Central and Western China Travel: Chengdu 成都

Date of Visit: 11 Nov 2019

Chengdu 成都

Chengdu is located in the central part of the Sichuan Province 四川省 in southwest China and is the capital of the Sichuan Province. 

With a population of around 14 million, Chengdu is the fifth largest city in China, after Shanghai 上海, Beijing 北京, Shenzhen 深圳, and Guangzhou 广州.

Chengdu is famous for being the home of giant pandas 大熊猫 that are immensely popular and well-loved around the world.  Giant pandas are protected under Category 1 of the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Law of 1988 and are considered the national treasure of China. 

Also, as the capital of Sichuan Province, Sichuan cuisine restaurants can be found at every corner of Chengdu.

Sichuan cuisine is well known for its spicy dishes.  Signature Sichuan dishes include Sichuan Hot Pot 四川火锅, Twice-Cooked Pork 回锅肉, Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐, Kung Pao Diced Chicken 宫保鸡丁, Stir-Fried Shredded Fish 鱼香肉丝, Dan Dan (Sichuan Spicy Minced Pork) Noodle 担担面, and many others. 

A Day Trip in Chengdu

Chengdu is a city that is worthy of a longer stay to explore.  However, if you are in Chongqing 重庆 and have only a day, you may take a High-Speed Railway HSR train on China High-Speed Railway (HSR) Network 中国高铁网 between Chongqing and Chengdu and then travel on Chengdu’s very efficient Chengdu Metro 成都地铁 to visit Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base 成都大熊猫繁育研究基地, Chunxi Road 春熙路 where major shopping malls and specialty stores of many brands are located, Tianfu Square 天府广场 located right in the Chengdu city centre and is the economic, cultural, commercial centre of Chengdu.  You may even include a brief visit to People’s Park 人民公园 and Kuanzhaixiangzi Alleys 宽窄巷子 where you can observe how the Chengdu ordinary locals live their daily lives. 

Other than Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base which is a short bus trip from Chengdu Metro Panda Avenue Station 熊猫大道站, all the other destinations are within short walking distances from Chengdu Metro stations (i.e. Chunxi Road Station 春熙路站, Tianfu Square Station 天府广场站, People’s Park Station 人民公园站, and Kuanzhaixiangzi Alleys Station 宽窄巷子站. 

Notably, Chunxi Road, People’s Park and Kuanzhaixiangzi Alleys are all within 2 km of Tianfu Square.

China High-Speed Railway (HSR) Network 中国高铁网

Since the first high-speed railway passenger dedicated service started in August 2008, China’s HSR network has since developed into the world’s longest and most extensively used HSR network in just 15 years.  The total length of the HSR network was 40,000 km by the end of 2021 covering all the major cities in China. 

Remarkedly, in just 15 years, China’s HSR accounts for over 65% of the world’s total HSR networks.

The direct High-speed rail connection between Chongqing and Chengdu has reduced the travelling time between these 2 cities, 350km apart, to around 1.5 hours. 

This means a day trip from Chongqing to Chengdu is possible without an overnight stay with the following HSR trains:

Chongqing->Chengdu: G8594 0650hrs Chongqing West Station 重庆西站 – 0807hrs Chengdu East Station 成都东站, journey time 1hr 17m, Second Class Seat for US$29

Chengdu->Chongqing: G571 1900hrs Chengdu East Station 成都东站 – 2034hrs Chongqing West Station 重庆西站, journey time 1hr 34m, Second Class Seat for US$29

Chengdu Metro 成都地铁

Chengdu Metro is a rapid transit system in Chengdu that has rapidly transformed Chengdu, like many Chinese cities.  Since its first started operation in September 2010, Chengdu Metro has now become a massive rapid transit system consisting of 12 subway lines with more than 330 stations and a total length of more than 500 km.  More subway lines and more stations are either in planning or construction.

Chengdu Metro currently provides more than 50% of Chengdu’s public transportation share.  The metro fare starts from 2 Yuan (A$0.4) for a rapid transit train trip up to 4 km and the fares go up to 12 Yuan (A$2.50) for long-distance train trips.  The train fares are remarkedly affordable.

Chengdu Metro has made Chengdu city so much more accessible for locals and visitors, even for foreign visitors.  It is very easy to get around Chengdu Metro, like many rapid transit systems in Chinese cities.

Check out Chengdu Rail Transit webpage for Chengdu Metro 成都地铁 Map with station names in both Chinese and English languages.

Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base 成都大熊猫繁育研究基地

There are only fewer than 2,000 giant pandas in the world, of which 70% are in Sichuan Province.  It is no wonder, that Sichuan Province is the place to go to see these beautiful creatures.

Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base is the only giant panda breeding research base in the world built in a large city.  The research base was set up to help increase the giant panda population. The research base covers an area of 36.5 hectares, with an abundance of green bamboo and a cool climate, as well as a well-equipped research centre, a modern delivery room, and a veterinary hospital.  

Using technological innovation without capturing any giant panda from the wild, the research base has bred and raised more than 200 panda babies since 1997.

The research base is so popular and crowded that I had only about 2 minutes to walk past together with a huge crowd of visitors to see 1-month-old panda baby Shunshun 顺顺 on the day of the visit. 

Watch a video of panda baby Shunshun 顺顺 and other panda babies at Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base.

Chunxi Road 春熙路

Chunxi Road is one of the must-visit destinations in Chengdu.   

Chunxi Road is where all the young people go for their shopping and entertainment.  There are about 700 commercial outlets including all the major hotels, shopping malls, departmental stores, specialty brands, restaurants, cafes, and tea houses in an area of about 220,000 square metres.

Tianfu Square 天府广场

Tianfu Square is located in the heart of Chengdu city centre and is actually right near the imperial city of ancient Chengdu.

This very huge square has an area of 88,000 square metres.  A large part of the square is paved with light-coloured granite stones.  Underneath Tianfu Square are an underground shopping mall including many restaurants and eateries in the first basement, a parking lot in the second basement, and Tianfu Square metro station in the third basement.

Around the square are department stores, commercial buildings, Chengdu Museum New Building 成都博物馆新馆, Sichuan Science and Technology Museum 四川科技馆, Sichuan Provincial Library 四川省图书馆, and many more.  So, Tianfu Square has developed into a commercial and cultural centre.  Tianfu Square is also a Chengdu transportation hub with Chengdu Metro Line 1 or Line 2 and many bus services passing through Tianfu Square.

People’s Park 人民公园

People’s Park was Chengdu’s first park and today it is a leisure place for locals to drink tea, chat, socialise, exercise, and play a game of Chinese chess or mahjong.  The park is also where community events and public performances are held. 

This is the place to come to observe and understand how the Chengdu residents spend their time and live their daily lives.

Kuanzhaixiangzi Alleys 宽窄巷子 

Kuanzhaixiangzi Alleys consist of 3 parallel alleys: Wide Alley 宽巷子, Narrow Alley 窄巷子, and Well Alley 井巷子.  These 3 parallel ancient city alleys which include 45 courtyards were preserved to keep their Qing Dynasty 清朝 architectural details and building styles and were renovated to house cultural establishments and commercial businesses focusing on tourism and recreation.  There are many restaurants, pubs, teahouses, and stores selling featured souvenirs.  Starbuck café has an outlet here.

Want to explore more of Chengdu?  Check out The Official Website of Chengdu Municipal People’s Government or commercial travel websites about travel in and around Chengdu for more information.  

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