Friday, April 26, 2024 | Today's Newsletter | Login
Sleepy backwater goes glitz
Streets of new Chengdu are lined with neon and gold |
Whether you’re looking for the traditional or modern face of China, Chengdu can rise to the challenge and makes ‘now’ one of the most exciting times to come take it all in.
Welcome to my city
You’ll be hearing that phrase a lot. Chengdu’s mayor is pursuing the national “Best Tourism City in China” award with a near religious fervour. He’s had the city plastered with pro-tourism ads and in speeches and broadcasts has urged the population to learn English and help foreigners.
The campaign has made Sichuan’s capital one of the most traveller-friendly places in the country. Sleek, new red tourist buses run between the major sites, taxi drivers shyly try out English phrases and even the people who take your ticket are starting to smile and hand you your change instead of scowling and throwing it at you.
Defining Experience
Searing your tongue and crying for mercy (or just for a glass of water) after tucking into one of Sichuan’s classic chilli- and spice-laden dishes not to be found anywhere else. The tastes of this world-renowned cuisine are unforgettable and will eventually win you over — no matter how much it burned the first time around.
Festivals and events
Chengdu’s Lantern Festival lasts a month and starts during Chinese New Year celebrations (from the first to the 15th day of the first lunar month). Traditional paper and silk lanterns go up in certain city parks, and shows featuring acrobats and Sichuan opera multiply throughout town.
Life-changing experiences
Seeing the endangered giant panda up close. Whether you’re five-years-old or pushing seventy-five, you’ll turn into a drooling, cooing mess in front of these inexplicably captivating animals.
What’s Hot
The nightlife. From freakily mammoth discos through to cool little clubs, Chengdu boasts the biggest and best selection in all of southwest China.
The nightlife. From freakily mammoth discos through to cool little clubs, Chengdu boasts the biggest and best selection in all of southwest China.
The restaurant experience
Sichuan’s snacks are legendary and eating them at Xiaohui Douhua, a neighbourhood restaurant on Xi Dajie, is a culinary thrill. Order like the regulars do (i.e., a lot) so as to sample as many flavours and textures as you possibly can. Don’t head for home without trying the truly unforgettable sweet-and-spicy noodles or ox throat with beef.
Sichuan’s snacks are legendary and eating them at Xiaohui Douhua, a neighbourhood restaurant on Xi Dajie, is a culinary thrill. Order like the regulars do (i.e., a lot) so as to sample as many flavours and textures as you possibly can. Don’t head for home without trying the truly unforgettable sweet-and-spicy noodles or ox throat with beef.
Best Shopping
Rub elbows with Buddhist monks at Chengdu’s Tibetan market where you’ll find anything and everything — from Tibetan clothing to cans of “instant” yak-butter tea.
Random Fact
According to the principals of traditional Chinese medicine, Chengdu’s trademark spicy foods combat people’s “internal dampness,” which is believed to cause illness and be brought on by the city’s humid and rainy weather.
According to the principals of traditional Chinese medicine, Chengdu’s trademark spicy foods combat people’s “internal dampness,” which is believed to cause illness and be brought on by the city’s humid and rainy weather.
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