成都
China's most laid-back megacity. Tea houses, mahjong parlors, and the world's most famous bears. Pandas, hotpot, and the slow life. Below are the 20places we've vetted for foreign visitors — explore them on the interactive map above, or open any one for hours, ticket prices, English-service notes, and how to get there.
The world's #1 panda research center — see 100+ giant pandas (and red pandas) up close in semi-natural enclosures.
Three parallel restored Qing-era alleys (Wide / Narrow / Well) — the postcard Chengdu old-town experience.
Open-air luxury district built around the Tang-dynasty Daci Temple — Chengdu's most photogenic shopping zone.
Reconstructed Three Kingdoms-era pedestrian alley jammed with Sichuan snacks, teahouses, and lantern-lit photo ops.
Mysterious 3000-year-old Shu civilization site, 40 km from Chengdu — alien-looking bronze masks that rewrote Chinese history.
Sichuan's most famous hotpot chain — copper-pot mala broth, hand-cut beef, and tomato-tea palate cleansers.
Chengdu's century-old pedestrian shopping street and Sichuan's busiest commercial axis — adjacent to Taikoo Li.
2300-year-old still-functioning irrigation system — UNESCO World Heritage and the engineering miracle that made the Sichuan Basin habitable.
Tang-era memorial to Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei — China's only joint temple to a king and minister, the spiritual home of Three Kingdoms history.
Free 110-year-old public park with Chengdu's most famous outdoor teahouse — Heming Teahouse on the lake.
Upscale Chengdu hotpot with a nightly Chuan opera face-changing performance — the foreigner-favorite splurge.
On-site museum of the 3000-year-old Shu civilization — home of the famous Gold Sun Bird (Sichuan's symbol).
Birthplace of Taoism — UNESCO World Heritage mountain with Han-era Taoist temples in cedar forests.
The 'Chengdu' of Zhao Lei's hit song — working-class bar street with hole-in-wall hotpot, indie music, and the city's youth energy.
Tang-era poet Du Fu's reconstructed garden residence — sacred site of Chinese classical poetry and a tranquil bamboo park.
1300-year-old active Tang-dynasty Chan Buddhist monastery — Chengdu's largest functioning temple complex.
Provincial flagship museum — Han ceramics, Tibetan thangka, Tang Buddhist art, and Sichuan opera masks. Free.
Repurposed 1958 electronics factories — Chengdu's industrial-cool arts district, gigs, indie shops, anime conventions.
Chengdu's geographic and political heart — Mao statue, Sichuan Science Museum, and the city's main metro interchange.
China's oldest existing Taoist temple — Tang-era complex with the famous bronze qingyang (green goats) statues.
Step-by-step deep dives covering the questions every foreign visitor asks before flying in.
Chengdu vs Chongqing hotpot, compared by an eater: broth base, beef tallow, real spice levels (6/10 vs 10/10), dipping style, and which city first-timers should pick.
Chengdu vs Chongqing for a first China trip — pandas + slow tea house vs cyberpunk 3D city + hardcore hotpot. Side-by-side 2026 guide for foreigners: vibe, food, transport, day trips.
Set up Alipay with your own Visa, Mastercard, or Amex — no Chinese bank. 2026 card-binding steps, the ¥200 fee rule, limits, and what replaced Tour Pass.
Plain-English 2026 guide to China's 240-hour visa-free transit (TWOV) — 57 eligible countries, 65 entry ports, the CDAC filing, and common refusal mistakes.
Do you need a VPN for China in 2026? What the law says, why a roaming eSIM works without one, how to set it up before you fly, and what to try when it fails.
Google Maps in China is broken by design — your blue dot lands 500m off, transit fails, no Street View. Here's the 2026 setup with AMap, Apple Maps, and Maps.me offline.
Welcome to Chengdu — China's calmest megacity. Locals invented the work-life balance: 4-hour lunch breaks, tea-house culture from the Tang dynasty, and a panda research base where you can watch 80 giant pandas eat bamboo for hours straight. Add Sichuan hot pot (mala flavor was invented here in 1862), and Chengdu is the only Chinese city where you'll want to extend your trip by 2 days.