Latest Chengdu Travel Recommendations for 2020 National Day

[Day 1] Departure: Ningbo—Chengdu—Chunxi Road

Alone, with a backpack, a DSLR, and a plane ticket. Leaving a familiar city to explore the wonders of the world in an unfamiliar place. A solo trip finally made it onto my schedule before graduation. This time, the destination was the Land of Abundance—Chengdu. For me, flying for the first time, novelty was mixed with worry. Before takeoff, I kept pondering: If the plane crashed, what would be my chance of survival? Later, after takeoff, I was captivated by the view outside the window, and my earlier worries vanished. The weather that day was cloudy, and looking down from the plane was incredibly magnificent! Without further ado, let's go straight to the pictures.

The flight from Ningbo to Chengdu took about an hour. I arrived around 3 PM, then walked out of the airport and took Bus 303, 'Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport → Downtown Ticket Office,' which cost 10 yuan, direct, about half an hour. Then I headed straight to my hotel—Chengdu Ximu Shanju Hotel (Shaanxi Street Branch) (PS: The hotel I booked was in the Tianfu Square commercial area). After settling in, I went directly to Chunxi Road Pedestrian Street, known as the premier commercial street in central and western China, the top commercial hub in the region, and Chengdu's Golden Street. Personally, I think Chunxi Road is great for women to wander around, a good shopping destination, but not very interesting for me as a guy. After strolling for a while, I returned to the hotel to rest and recharge for the next day's itinerary.

Chengdu Ximu Shanju Hotel is located in the city center—No. 130 Shaanxi Street, southwest of Tianfu Square. The guest rooms overlook the Shaanxi Guild Hall, surrounded by a classical Chinese garden courtyard, offering a quiet and elegant retreat amidst the bustle.

Transport tip: Take Metro Line 1 to Tianfu Square Station, then walk east along Shudu Avenue to Zongfu Road. It takes about ten minutes on foot.

Personal impression: I think Chunxi Road is very suitable for women to browse, a great place for shopping, but not much fun for men. After walking around for a while, I returned to the hotel to rest and prepare for the next day.

[Day 2] Stories of the Past: Chengdu—Guanghan Sanxingdui Site—Chengdu Sanxingdui Museum

During my travels, I always make it a point to visit local museums. I believe understanding a city should start with its history.

The Sanxingdui Site is a national key cultural heritage site, a Bronze Age site in southwestern China. It was named 'Sanxingdui' because three prominent earth mounds stood on the Chengdu Plain during excavation. The Sanxingdui civilization succeeded the ancient Shu Baodun culture and preceded the Jinsha culture and ancient Ba state, spanning about two thousand years. It is a representative of the early civilization in the Yangtze River basin and the earliest known civilization in China's written history.

Among the thousands of bronze, jade, and gold artifacts unearthed from the Sanxingdui sacrificial pits, the most distinctive are the bronzes. These include large and small human heads, standing figures, dragon-climbing column vessels, bronze birds, and bronze deer. Among them, the bronze human heads are exaggerated, resembling aliens, with strong local characteristics. The standing figure has large eyes, a straight nose, a square jaw, big ears, wears a crown, a left-lapelled robe, and an anklet.

The characteristics of Sanxingdui bronzes are: large shapes, vivid forms, and complex structures. Besides human figures, there are bronze shapes based on animals and plants, lively and lifelike.

The Sanxingdui Site also yielded the world's earliest and tallest bronze sacred tree. It consists of a base and a trunk, 384 cm tall. The base is slightly conical, with a circular ring-shaped bottom. There are three clusters of branches, each with three branches, totaling nine branches, with 27 fruits and nine birds. A dragon descends along the tree. This bronze sacred tree represents the Eastern divine tree 'Fusang.'

In the Sanxingdui Museum, even the benches for visitors to rest on look as ancient as the artifacts themselves.

On the way back to Chengdu, I spotted a relatively old railway track with a steam train still running. And in February, Guanghan was already very warm; while Ningbo was still in winter, in the fields of Guanghan, large expanses of rapeseed flowers were blooming in competition.

Transport tip: In downtown Chengdu, take buses 1, 7, 45, 63, 69, 70, 71, 83, or 302 to Zhaojue Temple Bus Station. Then buy a ticket to Guanghan. After arriving at Guanghan Bus Station, take Bus 6 to reach the Sanxingdui Museum. The whole journey takes about 1 hour (Zhaojue Temple Bus Station—Guanghan Bus Station—Sanxingdui Museum).

Ticket: I bought a student ticket for 42 yuan; the full ticket is 80 yuan.

Personal impression: If you go to the Sanxingdui Museum, you can follow a tour group and listen to the guide. To be honest, just looking at these artifacts on your own won't reveal much unless you are an archaeology enthusiast. Near the exit of the Sanxingdui Museum, there are large fields of rapeseed flowers. Interested friends can also go there for a spring outing.

[Day 3] Paying Homage to the Water at Dujiangyan, Seeking the Dao at Mount Qingcheng: Chengdu—Dujiangyan—Mount Qingcheng—Chengdu

Early on the third day, I hurried to Chengdu North Bus Station and began the journey of 'Paying Homage to the Water at Dujiangyan, Seeking the Dao at Mount Qingcheng.'

The Dujiangyan Irrigation System was built by Li Bing, the governor of Shu Commandery in the Qin state, and his son, leading the people around 256 BC. It is the oldest and only remaining dam-free diversion irrigation project in the world, a grand water conservancy project, and a national key cultural heritage site. For over two thousand years, it has played a role in flood control and irrigation, turning the Chengdu Plain into a land of abundance, free from drought and flood.

