The Ultimate Guide to Eating, Drinking, and Having Fun in Chengdu at the End of 2020

Winter stirs the most emotions; thoughts still linger in autumn, and in an instant, winter arrives.

Chengdu's winter seems to thrive in a slow-paced life, and the scenery becomes even more enchanting.

My first impression of Chengdu's winter was a world of green, where it's colder indoors than outdoors.

Now, my feeling of Chengdu's winter is a colorful world, captivating with impressionistic scenes; it's a poetic spiritual realm, an adventure in a gourmet fantasy.

"Chengdu is worth remembering. Its elegance, its laid-back attitude, its simplicity, its unique local flavor—all leave an unforgettable impression on those who experience it."

I think everyone who has been to Chengdu feels a lingering attachment.

The leisurely Funan River, the bustling Chunxi Road, the idle street-side teahouses, the lively suburban farm stays.

It's like a vivid and vibrant painting, like a bowl of rich, aged liquor, soaking into everyone who visits Chengdu.

And Chengdu's cuisine adds the strongest flavor to this reminiscence.

Amidst this intensity, there's also a heartwarming coziness: hotpot skewers, Sichuan-style malatang, and other snacks, along with the soft lights of small street shops, stay long in the hearts of many Chengdu visitors.

Day 1: Yuan Gong (Tazishan Park) → Jiaoliao Hotel

Day 2: Taiziling Ski Resort

Day 3: Gua Chuanchuan (Tianfu Square) → Bieyuan Li Bar (Kuanzhai Alley)

With nothing much to do on the weekend, I planned a food and travel adventure with friends, enjoying beautiful scenery while savoring the impact of delicious food. I woke up early this morning, got ready, and met up with my friends. But we didn't head straight to eat; instead, we decided to visit a park first, then set off for our ultimate food destination. Everyone suggested going to nearby Tazishan Park. Action speaks louder than words—we took the bus and went there.

When we arrived, we found it quite crowded, after all, it was the weekend. Many parents brought their kids out to play, do activities, and soak up the sun.

Tazishan Park is located in the hilly area east of Chengdu, with vast terrain, lush trees, and a tranquil environment. Nestled by the hills and water, the plants are arranged according to the terrain, verdant and green, with birdsong and floral fragrance all year round.

The main building in the park is the Jiutian Tower, named after a line from Li Bai's poem "Climbing the Scattered Flower Tower in Jin City": "Now I come to look out, as if touring the Ninth Heaven." From a distance, Jiutian Tower looks like a pagoda; up close, it resembles a building. Its novel and unique design makes it a landmark garden landscape in Chengdu. Climbing Jiutian Tower offers a panoramic view of Chengdu's beauty, refreshing the mind.

The park also features a Bird Language Forest, which gathers about 5,000 birds of nearly 150 species from around the world, including more than 20 species under national first- and second-level protection. The Bird Language Forest emphasizes bird science education and highlights bird performances, which are both entertaining and educational for children.

Besides, it's a great place for people to play, relax, fish, have fun, climb the tower, go on picnics, and enjoy tea.

Lawns, lakes, pavilions, and paths offer a rustic wilderness charm, perfect for bringing kids to let loose. Moreover, Tazishan Park is also the main venue for the annual Chengdu Lantern Festival!

It's truly a wonderful place with everything for leisure and entertainment. Before we knew it, we had spent over three hours there, and it was already past four o'clock. No wonder we felt a bit hungry—playing out always makes you hungry faster. Next, we headed to our ultimate destination: Yuan Gong on Chunxi Road, which is incredibly popular. I had heard colleagues talk about it all the time, and finally, I had the chance to check it out. Checking the navigation, it wasn't far, so we took the bus there.

This restaurant is on Xuedao Street near Chunxi Road, quite close to the city center, a place that's quiet despite being in a bustling area. The decor is very down-to-earth, with a Chinese retro style, elegant and tasteful.

Turning from the lobby into the dining hall, it was very spacious with many private rooms, decorated with flowers and plants, giving off a unique charm.

After finding our seats, we began attacking the food. The first dishes I recommend are these—super delicious and tasty.

