhist representation of Wisdom, Wenshu Pusa (Manjusri Bodhisatva), and contains more than 450 Buddha statues and other precious relics. In addition to the halls and gardens, the temple also has a charming tea house that offers an insightful window of Chengdu life as it is frequented by locals who engage in games of chess, reading, knitting and just chatting with family and friends. The temple also has a delightful vegetarian restaurant with seats offering views over the gardens. There are many shops around the temple. Free.

Wuhouci Temple, 231 Wuhouci Main Street, Wuihou District (武侯区武侯祠大街231号) (Near Jinli Street, south-west of Tianfu Square and 750m from Gaoshengqiao Station on Metro Line 3. You may also take bus routes 1, 57, 82, 334, 335, 1126 and Night 11, +86 28 85552397. May to October: 08:00-20:00, November to April: 08:00-19:00, no tickets sold in last 60 minutes. This temple is built to commemorate Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮), who was the minister of Shu (蜀) in the Three Kingdoms Period. He is famous through the Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. There are dozens of dust covered statues of obscure historical figures behind glass and not much else. The gardens are attractive, but not extensive. ¥60.

• Chengdu Panda Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, +86 28 83510033. This is the biggest facility of this kind in the world. Due to habitat destruction and other reasons, the giant panda is maybe the most famous endangered animal. It is home to some 60 giant pandas, but also has some red pandas and a colony of black-necked cranes. The pandas are basically on display for tourists but views are much closer than is possible at most Western zoos. (If you want to get even closer and hold a panda or volunteer all day to feed them bamboo and clean the panda cage, visit the Dujiangyan Panda Base, about an hour's drive outside Chengdu.) A small museum and a cinema screening related documentaries is also available. A restaurant and souvenir-stalls top off the tourist installations. The best time to visit is in the morning, when pandas are most active. Pandas sleep during the hottest time of the day. Feeding time is around 09:30-10:00. Expect some crowd. It is recommended to arrive as early as you can to avoid the hordes of school and tour groups that arrive every morning. Entry fee is ¥53. English-speaking tour guide ¥100.
• Chengdu Zoo, 234 Zhaojue Temple Road South, Chenghua District (成华区昭觉寺南路234号) (Line 3 Metro, Chengdu Zoo station, +86 28 25479611. April-November: 08:00-17:00, December-March: 08:30-17:00. Offers all the typical animals that one might expect in a zoo (elephant, tigers, giraffes, monkeys, as well as panda bears). While the zoo itself is large and spread out, some of the cages are woefully small and the facility seems understaffed. Might be good for a family to visit. The zoo has vendors selling Chinese snacks as well as some carnival type rides. ¥20.
• People's Park. This park is a rare island of tranquility amid the noise and hustle of central Chengdu. It contains beautifully landscaped walking paths, lakes with paddle boats for rent, tea shops and restaurants, children's amusement rides, small sports facilities, and other attractions. Some old people use the park to sing and dance in separate groups. Some people practice calligraphy with water on the floor around a monument in the northwestern corner of this park. Some parents take their unmarried children's information here to find potential candidates. The park is a great place to take a child or a date, and it is always full of locals relaxing and enjoying themselves. For laughs, there is an information display which lists the city's current air quality, claiming there is about 4 times less pollution than the US Embassy reports. No entry fee.

Chengdu Panda Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, +86 28 83510033. This is the biggest facility of this kind in the world. Due to habitat destruction and other reasons, the giant panda is maybe the most famous endangered animal. It is home to some 60 giant pandas, but also has some red pandas and a colony of black-necked cranes. The pandas are basically on display for tourists but views are much closer than is possible at most Western zoos. (If you want to get even closer and hold a panda or volunteer all day to feed them bamboo and clean the panda cage, visit the [[Dujiangyan]] Panda Base, about an hour's drive outside Chengdu.) A small museum and a cinema screening related documentaries is also available. A restaurant and souvenir-stalls top off the tourist installations. The best time to visit is in the morning, when pandas are most active. Pandas sleep during the hottest time of the day. Feeding time is around 09:30-10:00. Expect some crowd. It is recommended to arrive as early as you can to avoid the hordes of school and tour groups that arrive every morning. Entry fee is ¥53. English-speaking tour guide ¥100.

Chengdu Zoo, 234 Zhaojue Temple Road South, Chenghua District (成华区昭觉寺南路234号) (Line 3 Metro, Chengdu Zoo station, +86 28 25479611. April-November: 08:00-17:00, December-March: 08:30-17:00. Offers all the typical animals that one might expect in a zoo (elephant, tigers, giraffes, monkeys, as well as panda bears). While the zoo itself is large and spread out, some of the cages are woefully small and the facility seems understaffed. Might be good for a family to visit. The zoo has vendors selling Chinese snacks as well as some carnival type rides. ¥20.

People's Park. This park is a rare island of tranquility amid the noise and hustle of central Chengdu. It contains beautifully landscaped walking paths, lakes with paddle boats for rent, tea shops and restaurants, children's amusement rides, small sports facilities, and other attractions. Some old people use the park to sing and dance in separate groups. Some people practice calligraphy with water on the floor around a monument in the northwestern corner of this park. Some parents take their unmarried children's information here to find potential candidates. The park is a great place to take a child or a date, and it is always full of locals relaxing and enjoying themselves. For laughs, there is an information display which lists the city's current air quality, claiming there is about 4 times less pollution than the US Embassy reports. No entry fee.

• Anren Ancient Town, Dayi County (大邑县) (about 45 km southwest of Chengdu. Buses depart every 30 minutes between 07:30 and 19:10 from Chadianzi Bus Station. The journey time is about one hour, +86 28 88319116. Also called China's Museum Town (中国博物馆小镇) due to the large number of museums, including the Jianchuan Museum Cluster (see below).
• Jiezi ancient town. 25 km northwest of Chengdu, in Chongzhou, the Fengqi mountain, the mountain connected with Qingcheng.
• Liujiang Old Town. Liujiang town, located 25 km southwest of the county to spend Hongya River tributary of Liujiang sides. Town was founded in the Southern Song Dynasty, and modern architecture across the water from the Ming and Qing era buildings.
• Luodai Ancient Town, Luodai Town, Longquanyi District, Chengdu (About 25km east of downtown Chengdu. Chengluo (成洛) Road goes directly there. There is also a bus that goes directly there. Catch it at a small building behind the Xinnanmen bus station, right where Shiqi road bends. Cost is ¥7. There appears to be no regular schedule, just show up, and when the bus is full (enough), it departs. No bus number, just look for signs to '洛带'. In Luodai, once you exit the train station, turn right on Bajiaojing street, then left at Huaishui Middle Street, and the entrance is on your left.. Billed as an ancient village inhabited by the Hakka minority.. Over 1 km long streets with older building (in various states of disrepair) lined with stores. The primary attraction is the many different types of food and snacks available, especially Hakka food, that are hard to find in other places (along with some number of stores selling standard tourist crap and costumes to rent for photos). The buildings that line the street are of some, but not great, interest; more interesting are a number of older buildings and halls that give one a feel for older China. Signage and shops appear to be Chinese-language only. Most of it is a recreation but still somewhat charming. It's a pleasant day-trip from Chengdu. Buses start form Wuguiqiao bus station (新南门车站 - south Chengdu, next to Tazishan Park) and take about an hour. Alternatively, take a taxi out (about 75 yuan) and come back by bus as return taxis can be hard to find. Entrance: free.

Anren Ancient Town, Dayi County (大邑县) (about 45 km southwest of Chengdu. Buses depart every 30 minutes between 07:30 and 19:10 from Chadianzi Bus Station. The journey time is about one hour, +86 28 88319116. Also called China's Museum Town (中国博物馆小镇) due to the large number of museums, including the Jianchuan Museum Cluster (see below).

Jiezi ancient town. 25 km northwest of Chengdu, in Chongzhou, the Fengqi mountain, the mountain connected with Qingcheng.

Liujiang Old Town. Liujiang town, located 25 km southwest of the county to spend Hongya River tributary of Liujiang sides. Town was founded in the Southern Song Dynasty, and modern architecture across the water from the Ming and Qing era buildings.

