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Best Places to Visit in Chengdu

We list the best places to visit in Chengdu. Whether you're traveling with the family, or touring Chengdu on a budget, Chengdu is one of the most popular places to visit in the world !

Chengdu Panda Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

This facility is not only the most important panda scientific research center in the world, but also the home to more than 120 giant pandas and some red pandas. The pandas are basically on display for tourists but views are much closer than is possible at most Western zoos.

People's Park

Located in the west of Tianfu Square, this park is a important entertainment place for Chengdu citizen. Everyday, especially the holiday, there are many local people in it, that means tourist can find the real leisure life of Chinese old people. They are singing and dancing in separate group, follow the sound you can find them. Some are playing mahjong. Some practice calligraphy with water on the floor around a monument in the north-western corner of this park. Some parents take their unmarried children's information here want find potential candidate. There are many tea houses in it, local people drink tea and play majong in it, the average price of one cup of tea is RMB 10. There also is a Sichuan snack restaurant Zhong's Dumpling, beside dumpling you can find almost all famous Sichuan snack in it, and with fair price.

Jinli Ancient Street

This neighborhood is part of the old city of Chengdu; it features hotels and small stores in 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 RMB 1-15. Restaurants and bars in Jinli are more expensive than outside. There are also antique hotels in there.

Wuhou Temple

This temple is built for commemorating Zhuge Liang, the minister of Shu in 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. It is next to Jinli Ancient Street and located in south-west of Tianfu Square.

Wide and Narrow Alleys

Very nice place with lots of tea houses, restaurants and local snacks. Great for relaxing. Streets date from late Qing-dynasty style but are rebuilt recently.

Tianfu Square

Located inn the center of Chengdu, this square is 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.

Wenshu Temple

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 newly renovated vegetarian restaurant with seats offering views over the gardens.

Qingyang Temple

This Taoist temple (Qingyanggong; lit. Palace of the Green Ram) 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.

Sichuan Provincial Museum

A wide range of excellent collection (Bronze wares, Chinese paintings (with a featured collection of Sichuanese painter Zhang Daqian(Chang Dai-chien)), Buddhistic sculpture of various periods; Tibetan artefacts, objects of anthropological interest from ethnical minorities within the province and a live show of Sichuanese silk weaving, etc.) on permanent display.

Schuan 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 teahouse located in Chengdu Culture Park 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.

Wangjianglou Park

Quite a famous park in Chengdu, this is the other city park I highly rate. From the Jinjiang River near Wanda Plaza it is a 20minute walk along the river. Free entry. The park has a strong bamboo theme, with 270 species on exhibit. There are also numerous bird species present. The park can be divided into two sections: An open section with free entrance and a closed section that costs ¥20 to enter. The closed section has several Qing Dynasty buildings present and is relatively peaceful.

Dufu Thatched Cottage

Du Fu (712-770AD) is the greatest realist poet and has been famed as the Sage of Poetry in China, so much so that he is their equivalent to Shakespeare. The site backs onto Huan Huanxi Park and has beautiful grounds and museums including Du Fu’s actual residence.

Jinsha Site Museum

Constructed on the Jinsha Archaeological Site (discovered in 2001), the museum 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.

Liujiang Old

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

Luodai Ancient Town

Luidai Town is about 25km east of downtown Chengdu. In Luodai,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 amount 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.

Huang Longxi Old Town

About 1-hour driving from Chengdu, this 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. Tourists can also take a boat ride to a monastery down stream.

Pingle Ancient Town

The Ancient Town of Pingle is a cute town about 2 hours away by bus. The town is known for its numerous tea houses lining the riverfront. Visitors can meander the winding lanes, shop, and see bamboo forest less than a kilometer northwest from the town center.

Sanxingdui

This is an ancient Chinese city where archaeologists discovered remarkable artifacts that radiocarbon dated circa 12th-11th centuries BCE, and 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.

Sichuan Cuisine Museum

Located in Pixian County, the only eatable museum in China with new way to experience Sichuan cuisine culture. Appreciate 6000 pieces of antiques, artifacts and books and hear many Sichuan food facts, know how Pixian chilly bean paste is made, experience making bean curd pudding, taste different kinds of Sichuan snacks, worship Kitchen God in the biggest Kitchen God Ancestral Hall in the world, partake in the cooking class to personally make three typical Sichuan dishes, like Kung Pao chicken, Mapo Tofu, Panda steamed dumpling, etc. Under the guidance of professional Chuancais chef, learn how to cut, control fire, complete cooking process and accomplish your dish. Share and enjoy your dishes with your families or partner and be awarded with official certificate of “Master of Chuancais”.