Sauce-Fragrant Whole Fish: The fish is silver carp, with quite a few bones, so be careful while eating. The flesh is very tender and flavorful, amazingly tasty, smooth and appetizing—you just can't stop.

Longmen Hanging Meat: A special staff member helps cut the meat and plates it. The meat is crispy and tender, with a perfect fried coating. One bite after another, you can't stop.

Yuan Gong Sliced Local Chicken: Most of the slices are chicken with skin, mixed with scallion slices, giving a refreshing taste. Drizzled with secret chili oil, the spiciness is just right.

Yuan Gong Signature Rabbit: A combination of double-pepper rabbit and clams, the flavor is especially fresh, numb and spicy, perfect with rice. Generous portions—absolutely my favorite.

After eating and drinking our fill, it was time to go home. With the day's fun over, it was time to return to dreamland and savor these endless delicacies.

◆ The realm of living well

After finishing the day's fun, we chose to stay at Ximu Shanjü Boutique Hotel (Chengdu Kuanzhai Alley branch).

Ximu Shanjü Boutique Hotel (Chengdu Kuanzhai Alley branch)

The hotel integrates accommodation, dining, and tea house functions with an "ink-wash Zen" design style, fully reflecting the elegance and leisure of Chengdu's lifestyle aesthetics. In a tranquil, elegant, and leisurely atmosphere, you can experience pure serenity. The rooms use high-quality Plante series bedding, central air conditioning, mini fridges, high-quality toiletries, and smart toilets, Bluetooth speakers, electric curtains, keyless power, smart scales, 100M high-speed fiber, and other tech products, allowing you to enjoy a healthy, quality, tech-savvy life in a leisurely and elegant space.

Ximu Shanjü Boutique Hotel (Chengdu Kuanzhai Alley branch)

Pushing the door open, the high ceiling makes the space feel very open. Walking through the lobby corridor lined with art displays is very comfortable. On the other side, there is art in wood and carving.

On the third floor, the Shanxi Tea House: in leisure time, invite a couple of friends to sip tea and chat—what a pleasant thing.

The hotel rooms are on high floors, offering a wide view of the city's dazzling nightscape. Sitting by the window, the bustling city outside contrasts with the tranquil room. The rooms use high-quality Plante series bedding, central air conditioning, mini fridges, high-quality toiletries, smart toilets, Bluetooth speakers, electric curtains, keyless power, letting you enjoy a healthy, quality, tech-savvy life in a leisurely and elegant space.

Yesterday we tasted Yuan Gong, strolled Chunxi Road, and enjoyed divine service at Jiaoliao Hotel. Waking up today, I feel fantastic—indeed, eating, drinking, and having fun is the best way to relax. Winter has arrived as promised, with a chill in the air, but it can't stop our forward stride. Today we decided to visit the famous Taiziling Ski Resort, to feel the unique charm of ice and snow.

Jiuding Mountain Taiziling Ski Resort is located at Qinglong Dam within Jiuding Mountain Scenic Area, beside National Highway 213 from Wenchuan County to Mao County in Aba Prefecture, Sichuan. It's about 180 km from Chengdu, roughly a three-and-a-half-hour drive.

What attracts so many visitors is not just its popularity, but also strong technical support. It is said that the resort is equipped with imported ELAN skis that have supported many Taiziling ski competitions, as well as HEAD, BURTON, NORDICA and other professional ski equipment, drawing many professionals to show off their skills. It's truly the largest, most beautiful, and most professional ski resort in Southwest China.

Upon arriving at the ski resort, the first thing was to buy tickets at the scenic area entrance, then rent ski gear: boots, skis, poles, and other equipment. There were tons of people today, and we waited in line for a long time, showing just how popular it is.

When skiing, if the sun comes out, it's both hot and scorching, with strong UV rays. In that case, be sure to apply sunscreen, wear sunglasses, and not dress too heavily—just wear something comfortable. For beginners, it's recommended to hire an instructor, or you'll fall badly.

When skiing, you must wear gloves and sunglasses; to go on intermediate slopes, you must wear a helmet. In fact, twin-tip skis are the best choice for beginners. The skis can be adjusted to fit your boots. Once you're properly equipped, you can enter the ski area.