Luodai Ancient Town, Luodai Town, Longquanyi District, Chengdu (About 25km east of downtown Chengdu. Chengluo (成洛) Road goes directly there. There is also a bus that goes directly there. Catch it at a small building behind the Xinnanmen bus station, right where Shiqi road bends. Cost is ¥7. There appears to be no regular schedule, just show up, and when the bus is full (enough), it departs. No bus number, just look for signs to '洛带'. In Luodai, once you exit the train station, turn right on Bajiaojing street, then left at Huaishui Middle Street, and the entrance is on your left.. Billed as an ancient village inhabited by the Hakka minority.. Over 1 km long streets with older building (in various states of disrepair) lined with stores. The primary attraction is the many different types of food and snacks available, especially Hakka food, that are hard to find in other places (along with some number of stores selling standard tourist crap and costumes to rent for photos). The buildings that line the street are of some, but not great, interest; more interesting are a number of older buildings and halls that give one a feel for older China. Signage and shops appear to be Chinese-language only. Most of it is a recreation but still somewhat charming. It's a pleasant day-trip from Chengdu. Buses start form Wuguiqiao bus station (新南门车站 - south Chengdu, next to Tazishan Park) and take about an hour. Alternatively, take a taxi out (about 75 yuan) and come back by bus as return taxis can be hard to find. Entrance: free.

• Jianchuan Museum Cluster, 550 Yingbin Road Section Two, Anren Town, Dayi County (大邑县安仁镇迎宾路二段550) (Buses depart every 30 minutes between 07:30 and 19:10 from Chadianzi Bus Station. The journey time is about one hour. Anren Bus Station is 3km from the museum cluster. If you don't want to walk that distance, you may catch bus no. 11, +86 28 88318000. 09:00-17:30. Industrialist Fan Jianchuan built this campus of museums to explain the history of 20th century China. This is the first privately owned museum in Sichuan (privately operated museums in China have only been permitted since the year 2001). The Museum campus contains four buildings about World War II in China - one explaining the Communist Party role, one about the Kuomintang, one about the American volunteer group "Flying Tigers", and one about Sichuan volunteers. There is also the modestly named "New China Porcelain Museum", which actually tells the story of the Cultural Revolution through porcelain of that era. A museum that more directly addresses that era is under construction. You will also see buildings explaining the practice of foot-binding and one about prisoners of war. Nearby, you can also walk through a landlord's manor. Make a day trip out of it; the Museum is in the historic town of Anren about an hour's drive from downtown Chengdu. Get around the museum cluster by walking, renting a bicycle or paying ¥10 to ride the sightseeing car; a tea-house and restaurant is located on site. ¥60 for a one-day pass to visit all museums, ¥100 for a three-day pass, ¥20 to visit just one museum.
• Museum of Sichuan Cuisine, 8 Ronghua Lane North, Gucheng Town, Pidu District (郫都区古城镇荣华北巷8号) (Catch a train to Xipu Station on Metro Line 2, exit via Exit B, then cross the road and catch bus no. P22. Get off at Gucheng (古城) where the bus terminates. You will find the museum just opposite the bus stop, +86 28 87918008. 09:00-18:00. ¥60 for general admission, ¥360 to take part in a cooking experience.

Jianchuan Museum Cluster, 550 Yingbin Road Section Two, Anren Town, Dayi County (大邑县安仁镇迎宾路二段550) (Buses depart every 30 minutes between 07:30 and 19:10 from Chadianzi Bus Station. The journey time is about one hour. Anren Bus Station is 3km from the museum cluster. If you don't want to walk that distance, you may catch bus no. 11, +86 28 88318000. 09:00-17:30. Industrialist Fan Jianchuan built this campus of museums to explain the history of 20th century China. This is the first privately owned museum in Sichuan (privately operated museums in China have only been permitted since the year 2001). The Museum campus contains four buildings about World War II in China - one explaining the Communist Party role, one about the Kuomintang, one about the American volunteer group "Flying Tigers", and one about Sichuan volunteers. There is also the modestly named "New China Porcelain Museum", which actually tells the story of the Cultural Revolution through porcelain of that era. A museum that more directly addresses that era is under construction. You will also see buildings explaining the practice of foot-binding and one about prisoners of war. Nearby, you can also walk through a landlord's manor. Make a day trip out of it; the Museum is in the historic town of Anren about an hour's drive from downtown Chengdu. Get around the museum cluster by walking, renting a bicycle or paying ¥10 to ride the sightseeing car; a tea-house and restaurant is located on site. ¥60 for a one-day pass to visit all museums, ¥100 for a three-day pass, ¥20 to visit just one museum.

Museum of Sichuan Cuisine, 8 Ronghua Lane North, Gucheng Town, Pidu District (郫都区古城镇荣华北巷8号) (Catch a train to Xipu Station on Metro Line 2, exit via Exit B, then cross the road and catch bus no. P22. Get off at Gucheng (古城) where the bus terminates. You will find the museum just opposite the bus stop, +86 28 87918008. 09:00-18:00. ¥60 for general admission, ¥360 to take part in a cooking experience.

• Sanxingdui, +86 838-5651550. An ancient Chinese city where archaeologists discovered remarkable artifacts that radiocarbon dated circa 12th-11th centuries BCE. Sanxingdui (Three star mound) is the name given to this previously unknown Bronze Age culture. The Sanxingdui archaeological museum is located about 40 kilometers northeast of Chengdu in Sichuan Province and 10 kilometers east of the city of Guanghan. From Zhaojue Temple Bus Station, catch a bus to Guanghan (¥14), and from there use public bus No. 6 to reach the museum (¥2). ¥82 (¥42 for students).

Sanxingdui, +86 838-5651550. An ancient Chinese city where archaeologists discovered remarkable artifacts that radiocarbon dated circa 12th-11th centuries BCE. Sanxingdui (Three star mound) is the name given to this previously unknown Bronze Age culture. The Sanxingdui archaeological museum is located about 40 kilometers northeast of Chengdu in Sichuan Province and 10 kilometers east of the city of Guanghan. From Zhaojue Temple Bus Station, catch a bus to Guanghan (¥14), and from there use public bus No. 6 to reach the museum (¥2). ¥82 (¥42 for students).

• Stone Elephant Lake Ecological Resort, 86km Exit, Chengdu-Ya'an Expressway, Pujiang County (蒲江县成雅高速公路86公里出口处) (Arrange a car to take you there or catch a bus from Xinnanmen Bus Station. The bus fare is ¥33, +86 28 88591888. March-April: 08:30-18:00, May-October: 08:30-17:30, November-February: 09:00-17:00. A fantastic park with acres upon acres of live tulips and tiger lily flowers as well as nature walks and boat rides, and stone carved animals. The best time to go is during the Tulip Festival in early Spring and when the Tiger Lillies bloom in late summer, however, various flowers are usually in bloom from March through August and the nature walks are open year round. Bring your camera. Also bring a picnic lunch or eat in one of the several Chinese restaurants and noodle shops there. The park is about an hour and 15 minutes drive of pure highway driving south of Chengdu. ¥100.

Stone Elephant Lake Ecological Resort, 86km Exit, Chengdu-Ya'an Expressway, Pujiang County (蒲江县成雅高速公路86公里出口处) (Arrange a car to take you there or catch a bus from Xinnanmen Bus Station. The bus fare is ¥33, +86 28 88591888. March-April: 08:30-18:00, May-October: 08:30-17:30, November-February: 09:00-17:00. A fantastic park with acres upon acres of live tulips and tiger lily flowers as well as nature walks and boat rides, and stone carved animals. The best time to go is during the Tulip Festival in early Spring and when the Tiger Lillies bloom in late summer, however, various flowers are usually in bloom from March through August and the nature walks are open year round. Bring your camera. Also bring a picnic lunch or eat in one of the several Chinese restaurants and noodle shops there. The park is about an hour and 15 minutes drive of pure highway driving south of Chengdu. ¥100.

For up-to-date information on activities, places and attractions you should check out the Chengdoo Citylife Magazine's listings. You will find copies in most bars, restaurants, cafes, hostels and hotels.