The Yuzui (Fish Mouth) diversion dike splits the surging Min River into two: the outer river follows the original riverbed, while the inner river is used for diversion and irrigation.

After the diversion, the Min River water is no longer turbulent, becoming a water source for local farmers to irrigate their fields.

It is worth mentioning that the two-thousand-year-old Dujiangyan Irrigation System also withstood the May 12, 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Apart from some damage to tourist facilities, the main structures—Yuzui, Baopingkou (Bottle-Neck Channel), and Feishayan (Spilling Sand Weir)—remained intact, showcasing the superb skills of ancient laborers in hydraulic engineering.

Today at Dujiangyan, I can still clearly see traces left by the Wenchuan earthquake: cracked dangerous buildings, collapsed peaks. During the trip, I heard a local tour guide leading a group say something I still remember: 'Behind the brand-new buildings and streets you see in Dujiangyan are countless shattered families.'

Around noon, I took a bus to Mount Qingcheng Scenic Area. My initial impression of Mount Qingcheng came from the TV drama 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer,' where the Qingcheng Sect was mysterious and evil. Mount Qingcheng was founded by Zhang Daoling, the 'Celestial Master' and founder of Taoism, and is listed as the 'Fifth Grotto Heaven' in Taoism. The Taoist temples on the mountain are centered around Tianshi Cave (Celestial Master's Cave), including Jianfu Palace, Shangqing Palace, Zushi Hall, Yuanming Palace, Laojun Pavilion, Yuqing Palace, Chaoyang Cave, etc., with dozens of Taoist temples well preserved.

'Mount Qingcheng is secluded under heaven'—it lives up to its reputation. The ancient trees tower into the sky, blocking out the sun. The thousand stone steps wind through serene paths, making it an excellent place to escape the heat and enjoy coolness.

Transport tip: There are bullet trains from Chengdu to Dujiangyan and Mount Qingcheng. Take Metro Line 1 to North Railway Station, then take a bullet train to Dujiangyan (ticket 15 yuan, about half an hour). Then take Bus 4 to the scenic area (about 20 minutes). From Dujiangyan Scenic Area's Lidui Park, take Bus 101A to Mount Qingcheng Scenic Area. The whole journey takes about 1 hour.

Ticket: At that time, due to the impact of the Wenchuan earthquake, many areas of Dujiangyan were not open to the public, so I just wandered around Dujiangyan. For the front mountain of Mount Qingcheng, a student ticket was 40 yuan, full ticket 80 yuan, round-trip cable car 60 yuan, and sightseeing bus 5 yuan.

Personal impression: The Dujiangyan Irrigation System is magnificent; its dam-free diversion project has benefited millions of people and made the Chengdu Plain a fertile land. Mount Qingcheng is a famous Taoist mountain, with peaks, streams, and temples hidden in lush forests, living up to its reputation as 'most secluded under heaven.' One is a cultural landscape, the other natural scenery—both are worth visiting.

[Day 4] Strolling Slowly in Chengdu: Wuhou Shrine—Jinli—Kuanzhai Alley

Chengdu Wuhou Shrine is the only joint temple in China dedicated to both a ruler and his minister, consisting of the shrine for Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, the monarch and minister of the Shu Han, and Huiling (Liu Bei's tomb). The shrine is not large; you can walk through it in several tens of minutes. Visiting Wuhou Shrine is essentially an exploration of the Shu Han part of the Three Kingdoms period.

Exiting Wuhou Shrine, you come to Jinli. Within a few hundred meters, you'll find tea houses, opera stages, taverns, handicraft workshops, arts and crafts shops, and food stalls—a must-visit when traveling to Chengdu.

In Jinli, you can experience the slow pace of Chengdu life. Order a pot of clear tea, watch a Sichuan opera face-changing performance, either alone or with a few friends, and spend a lazy afternoon amid the tea fragrance and music.

Chengdu is a city of gourmet food, and in Jinli, you can taste the most authentic Chengdu snacks. Three Cannons, Dandan Noodles, Long Chao Shou, Bobo Chicken... a variety of delicacies will surely satisfy your appetite and make you linger!

After a hearty meal in Jinli in the morning, I moved on to Kuanzhai Alley. Kuanzhai Alley consists of three parallel old streets—Kuan Alley, Zhai Alley, and Jing Alley—and the surrounding courtyard complexes. It is a microcosm of Chengdu's changes over time, where you can find the old Chengdu.

Transport tip: Buses 1, 57, 82, 334, 335 go directly; get off at Wuhou Shrine Station. Jinli is right next to Wuhou Shrine. From Wuhou Shrine Station, take Bus 57 to Shangye Street Station, then cross the street and walk west through Renhou Street to reach. (If you can't find the way, ask the locals; Chengdu people are very friendly.)

Ticket: Wuhou Shrine student ticket 30 yuan, full ticket 60 yuan. Jinli and Kuanzhai Alley are free.

Personal impression: I think you should visit Wuhou Shrine with a mindset of reading history, otherwise you may be disappointed. Jinli and Kuanzhai Alley are more enjoyable for browsing, with food, handicrafts, bars, exquisite cafes... everything for eating, drinking, and fun—a must-visit for foodies and literary youth.

[Day 5] Leaving is for the Next Journey: Chengdu—Ningbo

Travel is a contradictory psychological change: joyful at departure, yet longing to return home. As I boarded the plane for Ningbo, I began to feel reluctant to leave the Land of Abundance beneath the white clouds and the many sights I had yet to explore. Returning is for a better departure. Goodbye, Chengdu.