There are also many places to eat inside the scenic area, like hotpot and stew pots. The taste is quite good, with great color, aroma, and flavor—truly a delight. Outside our dining hall, there's a sunroom made of glass, where people can take photos, drink tea, relax, and enjoy the sunshine while looking at the scenery—pretty nice!

Actually, the scenery of Jiuding Mountain is quite beautiful. Taiziling Ski Resort is the most professional ski resort in Sichuan that we've ever been to. It has beginner, intermediate, and advanced slopes, with various gradients for visitors to choose from. The altitude is about 2,500 meters, similar to Wolong, so there's basically no altitude sickness. The ski resort has 2.5 kilometers of ski runs.

Relying on Jiuding Mountain's unique natural terrain, high altitude, and abundant vegetation, the ski resort has clean air with high negative oxygen ions. It's neither too cold in winter nor too hot in summer, with a pleasant climate—a rare natural ecological resort around Chengdu, great for skiing and relaxing.

Waking up this morning, I suddenly had the urge to visit Tianfu Square. After discussing with friends, we decided to go. Today we took the subway; the bus was too crowded. I'm not sure how long the ride took, but it felt quite close.

When we arrived, there were many people. Indeed, on weekends, everyone goes out to unwind.

Tianfu Square is undoubtedly the political and cultural center of Chengdu, a landmark among landmarks, like Beijing's Tiananmen.

The Sun Bird sculpture stands at the center of Tianfu Square. It's the junction of Metro Line 1, Line 2, and the soon-to-open Line 18—the central node of Chengdu's southeast-northwest transportation artery.

It's one of the hottest check-in spots for out-of-town visitors, always bustling with people. What impressed me most was the strong patriotic atmosphere at Tianfu Square just before National Day this year; it deeply moved me.

But the biggest highlights of Tianfu Square are:

1. The architectural beauty of the square itself: a Tai Chi symbol flanked by two rows of "xiang"-shaped pillars. This Tai Chi view is best captured from above.

2. The historical significance of the square: It has always been an important landmark around the imperial city area, and now it's Chengdu's economic and cultural center.

3. Transportation hub: You can transfer here; there are exhibition halls all around, and convenient transport. The first time you meet someone here, you'll definitely find each other.

After touring Tianfu Square, it was time for lunch. Today we all agreed to eat at Gua Chuanchuan. Although it's on Jinfangyuan East Road, with convenient transportation, it doesn't take much time to go back and forth.

Getting off, the first thing we saw was a shop with ancient-style decor, looking quite stylish.

Red as the main tone, wooden tables and stools, giving a comfortable feeling. The space is spacious, with clear functional zones, making it convenient for customers to pick food and dine.

What's most worth mentioning is its food—super delicious.

Spicy Beef: Tender beef marinated for a long time, spicy and flavorful. When served, sprinkle with green onions and dried chili powder—the taste is even better.

Brown Sugar Glutinous Rice Cake: A favorite for dessert lovers. Soft and sticky, smooth and chewy. Take a bite, and the rice and spice flavors dance in your mouth—very delicious!

Spicy Hot Pot Noodles: Spicy and numbing. With a bowl like this, forget about appearances and just gobble it down! The texture—I guarantee every time you crave hot pot noodles, you'll come here!

Spicy Tripe: Tripe and bean sprouts go well together. The tripe shreds are thin and bouncy, with a perfect blend of numbing and spicy flavors intertwining in your mouth.

In the freezer, there are all kinds of meat and vegetable skewers to choose from. Action speaks louder than words—start eating!

This place is a paradise for skewer lovers—tasty and tender, you can't stop eating.

As the saying goes, "Walk after meals, live to ninety-nine." So after eating, we went for a stroll and then started the evening fun mode.

The best place for an after-dinner walk is none other than Kuanzhai Alley. It not only showcases the old and new lifestyles of Chengdu but also represents Chengdu's slow-paced rhythm, fitting perfectly with the realm of "every step bustling, every step serene."

My friend and I strolled hand in hand, as if clipping a piece of leisurely time. We sniffed the scent of time, ambling slowly along the wide and narrow alleys, unhurriedly pacing.