• Cosmetics and Hair. Local women love to get their nails and hair done at the mall. You can get your nails done beautifully (filed, buffered, polished and hand painted with beautiful patent) between ¥10-20 at most shopping centre. There are quite a few very popular ones located on the ground floor of Beijing Hualian (北京华联）in Yanshikou. You can also get your hair temporarily straightened or curled at ¥10-15. They do very nice style and it will last until you wash your hair.
• Chunxi Road (春熙路). Take an afternoon or evening to walk down this shopping street in the center of the city. It makes for a good change of pace. There are clothing stores, bookstores, restaurants, arcades, and cinemas. It is a good place to find something to eat, as you can find a great variety including hotpot buffets, Japanese restaurants and Western food. However, the major disadvantage with this area is that each brand has many stores in this location (similar to other parts of China). For instance, Nike, Adidas, and Li-Ning, each have about 4-5 stores in Chunxi Road alone which reduces the variety of things to buy. If you are looking for stores in the same vein as Louis Vuitton and Ermenegildo Zegna, these stores are located outside of the Chunxi Road area and near the Tianfu Square district.
• Drink tea, Renmin Park (People's Park). Teahouses are plentiful in Chengdu, and drinking tea and playing Mahjong is how many local people relax. On a sunny afternoon pick a table in the park with an out-door tea house and sip your tea while listening to the locals gossiping. Not for the faint hearted, take the opportunity to have your ears cleaned by local "experts" armed with a tuning fork and a myriad of "insertion tools". Weird but effective! There are thousands of teahouses in Chengdu so you'll find them from other places than Renmin Park as well.
• Foot and body Massage. Chengdu is famous for its relaxed and laid back lifestyle. The foot and body massage is very popular in Chengdu with a lot of varieties. Generally, these places cater to groups of people who come in together, relax in a private room, perhaps eating fruit, pig ear, or sipping tea, while receiving a fully-clothed massage or foot washing. Prices are very reasonable, often well under ¥80 per person. Some places offer ¥25 per hour for a very nice foot massage, including washing, soaking and massaging feet, free hot/cold drink (tea, coke or juice), fresh fruit. A great way to relax with friends. Beware of erotic massage places that may be hard to tell from authentic ones. As a general rule, if you can see the patrons from the outside, its more likely to reputable. The more the internal space is segmented, the more concerned you should be. Watch out for establishments (such as on Yuhe side street, next to the Sheraton) that have two price boards, one in Chinese, and one in English with heavily inflated prices (eg. foreigners - 80 yuan, Chinese - 40 yuan).
• KTV, various locations. Spend an evening singing with friends, enjoy popcorn, beer and other refreshments. Songs available in English, Chinese, and more.
• Play Weiqi (the game of Go). As a symbol of Chinese culture, Weiqi is one of the world’s great strategy games where a few simple rules lead to limitless possibilities. Weiqi is hugely popular in Chengdu to the point where it has been nicknamed Weiqi City. Chengdu Weiqi Classroom is the only place where foreigners can study this game with English speaking assistance.
• Read a Book. The Chengdu Bookworm (see listing in the Eat Section) has a membership-based lending library of English language books, as well as travel guides for sale. Peter's Tex Mex, as well as some of the other restaurants that cater to foreigners, have book exchanges.
• Sichuan Opera. Most guest houses and travel agencies offer to arrange visits to these traditional shows. It is more like a burlesque cabaret than an actual opera, sometimes including magicians, traditional musicians, shadow plays, comedy (spoken in Chinese though), and dancers besides the traditional pieces. Of course the most famous is never omitted: quick face-changing and fire spitting performed by dancers clad in colourful traditional costumes. You will follow the story sitting at your table, sipping on your constantly refilled tea cup and nibbling some salted snacks. Note that there are many teahouses in the city that offer the show every night. Try the local favorite at Shu Feng Ya Yun (蜀风雅韵) teahouse located in Chengdu Culture Park (文化公园) on Qintai Road (it is beside Qingyang Temple). You will be seated on a covered open ground (cooled by fan; no A/C), which is actually the center of the traditional teahouse building. You might have to book in advance or just ask the concierge of your hotel to book it for you. ¥150 back rows; ¥220 front rows.

• Happy Valley. 09:00 - 18:30. Moderate size amusement park with 3 main roller coasters, Water Rides, Kids zone and water park (in Summer). Overall Good day out for both adults and families, makes a nice break from the city and has enough attractions to fill a full day out, As of 2011 the entrance to the park is now a sports retail outlet, Imax and Indoor Sky diving Centre with Restaurants ¥150, discount for students.
• Floraland, Wanchun Town, Wenjiang District (温江区万春镇) (Take a train to Wansheng Station on Metro Line 4, exit the station via Exits A or B, then catch bus no. w27 from the Xuefu Road South (学府路南段) bus stop, +86 28 82617666 (water park), +86 28 82611222 (land park). Water park: 10:00-18:00; Land park: 09:00-18:00. The park includes a moderate selection of rides (water, relaxing and thrill), and various recreation activities. Weekends can get packed, so try to go during a weekday. Water park: ¥150; Land park: ¥30 (entry only), ¥130 (including rides).

Happy Valley. 09:00 - 18:30. Moderate size amusement park with 3 main roller coasters, Water Rides, Kids zone and water park (in Summer). Overall Good day out for both adults and families, makes a nice break from the city and has enough attractions to fill a full day out, As of 2011 the entrance to the park is now a sports retail outlet, Imax and Indoor Sky diving Centre with Restaurants ¥150, discount for students.

Floraland, Wanchun Town, Wenjiang District (温江区万春镇) (Take a train to Wansheng Station on Metro Line 4, exit the station via Exits A or B, then catch bus no. w27 from the Xuefu Road South (学府路南段) bus stop, +86 28 82617666 (water park), +86 28 82611222 (land park). Water park: 10:00-18:00; Land park: 09:00-18:00. The park includes a moderate selection of rides (water, relaxing and thrill), and various recreation activities. Weekends can get packed, so try to go during a weekday. Water park: ¥150; Land park: ¥30 (entry only), ¥130 (including rides).

Most golf courses in the metropolis of Chengdu are semi-private, but open for public play. The green fee varies between US$50-300 per person per round, depending on course, weekdays or weekend play. Cart and caddie fees are included. The usual gratuity for caddie is about RMB$100-150

• Grand Hill International Golf Club, 1188 Qiling Road, Jintang District. 18-hole championship golf course completed in 2009. Somewhat generic but pleasant.
• Luxehills Golf and Country Club. Completed in 2007 by American architect firm JMP, Luxehills is ranked one of the top 10 courses in China.
• Wolong Valley The Tradition Golf Club, No.1 Wolong Avenue, Longquanyi District. 18-hole championship course with many bunkers and well protected greens. On three sides of the course, tall high-rise condominium buildings are easily visible.

Grand Hill International Golf Club, 1188 Qiling Road, Jintang District. 18-hole championship golf course completed in 2009. Somewhat generic but pleasant.

Luxehills Golf and Country Club. Completed in 2007 by American architect firm JMP, Luxehills is ranked one of the top 10 courses in China.

Wolong Valley The Tradition Golf Club, No.1 Wolong Avenue, Longquanyi District. 18-hole championship course with many bunkers and well protected greens. On three sides of the course, tall high-rise condominium buildings are easily visible.

Cosmetics and Hair. Local women love to get their nails and hair done at the mall. You can get your nails done beautifully (filed, buffered, polished and hand painted with beautiful patent) between ¥10-20 at most shopping centre. There are quite a few very popular ones located on the ground floor of Beijing Hualian (北京华联）in Yanshikou. You can also get your hair temporarily straightened or curled at ¥10-15. They do very nice style and it will last until you wash your hair.

Chunxi Road (春熙路). Take an afternoon or evening to walk down this shopping street in the center of the city. It makes for a good change of pace. There are clothing stores, bookstores, restaurants, arcades, and cinemas. It is a good place to find something to eat, as you can find a great variety including hotpot buffets, Japanese restaurants and Western food. However, the major disadvantage with this area is that each brand has many stores in this location (similar to other parts of China). For instance, Nike, Adidas, and Li-Ning, each have about 4-5 stores in Chunxi Road alone which reduces the variety of things to buy. If you are looking for stores in the same vein as Louis Vuitton and Ermenegildo Zegna, these stores are located outside of the Chunxi Road area and near the Tianfu Square district.