Stepping on soft time, we entered the alley. Its leisure and slowness make one mistakenly think that time has forgotten to change, that stories still happened yesterday.

Clean black bricks and gray tiles, old-style wooden doors and windows, hitching stones by old walls, old teahouses under eaves, lush plane trees—these ancient and clear objects seem to block out the city's noise with a soundproof wall, filtering away worldly dust. The ancient dream of Bashu a thousand years ago, in a turn or a glance, lightly falls on the threshold of memory, instantly stunning.

Time is soft; tourists from all directions come and go, passing by like flowing water, with shallow waves and cheerful laughter. Original residents, quaint inns, exquisite doorways, towering ancient trees, covered-bowl tea houses, copper-ring wooden doors, bluestone water tanks, and the climbing ivy and blossoms tumbling from green walls... constitute its unique attraction elements and Chengdu vocabulary, presenting modern people's memory of a city.

Walking in Kuanzhai Alley, the sun is warm, flowers bloom, and the dazzling window displays keep our eyes busy. We wandered here and there. Zen-style shops with exquisite tea sets and wafting tea fragrance; trendy restaurants with splashing fountains and blurred light and shadow; glamorous windows with Jiangnan-style cloth garments and small fans;

Deep alley corners with young people lying down for ear cleaning and portrait sketching; classical and elegant inns with opera singing and red lanterns... Here, time is slow, life is leisurely, and our steps naturally become light and slow.

Chengdu locals, after a busy day, also stroll here with their families—old and young, men and women, walking, watching, talking, laughing, eating... The dreamlike, leisurely nightlife begins its curtain call...

After finishing Kuanzhai, dusk was approaching. We arrived at our last stop of the day—Bieyuan Li Bar. Upon entering, we were captivated by its unique charm. Walking into the lobby, looking up, our eyes met with colorful light and shadow.

At Bieyuan Li, your eyes always hold stars. This fantastic kinetic lighting, where lights and shadows move, gives you an excellent visual experience.

All indoor plants are lively and vibrant; the room is filled with romantic vibes, like a youth utopia. A two-story loft plus an open-air garden lets you fall into the gentle night, slowly stirring your tense nerves. Booths and private rooms fully satisfy your desire for cheerful conversation. Haha, it's perfect for friend gatherings.

The tenderness of Bieyuan Li is hidden in every ingenious arrangement: flower arrangements on tables, dazzling lights, a full wall of wine storage, uniform Jingdezhen blue-and-white porcelain tableware, and Chinese-style eaves... It's a fusion of culture and trend, overturning the ordinary perception of a bar. I felt like I was attending a splendid art exhibition.

Here, we not only encountered various delicious flavors but also felt a different kind of splendid charm.

Long Island Iced Tea: Boys who long for alcohol intoxication must not miss the classic Long Island Iced Tea. This most storied strong cocktail has amazing explosive power and a strong aftereffect. Looks mild, but it's a "heart arsonist."

Dui Jiu Guihua: When coming to a music bar like Bieyuan Li, how can you not have Dui Jiu? I first chose Dui Jiu Guihua. Its light color is stunningly beautiful; the osmanthus wine has a prominent floral fragrance. Taking a bowl down my throat, I long to wander the world with my beloved.

Ancient Qiang Wheat Straw Zha Jiu: The story continues, and the drinks keep coming. Just as we were drinking happily, the owner mysteriously said, "Our Zha Jiu is really interesting. Want to try?" Brought to the table, this plate of Zha Jiu with wheat straws as straws exudes a wild aura. If you want to drink, you have to suck through the wheat straw—very fun.

Handmade Fried Tangyuan: A bit like mini candy-oil balls, coated with a layer of brown sugar syrup. Soft, sticky, sweet tangyuan are your sweet today, reminding me of the taste my grandmother used to make.

Fruit Platter: A mix of various fruits, crisp and fresh, delicious.

I'm truly impressed by this place. It's fantastic, and I'll definitely come again.

The meaning of food and scenery is not escape, not hiding, not acquisition, not record.

Rather, it's about changing one's worldview in an environment beyond imagination, thereby slowly changing what you truly consider important in your heart.