Drink tea, Renmin Park (People's Park). Teahouses are plentiful in Chengdu, and drinking tea and playing Mahjong is how many local people relax. On a sunny afternoon pick a table in the park with an out-door tea house and sip your tea while listening to the locals gossiping. Not for the faint hearted, take the opportunity to have your ears cleaned by local "experts" armed with a tuning fork and a myriad of "insertion tools". Weird but effective! There are thousands of teahouses in Chengdu so you'll find them from other places than Renmin Park as well.

Foot and body Massage. Chengdu is famous for its relaxed and laid back lifestyle. The foot and body massage is very popular in Chengdu with a lot of varieties. Generally, these places cater to groups of people who come in together, relax in a private room, perhaps eating fruit, pig ear, or sipping tea, while receiving a fully-clothed massage or foot washing. Prices are very reasonable, often well under ¥80 per person. Some places offer ¥25 per hour for a very nice foot massage, including washing, soaking and massaging feet, free hot/cold drink (tea, coke or juice), fresh fruit. A great way to relax with friends. Beware of erotic massage places that may be hard to tell from authentic ones. As a general rule, if you can see the patrons from the outside, its more likely to reputable. The more the internal space is segmented, the more concerned you should be. Watch out for establishments (such as on Yuhe side street, next to the Sheraton) that have two price boards, one in Chinese, and one in English with heavily inflated prices (eg. foreigners - 80 yuan, Chinese - 40 yuan).

KTV, various locations. Spend an evening singing with friends, enjoy popcorn, beer and other refreshments. Songs available in English, Chinese, and more.

Play Weiqi (the game of Go). As a symbol of Chinese culture, Weiqi is one of the world’s great strategy games where a few simple rules lead to limitless possibilities. Weiqi is hugely popular in Chengdu to the point where it has been nicknamed Weiqi City. Chengdu Weiqi Classroom is the only place where foreigners can study this game with English speaking assistance.

Read a Book. The Chengdu Bookworm (see listing in the Eat Section) has a membership-based lending library of English language books, as well as travel guides for sale. Peter's Tex Mex, as well as some of the other restaurants that cater to foreigners, have book exchanges.

Sichuan Opera. Most guest houses and travel agencies offer to arrange visits to these traditional shows. It is more like a burlesque cabaret than an actual opera, sometimes including magicians, traditional musicians, shadow plays, comedy (spoken in Chinese though), and dancers besides the traditional pieces. Of course the most famous is never omitted: quick face-changing and fire spitting performed by dancers clad in colourful traditional costumes. You will follow the story sitting at your table, sipping on your constantly refilled tea cup and nibbling some salted snacks. Note that there are many teahouses in the city that offer the show every night. Try the local favorite at Shu Feng Ya Yun (蜀风雅韵) teahouse located in Chengdu Culture Park (文化公园) on Qintai Road (it is beside Qingyang Temple). You will be seated on a covered open ground (cooled by fan; no A/C), which is actually the center of the traditional teahouse building. You might have to book in advance or just ask the concierge of your hotel to book it for you. ¥150 back rows; ¥220 front rows.

• Chunxi Road area. A street and a contiguous shopping district. More than 700 shops in the area including shopping malls, department stores, boutiques and street stalls.
• Songxian Qiao Antique Market, Qing Yang District, Song Xian Bridge (Close to the Green Ram Taoist Temple in the western city, from the temple walk straight west, it is on your right hand side after you crossed the bridge over the channel. Big market with communist relics, old porcelain dishes, jewellery, calligraphy equipment and also some Tibetan stuff. Great bargains can be found here if you are into antiques, jewellery, and gifts.
• Lotus Wholesale Market. A huge area of shops selling all kinds of local stuff from clothes to kitchen ware and home decoration to toys. The area employs over 100,000 people and its daily sales are over ¥10 million.
• Wuhou Tibetan Area shops. About two blocks of shops adjacent to Wuhou Temple selling clothing, textiles, jewelry, Tibetan music etc.
• Panda Toys. All sorts of plush pandas, and other panda trinkets, are sold at the gate of the panda base, as well as ones of a slightly higher quality at the shop inside the panda base itself.
• Galleria. New international standard shopping mall with about 200 stores and naturally a lot of international brands.

Supermarkets are located throughout the city, although the selection of imported foods is limited.

• Sabrina's Country Store, 54 Kehua N Rd (Across from the western gate of Sichuan University and near Linshiguan Rd, +86 8524 2987. If you want to buy American food, and do not mind a 50% premium, this has friendly service and all imported products.

Chunxi Road area. A street and a contiguous shopping district. More than 700 shops in the area including shopping malls, department stores, boutiques and street stalls.

Songxian Qiao Antique Market, Qing Yang District, Song Xian Bridge (Close to the Green Ram Taoist Temple in the western city, from the temple walk straight west, it is on your right hand side after you crossed the bridge over the channel. Big market with communist relics, old porcelain dishes, jewellery, calligraphy equipment and also some Tibetan stuff. Great bargains can be found here if you are into antiques, jewellery, and gifts.

Lotus Wholesale Market. A huge area of shops selling all kinds of local stuff from clothes to kitchen ware and home decoration to toys. The area employs over 100,000 people and its daily sales are over ¥10 million.

Wuhou Tibetan Area shops. About two blocks of shops adjacent to Wuhou Temple selling clothing, textiles, jewelry, Tibetan music etc.

Panda Toys. All sorts of plush pandas, and other panda trinkets, are sold at the gate of the panda base, as well as ones of a slightly higher quality at the shop inside the panda base itself.

Galleria. New international standard shopping mall with about 200 stores and naturally a lot of international brands.

Sabrina's Country Store, 54 Kehua N Rd (Across from the western gate of Sichuan University and near Linshiguan Rd, +86 8524 2987. If you want to buy American food, and do not mind a 50% premium, this has friendly service and all imported products.

The locals' favorite snack is fresh pineapple, peeled and sold on a stick by vendors on every other street corner. While generally it is recommended to avoid fresh fruit in China due to water contamination, here if you ask for them to peel a fresh pineapple (not one of the ones already peeled and waiting in a tank of water), it is probably fine — and also delicious.

You will find no shortage of delicious Sichuan food in Chengdu. Most of the food is spicy, but not necessarily as hot as you expect. If you are obviously foreign and don't specify whenever you order (i.e. non-spicy (不要辣; búyàolà), a little spicy (微辣; wēilà) or 'old' (very) spicy (老辣; lǎolà)), the staff will assume that you can't take the heat. At best they will ask you whether you want chili (你想要辣椒?; Nǐ xiǎng yào làjiāo?), at worst they give you a severely toned down version of the food! If you want it how the locals have it, reassure the staff with "I like chili" (我喜欢辣椒; wǒ xǐhuan làjiāo), followed with "I like all the chili" (我都喜欢辣椒; Wǒ dū xǐhuan làjiāo) to really reassure the staff that it's OK.

If you are not accustomed to it yet, a bottle of sweetened soy, almond, peanut, or cow milk, or something else sweet will work much better than water to quell the fire. If you are used to the hottest of authentic Indian or Thai food, the level of spiciness in Sichuan food should be no problem at all.

Sichuan food also makes heavy use of Sichuan peppercorn (花椒; huājiāo), which looks like but is not a true peppercorn, and causes your mouth to water and to be somewhat numb (málà). Sichuan peppercorn is added in most spicy dishes. If you can eat spicy food but do not like Sichuan pepper, you need to order so (不要花椒; bú yào huājiāo). However, Sichuan peppercorn (in addition to causing numbing) has an important citrus taste that it adds to foods. Sichuan cuisine banks on the interplay between the flavours of both Sichuan peppercorn and chili peppers, and it is strongly recommend you try the authentic versions with the Sichuan peppercorn.

The spiciest food in Chengdu is hotpot (also called steampot or steamboat), although the tradition originated in Chongqing, so it is not really Chengdu food. Sichuan hotpots are basically a big pot of soup and spices simmering in a hole in the middle of your table. Patrons choose from a large selection of meats, vegetables and other add-ins. Most popular include: lamb, mushrooms, beef, tofu, quail eggs, potatoes and various others (pork, green vegetables, fish balls, carrots, and even pig's brain!) You can choose spicy pot or non spicy pot. With spicy hot pots, unlike eastern hot pots, the soup is NOT for drinking; instead, fish out your cooked items with chopsticks (do not fish the liquid out with a spoon, it is too spicy even for locals to drink; the fished out vegetables will be spicy enough), dip them in the small bowl of oil provided to each person, and enjoy.

You may also find the local food too oily or too salty for your taste, and may want to advise your server accordingly.

There are also a lot of weird local snack type of food, such as spicy dragon prawns (look like very small crayfish; 麻辣龙虾), spicy snails (香辣田螺), Chongqing duck neck (久久鸭脖子), Bangbang chicken (棒棒鸡), spicy rabbit meat (二姐兔丁). These ones are so delicious and you must try them. But you need to ask a local to take you to the right place. Quite often you will find that the small restaurants and shops offer the most delicious and cheapest food. If you want to find even cheaper food options, street vendors are the way to go (though the Chengdu police have been doing their best to extinguish this long tradition and you may have trouble finding them these days). Serving everything from barbeque (烧烤) to steamed breadrolls(馒头), they are a cheap and offer a great option for a quick bite to eat.

If you are less adventurous but still like Chinese food, or just tired of Sichuan food, there are a number of Cantonese and Hong Kong restaurants, including Lei Garden near Shangri-la Hotel.

There are a number of stalls and hole in the wall type places all over town. Food here is dirt cheap, expect to pay no more than ¥8 for a meal, and the quality is good. Things to be on the lookout for are spicy bowls of breakfast noodles, (担担面; dandanmian), double cooked pork (回锅肉; húigūoròu), and dozens of dishes coated in "málà" the Sichuan chili spice famous the world over.

• Yulinchuanchuanxiang, Various locations throughout the city. Cheap and fast hotpot variety. This is a help-yourself style meal, go to a backroom and choose your own kabobs. Stick the kabobs into a hotpot soup, and have them boil. Pull them out and enjoy. Large kabobs are ¥1, and small ones are ¥0.1 each. Expect to be full for less than ¥25. There are both spicy and non-spicy variations. There is a large selection of meats, vegetables, and other add-ins. Beer is available in large bottles and sweet soymilk (Dounai) is also served.
• Lanzhou Lamian, Located everywhere. A bowl of noodles starts for about ¥4, and reach a maximum of ¥7. Varieties include egg, lamb and beef. Other dishes are reasonable in price as well. Breads for 1 kuai a piece, and Mutton Kabobs (羊肉串) go for 1 kuai per stick. Da Pan Ji (大盘鸡) is a great choice if eating with a group. Usually offered in small or large sizes, a small size will cost about ¥40 and feed 3 or 4 people. A large order might cost about ¥60. This dish includes chicken, potatoes, onions and other vegetables in a moderately spicy sauce. Can eat with bread or noodles to make a great meal.
• Steamed buns. Sold for breakfast or lunch from street vendors throughout the city. Yagcai bao (芽菜包) is a local Sichuan special variety you are unlikely to find elsewhere and typically contains some mixture of Yacai (芽菜), a type of preserved vegetable, and potentially some meat. Other typical fillings include beef, red bean paste, mushrooms, green vegetables or pork. Three buns cost around ¥1 or larger buns cost ¥1 each as well. A container of soy milk (豆浆 dou jiang) is about the same price.

Yulinchuanchuanxiang, Various locations throughout the city. Cheap and fast hotpot variety. This is a help-yourself style meal, go to a backroom and choose your own kabobs. Stick the kabobs into a hotpot soup, and have them boil. Pull them out and enjoy. Large kabobs are ¥1, and small ones are ¥0.1 each. Expect to be full for less than ¥25. There are both spicy and non-spicy variations. There is a large selection of meats, vegetables, and other add-ins. Beer is available in large bottles and sweet soymilk (Dounai) is also served.

Lanzhou Lamian, Located everywhere. A bowl of noodles starts for about ¥4, and reach a maximum of ¥7. Varieties include egg, lamb and beef. Other dishes are reasonable in price as well. Breads for 1 kuai a piece, and Mutton Kabobs (羊肉串) go for 1 kuai per stick. Da Pan Ji (大盘鸡) is a great choice if eating with a group. Usually offered in small or large sizes, a small size will cost about ¥40 and feed 3 or 4 people. A large order might cost about ¥60. This dish includes chicken, potatoes, onions and other vegetables in a moderately spicy sauce. Can eat with bread or noodles to make a great meal.

Steamed buns. Sold for breakfast or lunch from street vendors throughout the city. Yagcai bao (芽菜包) is a local Sichuan special variety you are unlikely to find elsewhere and typically contains some mixture of Yacai (芽菜), a type of preserved vegetable, and potentially some meat. Other typical fillings include beef, red bean paste, mushrooms, green vegetables or pork. Three buns cost around ¥1 or larger buns cost ¥1 each as well. A container of soy milk (豆浆 dou jiang) is about the same price.

• Mike's Pizza Kitchen, Tongzilin, Europe City (In the south of Chengdu, +86 28 8522-6453. 11AM-10PM. Freshly made to order pizza. Authentic New York style pizza pie, stone-baked. Delivery only. ¥30-150.

Mike's Pizza Kitchen, Tongzilin, Europe City (In the south of Chengdu, +86 28 8522-6453. 11AM-10PM. Freshly made to order pizza. Authentic New York style pizza pie, stone-baked. Delivery only. ¥30-150.

• Wenshu Temple Vegetarian Restaurant, 15 Wenshu St (文殊院街15号), +86 28 693-870. In the grounds of a monastery and run by monks. Offers a huge selection of traditional vegetarian dishes, including some containing imitated meat.
• Hokkaido Japanese Restaurant, Various locations throughout the city (Locations include Chunxi Rd (春熙路), Yulin S Rd (玉林南路), outside of Sichuan University (Near Cafe Paname), and more. Authentic Japanese food. Serves curry, tonkatsu, unagi-don, fried rices, sushi, ramen noodles, and various other selections. Serves Chinese and Japanese beers, as well as a selection of plum wine and sake. Food quality varies. Meals range from ¥20 upwards, expect a plate of sushi to be quite a bit more expensive, but sides are generally decent priced.
• Chen Mapo, 208 Shuanglin Rd (成都市双林路208号新华公园正门对面). Supposedly opened by the Mapo herself in 1862. The place to eat Mapo Doufu, it does not get any more authentic than this. Spicy food eaters will love this, those who do not like spicy food should probably skip it altogether.
• Namaste/Afila, 20 Remin Nan Rd, Section 4, Wuhou District (武侯区人民南路四段20号), +86 28-85569118. Specializes in Indian and Nepalese cuisine, particularly tandoori and curries. Great for vegetarians and omnivores alike.
• Fiesta Thai, Linjiang Zhong Lu 6, Right beside Traffic Hotel and the 902 Panda Base Bus Stop, +86 28-85454530. Specializes in Thai cuisine. Great food and exceptional service when you need a break from oily and spicy Sichuan food.
• Mingting Restaurant (明婷饭店), Waicaojia Alley No. 26, Jinniu District (成都市金牛区外曹家巷26号附14) A very popular Sichuan restaurant with outdoor seating. Typically 60￥-80￥ per person. Expect to wait 10-20 minutes at peak hours. Try the 呛香鱼 or 麻婆豆腐!

Wenshu Temple Vegetarian Restaurant, 15 Wenshu St (文殊院街15号), +86 28 693-870. In the grounds of a monastery and run by monks. Offers a huge selection of traditional vegetarian dishes, including some containing imitated meat.

Hokkaido Japanese Restaurant, Various locations throughout the city (Locations include Chunxi Rd (春熙路), Yulin S Rd (玉林南路), outside of Sichuan University (Near Cafe Paname), and more. Authentic Japanese food. Serves curry, tonkatsu, unagi-don, fried rices, sushi, ramen noodles, and various other selections. Serves Chinese and Japanese beers, as well as a selection of plum wine and sake. Food quality varies. Meals range from ¥20 upwards, expect a plate of sushi to be quite a bit more expensive, but sides are generally decent priced.

Chen Mapo, 208 Shuanglin Rd (成都市双林路208号新华公园正门对面). Supposedly opened by the Mapo herself in 1862. The place to eat Mapo Doufu, it does not get any more authentic than this. Spicy food eaters will love this, those who do not like spicy food should probably skip it altogether.

Namaste/Afila, 20 Remin Nan Rd, Section 4, Wuhou District (武侯区人民南路四段20号), +86 28-85569118. Specializes in Indian and Nepalese cuisine, particularly tandoori and curries. Great for vegetarians and omnivores alike.

Fiesta Thai, Linjiang Zhong Lu 6, Right beside Traffic Hotel and the 902 Panda Base Bus Stop, +86 28-85454530. Specializes in Thai cuisine. Great food and exceptional service when you need a break from oily and spicy Sichuan food.

Mingting Restaurant (明婷饭店), Waicaojia Alley No. 26, Jinniu District (成都市金牛区外曹家巷26号附14) A very popular Sichuan restaurant with outdoor seating. Typically 60￥-80￥ per person. Expect to wait 10-20 minutes at peak hours. Try the 呛香鱼 or 麻婆豆腐!

• Veranda Bridge Restaurant. This restaurant is actually a historic bridge over Funan River. Sichuan food. Very good reputation within Chengdu.
• Huang Cheng Lao Ma, +86 28 85139999. Elaborate restaurant featuring hot pot followed by live entertainment, including Sichuan face-changing. Don't miss the diorama scene of ancient Chengdu built into the restaurant lobby's floor. A separate section on the ground floor of the restaurant also features a pan-Asian buffet with contemporary entertainment. Child care is available on premises. Prices are in the range of ¥100 per person for dinner and one drink.

Veranda Bridge Restaurant. This restaurant is actually a historic bridge over Funan River. Sichuan food. Very good reputation within Chengdu.

Huang Cheng Lao Ma, +86 28 85139999. Elaborate restaurant featuring hot pot followed by live entertainment, including Sichuan face-changing. Don't miss the diorama scene of ancient Chengdu built into the restaurant lobby's floor. A separate section on the ground floor of the restaurant also features a pan-Asian buffet with contemporary entertainment. Child care is available on premises. Prices are in the range of ¥100 per person for dinner and one drink.

Chengdu has a few local Western restaurants. Service is always friendly, although you should expect occasional mistakes, such as appetizers served at the same time as your meal. Chengdu is just starting to get accustomed to Western tastes.

• Chengdu Bookworm, 28 Renmin S Rd. Has something for everyone. It is an English language lending library, a Western restaurant, a bar, as well as an occasional venue for local singing and musical talent. Expats might want to join the membership library or take kids to the children's morning story hours. Evenings, you might find a travel author reading from and signing books, poetry reading, or singing. Great place for to connect with others, catch up on some reading, or just relax.
• Grandma's Kitchen. Western restaurant with four locations around Chengdu, including one next door to Peter's on Zhong Hua Yuan.
• Peter's Tex-Mex, +86 28 85180903. Actually an American restaurant with some Mexican dishes. Peter's has good food. The Zhong Hua Yuan location also has homemade ice cream, the best ice cream you will find in Chengdu. If you are coming from out of town, the Zhong Hua Yuan location is right in a major expat area with lots of other restaurants and shopping surrounding it. ¥12-¥150+ for a meal.
• Paul and Dave's Oasis. A place for volunteers, ex-pats, and all manner of foreigners, a place where you can go and just chill. Though he does serve Chinese food, you're better off going elsewhere for this, it is however a place where you can sit and lose yourself for a day or so. Usually occupied by the local foreigners, usually playing Western music.
• All of the hotels in the "Splurge" category have Western restaurants or buffets. Call ahead for more information.

Chengdu Bookworm, 28 Renmin S Rd. Has something for everyone. It is an English language lending library, a Western restaurant, a bar, as well as an occasional venue for local singing and musical talent. Expats might want to join the membership library or take kids to the children's morning story hours. Evenings, you might find a travel author reading from and signing books, poetry reading, or singing. Great place for to connect with others, catch up on some reading, or just relax.

Grandma's Kitchen. Western restaurant with four locations around Chengdu, including one next door to Peter's on Zhong Hua Yuan.

Peter's Tex-Mex, +86 28 85180903. Actually an American restaurant with some Mexican dishes. Peter's has good food. The Zhong Hua Yuan location also has homemade ice cream, the best ice cream you will find in Chengdu. If you are coming from out of town, the Zhong Hua Yuan location is right in a major expat area with lots of other restaurants and shopping surrounding it. ¥12-¥150+ for a meal.

Paul and Dave's Oasis. A place for volunteers, ex-pats, and all manner of foreigners, a place where you can go and just chill. Though he does serve Chinese food, you're better off going elsewhere for this, it is however a place where you can sit and lose yourself for a day or so. Usually occupied by the local foreigners, usually playing Western music.

A popular district of bars, also known as the bar street, is located by the southern shore of Jin River next to Anshun Bridge. The well known Lan Kwai Fong from Hong Kong started its business in the mainland of China in 2010 and the first city is Chengdu. The area is located a little north-west from Anshun Bridge.

• Club 88, 99 Shaoling Rd, Wuhou District (武侯区少陵路88号). Chengdu's hottest club. Awesome lighting and music, dancing in the walkways and people just trying to get seen. Expect crowds of people, packed tables, and action going on through the night well past the other clubs closing times. Get there early to get a table or come (very) late to wind down the night when everything else dies.
• Babi II. Club.
• Babi, Shaolin Rd (Right next to Club 88. Club.
• Cafe Paname, 143 Kehua N Rd (科华北路143号) (Nearby Sichuan University. A bar with a younger crowd and laid-back environment Expect an occasional DJ event which will make the bar a little more lively on Fridays and Holidays. ¥10 Suntory beer on tap is a perk.
• Highfly Cafe, 18 Linjiang Rd, +86 28 85442820. Relaxed place with a tiny outside sitting area. They serve beers and Western food including pizza and breakfast. There is one computer for free Internet access and a small book exchange (2 for 1).
• Feeling4Seasons Cafe, Orient Times Mall 2F, Xiadongda St (Near Dongmen Bridge, +86 28 66208848. Good Italian coffee: espresso, cappuccino, especially latte. Also pasta and pizza. They also provide Internet service: wireless access for your laptop, loan of a wireless card if you don't have one, use of a PC if required. You can also burn CDs. It is also one famous China blog freelancer's cafe bar; he published a book named "Ten Years, Flying with one Dream".
• Mooney's Irish Pub. A real classy traditional Irish pub. Sometimes they have a live band or other entertainment. Also they have a free billiard table which is nice. Offering beers on tap, whiskies and signature dishes.
• Shamrock Pub, 15, 4th Section, Renmin S Rd (Near Linshiguan Rd and the U.S. Consulate, +86 28 85236158. This Irish pub in is the hub of Chengdu's small expatriate community (of approximately 3,000). Friendly pub atmosphere and live music some evenings. In addition to drinks the pub serves dishes including pizza, meat pies, sausage rolls, steaks, burgers, curries and a range of other snacks. The pub is also an active sponsor of several nonprofit organizations, including holding events for moon bear rescue and for the disabled. Copies of the informative Chengdoo book are available at the Shamrock.
• High Connections Coffee House, Fu A-20 6 Shuangqing S Rd, Qingyang District (On the west side of Chengdu near Metro and the Southwest Financial University, +86 28 87325855. Provides a relaxing, comfortable, environment with soft lighting and easy-listening music. They have non-smoking and smoking sections. Bring your computer and hook up to the wireless Internet. Their coffee (both Espresso and good old fashioned drip American style) and muffins are an excellent way to begin a day. They also have large conference rooms available for meetings.

Also, on the southern bank of Jinjiang there is a row of bars between Renmin South Road and Xin South Road. Beers will cost ¥10-20 per bottle, but buying bulk cans will save you a good bit of money with special deals. There will also be street vendors selling various snacks. This makes for a good night with the clubs Babi II, Ta & Ta, and Soho just around the bend.

• 8trees Wine Bar & Restaurant, 9 Pingan Alley, +86 28 86699060. Located in a century old Roman Catholic church, and offers the most unique romantic dinning experience. Recommended signature dishes are the tantalizing mouthwatering North American beef, marinated with fresh herbs and spices; the lamb main simmered with exotic spices. On the lighter side, there is the conscious side dish which is very popular with weight-watching regulars who complement their meals with the rich creamy soups offered in the menu. A must see for the church underground wine cellar.
• The Leg & Whistle Pub, Kehua Jie, ChuanDa Hua Yuan (2F) (科华街1号附19号2楼) (Kehua Jie is off Kehua Bei Lu which leads to the South Gate of Sichuan University. The Leg is up one flight of stairs above a pharmacy and opposite a Wowo 24 hour convenience store., +86 28 85460114, +86 18980986112. The closest thing you'll find to a real English 'local' pub in Chengdu. It's number one for football coverage with three screens but feel free to ask about other sports if you're interested. The people there are very friendly and will do their utmost to make you feel welcome.
• Little Bar (New), 87 Fangqin St, Yulin Shangwugang, 1F (成都市芳沁街87号附5号丰尚玉林商务港1楼, +86 28 85568552. Rock bar. The bigger shows are on Friday and Saturday and the bands start playing at 8PM and finish at 10PM. ¥25 entrance fee. A bit hard to find so best to get a cab to take you if you are not familiar with the area. Not to be confused with Little Bar (Old), the sister bar on Yulin West Road.
• Empty Bottle, 3/F, Yulin Life Plaza, 15 S Yulin Rd. Very popular amongst the locals. Live music and other kinds of shows every night.
• Jellyfish, Ke Hua Bei Lu #143, Lan Si Jia Le Bi Sq, 2F. 8pm-1am. Lively and crowded cocktail bar with a DJ playing music. Lot of expats but also local folk.

Club 88, 99 Shaoling Rd, Wuhou District (武侯区少陵路88号). Chengdu's hottest club. Awesome lighting and music, dancing in the walkways and people just trying to get seen. Expect crowds of people, packed tables, and action going on through the night well past the other clubs closing times. Get there early to get a table or come (very) late to wind down the night when everything else dies.

Babi II. Club.

Babi, Shaolin Rd (Right next to Club 88. Club.

Cafe Paname, 143 Kehua N Rd (科华北路143号) (Nearby Sichuan University. A bar with a younger crowd and laid-back environment Expect an occasional DJ event which will make the bar a little more lively on Fridays and Holidays. ¥10 Suntory beer on tap is a perk.

Highfly Cafe, 18 Linjiang Rd, +86 28 85442820. Relaxed place with a tiny outside sitting area. They serve beers and Western food including pizza and breakfast. There is one computer for free Internet access and a small book exchange (2 for 1).

Feeling4Seasons Cafe, Orient Times Mall 2F, Xiadongda St (Near Dongmen Bridge, +86 28 66208848. Good Italian coffee: espresso, cappuccino, especially latte. Also pasta and pizza. They also provide Internet service: wireless access for your laptop, loan of a wireless card if you don't have one, use of a PC if required. You can also burn CDs. It is also one famous China blog freelancer's cafe bar; he published a book named "Ten Years, Flying with one Dream".

Mooney's Irish Pub. A real classy traditional Irish pub. Sometimes they have a live band or other entertainment. Also they have a free billiard table which is nice. Offering beers on tap, whiskies and signature dishes.

Shamrock Pub, 15, 4th Section, Renmin S Rd (Near Linshiguan Rd and the U.S. Consulate, +86 28 85236158. This Irish pub in is the hub of Chengdu's small expatriate community (of approximately 3,000). Friendly pub atmosphere and live music some evenings. In addition to drinks the pub serves dishes including pizza, meat pies, sausage rolls, steaks, burgers, curries and a range of other snacks. The pub is also an active sponsor of several nonprofit organizations, including holding events for moon bear rescue and for the disabled. Copies of the informative Chengdoo book are available at the Shamrock.

High Connections Coffee House, Fu A-20 6 Shuangqing S Rd, Qingyang District (On the west side of Chengdu near Metro and the Southwest Financial University, +86 28 87325855. Provides a relaxing, comfortable, environment with soft lighting and easy-listening music. They have non-smoking and smoking sections. Bring your computer and hook up to the wireless Internet. Their coffee (both Espresso and good old fashioned drip American style) and muffins are an excellent way to begin a day. They also have large conference rooms available for meetings.

8trees Wine Bar & Restaurant, 9 Pingan Alley, +86 28 86699060. Located in a century old Roman Catholic church, and offers the most unique romantic dinning experience. Recommended signature dishes are the tantalizing mouthwatering North American beef, marinated with fresh herbs and spices; the lamb main simmered with exotic spices. On the lighter side, there is the conscious side dish which is very popular with weight-watching regulars who complement their meals with the rich creamy soups offered in the menu. A must see for the church underground wine cellar.

The Leg & Whistle Pub, Kehua Jie, ChuanDa Hua Yuan (2F) (科华街1号附19号2楼) (Kehua Jie is off Kehua Bei Lu which leads to the South Gate of Sichuan University. The Leg is up one flight of stairs above a pharmacy and opposite a Wowo 24 hour convenience store., +86 28 85460114, +86 18980986112. The closest thing you'll find to a real English 'local' pub in Chengdu. It's number one for football coverage with three screens but feel free to ask about other sports if you're interested. The people there are very friendly and will do their utmost to make you feel welcome.

Little Bar (New), 87 Fangqin St, Yulin Shangwugang, 1F (成都市芳沁街87号附5号丰尚玉林商务港1楼, +86 28 85568552. Rock bar. The bigger shows are on Friday and Saturday and the bands start playing at 8PM and finish at 10PM. ¥25 entrance fee. A bit hard to find so best to get a cab to take you if you are not familiar with the area. Not to be confused with Little Bar (Old), the sister bar on Yulin West Road.

Empty Bottle, 3/F, Yulin Life Plaza, 15 S Yulin Rd. Very popular amongst the locals. Live music and other kinds of shows every night.

Jellyfish, Ke Hua Bei Lu #143, Lan Si Jia Le Bi Sq, 2F. 8pm-1am. Lively and crowded cocktail bar with a DJ playing music. Lot of expats but also local folk.

China's country code is 86. Chengdu's area code is 28. Coin-operated pay phones are located throughout Chengdu, and calling cards can be purchased from many vendors. Local landline phone numbers are eight digits long; cellular phone numbers in Sichuan are eleven digits long and start with 13, 15, or 18.

Internet access can be found in most guesthouses and through cheap internet cafes all over town. Look out for Web-character 网 and the Bar-character 吧 in the Chinese name for internet bar: 网吧.

A large Internet cafe is on the second floor of the Xinnanmen Bus Station (新南门汽车站), 100 meters from the Traffic Hotel (交通饭店). The connection is fast and access is ¥2/hour.

Note that foreigners are usually not able to use the public internet cafés because one must register using one's Chinese ID card (身份证), which foreigners do not possess. This is not a problem at hotels and guesthouses.

Thieves are prevalent around certain areas of Chengdu. Be careful around the Yanshikou markets, crowded buses, on bicycles and especially around the North train station.

Traffic can appear hectic and motorists as well as cyclists drive with every driver assuming they have right of way/priority. Reassuringly, due to the volume of traffic in cities, it never travels fast enough to cause any damage. Walk with confidence and be aware of your surroundings when crossing streets; even when the WALK sign is green, traffic will cross your path. See Driving in China for more information.

For such a big city, there's surprisingly little Western influence in Chengdu but certainly more than regional "rival" Chongqing. It's definitely not Beijing or Shanghai but this is changing fast with the arrival of more and more foreign students, teachers, and business people. This may be trying initially, as the level of English spoken is noticeably lower than other places, but it's also a blessing; carry a phrasebook and enjoy the authentic Chinese urban experience. The Western quarter, if there is one, seems to be around Kehua North Road.

• Germany Germany, 25F of Western Tower, No 19, 4th Section Renmin Nan Rd, +86 28 8528 0800.
• South Korea Republic of Korea, No 2, Wangfu Oasis Hotel, Xianan Main St, +86 28 8616 5800.
• Pakistan Pakistan, Tongwei International Center, High Tech Zone, No. 588, Middle Section of Tianfu Avenue, 8th Floor, Room No.2.
• Singapore Singapore, 31F East Guan Cheng Sq, No 308, Shun Cheng Main St, +86 28 8652 7222.
• Thailand Thailand, Kempinski Hotel, 42 Renmin Nan Rd. 4th Section C210-212.
• United States United States, 4 Linshiguan Rd, +86 28 8558-3992. ACS M-Th 13:30-17:00, F 09:00-16:00.

Germany Germany, 25F of Western Tower, No 19, 4th Section Renmin Nan Rd, +86 28 8528 0800.

South Korea Republic of Korea, No 2, Wangfu Oasis Hotel, Xianan Main St, +86 28 8616 5800.

Pakistan Pakistan, Tongwei International Center, High Tech Zone, No. 588, Middle Section of Tianfu Avenue, 8th Floor, Room No.2.

Singapore Singapore, 31F East Guan Cheng Sq, No 308, Shun Cheng Main St, +86 28 8652 7222.

Thailand Thailand, Kempinski Hotel, 42 Renmin Nan Rd. 4th Section C210-212.

United States United States, 4 Linshiguan Rd, +86 28 8558-3992. ACS M-Th 13:30-17:00, F 09:00-16:00.

If you need to make a visa extension, You can visit Chengdu Public Security Bureau but be warn of the 7 days delay. Most people in a hurry will try to do their renew in Leshan or Songpan where it seems delay is about 1h to 1d, if the (only) officer is here.

• Chengdu PSB, No.391, Shuncheng Street / 顺城大街391号 (near wenshu monastery metro and bus 1/99 stop at Luoguo alley, just after crossing with McDo, +86 28-86407067. M-F 09:00-13:00 and 13:00-17:00. For visa extension/renew, you need to fill a form, 1 picture, passport+visa copy. You can pay either at nearby ICBC bank in cash (get a ticket, but if wait is too long, ask the security guy. it seems after some time, he makes people with PSB receipt cut the queue), either by Chinese (only) bank card at downstairs counter 16. Delay is 5 opened days which makes a week, so could be better to ask in smaller cities like Leshan where there is only 1 day delay. ¥160 for one month visa renewal.

Chengdu PSB, No.391, Shuncheng Street / 顺城大街391号 (near wenshu monastery metro and bus 1/99 stop at Luoguo alley, just after crossing with McDo, +86 28-86407067. M-F 09:00-13:00 and 13:00-17:00. For visa extension/renew, you need to fill a form, 1 picture, passport+visa copy. You can pay either at nearby ICBC bank in cash (get a ticket, but if wait is too long, ask the security guy. it seems after some time, he makes people with PSB receipt cut the queue), either by Chinese (only) bank card at downstairs counter 16. Delay is 5 opened days which makes a week, so could be better to ask in smaller cities like Leshan where there is only 1 day delay. ¥160 for one month visa renewal.

Families and those short of time might consider hiring a car with driver (¥300-900 per day, depending upon type of car and experience of driver, with cars booked at the luxury hotels the most expensive and highest quality).

• The Giant Buddha in Leshan is probably the most popular nearby destination. A day trip to this ancient man-made wonder should be about ¥100-150. Two day tours are available which combine the Buddha with a visit to the nearby Buddhist holy mountain Emei Shan.
• Mount Qingcheng (青城山) and Dujiangyan (都江堰) are fascinating sites about 40 km from Chengdu. You can do both sites in one long day, or better yet, plan to spend a day at each. Qingcheng is a beautiful mountain with an extensive and well kept network of steps and pathways; it includes many pagodas, a small lake, and a chair-lift for those who don't want to walk. Qingcheng is an important site in the Taoist religion. Dujiangyan has a fascinating history and a marvelous swinging pedestrian bridge. Both trips involve lots of walking.
• Bi Feng Xia - a large ecological park in the mountains about a 2½ hour drive from Chengdu. It centers around a huge gorge with waterfalls. One can hike down into the gorge on well marked paths and take an elevator back up. The park also has special panda habitats, as well as a more traditional "zoo". The main reason to go here is for the walks and hikes into the gorge. The zoo, although filled with animals such as tigers, lions, bears, monkeys, and even a drive-through section, has woefully inadequate and sometimes smelly enclosures. (The enormous bird aviary is one exception). Admission is about ¥80, with additional charges for bus rides between different sections of the park. There is an expensive hotel and basic restaurants on site. Direct buses to the park (via Ya'an) leave from Xinnanmen station every 30mins.
• Huang Long Xi (黄龙溪, "Yellow Dragon Creek ancient town") is worth a day trip. Buses start from Xinnanmen station (新南门车站) and take two hours. The little town features a few original dwellings, and old temples but mainly recreated buildings from various periods. It does contain a street or two of authentic buildings and nice river view. Perfect biking destination in the countryside.
• Jinlong (Little) Great Wall: This (replica) Great Wall is situated not far from Luodai Ancient Town. Buses from Luodai bus station or minivans (from eastern city gate) take you there or in about 20 minutes (2-10 yuan). Upon arrival, you can climb this local Great Wall, but be warned: although the wall is only a few kilometres long, it's a steep climb which is best not undertaken in hot weather (i.e. summer). Going all the way up will probably take seasoned hikers 1-1.5 hours.
• You can also trek out to the Tibetan areas of Sichuan. Buses leave everyday for Moxi and other towns. These long bus trips from Xinnanmen-bus station (it's about seven hours to Moxi, and the heating systems on buses in the winter are painfully inadequate) pass through incredibly steep mountain valleys wandering through the Gongga Mountain range. This all terminates at the Hailuogo Glacier, a massive park nearly nine hours from Chengdu. A good two or three day trip.
• Jiuzhaigou (九寨沟) Valley to the north of Chengdu is famous for its stunning nature and the cyan water terraces. The morning bus from Chengdu leaves at 09:00, and takes roughly 9–10 hours, providing that the weather is good.
• Mianyang City (绵阳市), two hours to the north, is Sichuan's second-biggest city. As a large city, it has plenty to do and could serve as a day or multi-day trip. Nearby Xianhai (仙海) resort town is a lovely countryside getaway, easily accessible from the city center. The Holy Water Temple (圣水寺) in the northern suburbs is also very attractive. Mianyang is a 2-hour train ride from North Train Station (¥20).
• Siguniangshan National Park (四姑娘) - these mountains northwest of Chengdu are sometimes called "China Alps", but are also known as the "four girls" or "four maidens", as their perennial snow makes them look like four beautiful white figures standing in the hills. Take a bus from Chadianzi (茶店子) tourism bus station at 06:40 that takes up to 12 hours. Catch the bus to Xiaojin (小金) and let the driver know your destination is Rilong village (日隆镇).
• Xi'an - home to the Terra Cotta Warriors.

The Giant Buddha in [[Leshan]] is probably the most popular nearby destination. A day trip to this ancient man-made wonder should be about ¥100-150. Two day tours are available which combine the Buddha with a visit to the nearby Buddhist holy mountain [[Emei Shan]].

Bi Feng Xia - a large ecological park in the mountains about a 2½ hour drive from Chengdu. It centers around a huge gorge with waterfalls. One can hike down into the gorge on well marked paths and take an elevator back up. The park also has special panda habitats, as well as a more traditional "zoo". The main reason to go here is for the walks and hikes into the gorge. The zoo, although filled with animals such as tigers, lions, bears, monkeys, and even a drive-through section, has woefully inadequate and sometimes smelly enclosures. (The enormous bird aviary is one exception). Admission is about ¥80, with additional charges for bus rides between different sections of the park. There is an expensive hotel and basic restaurants on site. Direct buses to the park (via [[Ya'an]]) leave from Xinnanmen station every 30mins.

Huang Long Xi (黄龙溪, "Yellow Dragon Creek ancient town") is worth a day trip. Buses start from Xinnanmen station (新南门车站) and take two hours. The little town features a few original dwellings, and old temples but mainly recreated buildings from various periods. It does contain a street or two of authentic buildings and nice river view. Perfect biking destination in the countryside.

Jinlong (Little) Great Wall: This (replica) Great Wall is situated not far from Luodai Ancient Town. Buses from Luodai bus station or minivans (from eastern city gate) take you there or in about 20 minutes (2-10 yuan). Upon arrival, you can climb this local Great Wall, but be warned: although the wall is only a few kilometres long, it's a steep climb which is best not undertaken in hot weather (i.e. summer). Going all the way up will probably take seasoned hikers 1-1.5 hours.