Sichuan Holiday – Chengdu!
CHENGDU (Photos – Look for My Links on the right side of this screen and click on Photos!)
The Chinese refer to Sichuan Province (southwest China) as the ‘heavenly kingdom’ , due to its abundance of natural resources and cultural heritage (as quoted by Lonely Planet). I took advantage of this year’s one-week October National Holiday to travel to Sichuan’s capital city of Chengdu. It is home to fantastic sidestreets, great teahouses, Sichuan Opera and the Giant Pandas.
I arrived in Chengdu and sought lodgings at Holly’s Hostel where I had a private room reserved (with shared bath) for 100 RMB per night. Holly’s is located just across the street from Wuhou Temple, and set deep in Chengdu’s Tibetan neighbourhood, a fantastic location for shopping and dining! Jinli Street, a newly constructed ‘ancient’ street can be found next to Wuhou Temple – it features shopping, snack foods, restaurants, galleries, teahouses, arts and crafts and exhibits of Sichuan folk customs – it even rates its own Starbucks! As a lone traveler, I was delighted to find such an interesting spot to spend my evenings, yet in such close proximity to my hostel!
I have to say that Chengdu is number one in my books for having the best western food in China! I tried the highly recommended Peter’s Tex-Mex Grill my first night in Chengdu. It was fantastic! My table mates and I sampled their enormous beef hamburger and fries (25 RMB), potato skins and enchiladas. Everything tasted better than all the western food I have consumed in China over the past 3 years. Oh, and their dessert menu includes keylime pie, buttery cinnamon rolls, chocolate cake and ice cream sundaes! Even my hostel’s restaurant has better western food than most western restaurants in my city of Hangzhou! On Monday, I headed off to Chengdu’s Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding, located just north of the city. It is home to native Chinese endangered species such as the Giant Panda and the Red Panda (they look like raccoons). It was necessary for us to go quite early in the morning, as this seems to be the only time to catch the Pandas when they are ‘active’. Apart from eating ginormous amounts of bamboo, they sleep most of the day, I am told. The pandas are not caged; rather, their living quarters simulate their natural environment, complete with lush green grounds, over 400 kinds of trees (including Gingko), numerous varieties of bamboo which is their primary source of nourishment, rolling hills, lakes and birds. I was also impressed with how well maintained the entire facility is, having observed the staff doing ‘poop and scoop’ duty throughout the morning.While in Chengdu, I simply had to see the famed Sichuan Opera and Folk Performing Arts. For 120 RMB (some other places are cheaper), we were transported to a fabulous facility where we were seated in front of low rattan tables holding tea and snacks for our enjoyment. Tea was replenished by special ‘Sichuan-style’ teapots long narrow spouts which the pourer used to fill our cups from as far as 5 feet away! We were even offered Chinese robes to wear during the performance as the evening weather was sure to cool off – such luxury was well worth the 120 RMB! I quickly made friends with two American women sitting next to me – turns out that they are both teaching in Quanzhou, and staying at Sam’s Hostel in town. (Their accommodation was much nicer than mine, but Sam’s doesn’t have a big common room for travelers to meet, an essential element for hostel living, in my opinion.) We saw a number of performances including Stick-Puppets, Hand-Shadows, Baixi Zhengba Opera, and a classic ‘clown play’ combining humour and Sichuan Opera. But, the highlight for everyone was the “Changing Faces” performance exhibiting the magic skill of Sichuan Opera. Several performers changed their elaborate face masks several times, faster than the blink of an eye. And, from just a few feet away, I still could not figure out how they do it! Unbelievable! The evening’s performances featured elaborate costumes and traditional music instruments. Of course, everything was available for purchase from the opera house shops as we exited!
During my visit to Chengdu, I found time to check out the Sanxingdui Museum which is located about 40 km north of the city. It is considered one of the very best museums in all of China and I think it cost a fortune to build too! It features outstanding bronzeware from 2,000-3,000 years ago and focuses on the ancient remains of the “Shu” dynasty. The Wenshu Temple is located in a side street with many streetstalls selling religious objects and wonderful food snacks. The temple even has its own teahouse and vegetarian restaurant. This Zen Buddhist Monastery is considered the best-preserved in Chengdu and was a relaxing place to wander, to appreciate its many rock gardens and bonsais.
I particularly enjoyed Remnin Park, in fact I went there twice! The Sichuan people are famous for their teahouses, and Remnin Park has lots of them! I found a wonderful teahouse next to a small lake and, moments after seating myself outside, a man came running over with a teacup, tea and a pot of hot water. 5 RMB later, I was sipping tea – so fast! There are also many services available to you while you sip your tea, for a price, that is. You can get your ears cleaned, have a shoulder massage, drink a bottomless cup of tea, chat with the locals or do all four things at once. I was joined a little while later by a young woman visiting from Shanghai. Turns out that she works for a foreign company and speaks excellent English. We spent several hours chatting about everything under the sun! After exchanging contact information, I promised to give her a call next time I visit Shanghai.
Sichuan food is HOT, and I mean really HOT! As a result, I am sad to say I spent most of my time eating mild Muslim food and western food. I was eager to try some streetside Hotpot when I came upon it one day. But, despite everyone’s guarantees that “it’s not hot, really!”, I knew they were Chengdu locals and therefore quite used to the excessive heat in such a meal. Regretfully I declined, because with my luck, it would leave blisters in my mouth! But check out my pictures, the hotpot and vegetables certainly looked delicious! I did sample some local Tibetan food since my hostel is surrounded by Tibetan restaurants. Most menu options were limited to meat and potatoes (which I love), but in the end, the dishes I tried were not that exciting. In fact, they were rather bland. I do wish I had tried a second Tibetan restaurant before leaving Chengdu, however.
I really lucked out when I discovered the “Bookworm” in Chengdu. It is a combination library, bar, café, restaurant, bookstore and cultural centre. Floor-to-ceiling bookcases line the walls. In addition to the requisite tables and chairs, the remaining floorspace is filled with wingback chairs, sofas and coffee tables – very inviting. As I entered, I spotted a man sitting in a corner chair, smoking a cigarette and reading an English business newspaper, a glass of red wine by his side. Ahhh, just like home! I visited two separate times and found their restaurant offerings top-notch, especially the pasta! This is Bookworm’s second location, the first being Beijing. But, the good news is that a third Bookworm will open shortly in Suzhou. That’s reason enough for me to consider moving!
My last night in Chengdu, I made my way down to the riverside where an English Corner was in progress near the Minshan Hotel. I had a great time, chatting in English with young kids, university students and businesspeople. When it started to rain, rather than pack it in, we simply sought shelter under the trees, to continue our conversations. Chengdu’s English corners are held every Tuesday/Friday evening at 7:30pm, which is more often than our Sunday morning English Corners in Hangzhou. I think I am going to suggest we hold a weeknight English Corner in Hangzhou and see how it goes over!
In summary, I had a wonderful time in Chengdu. The people here are very friendly, and there are a great number of things to see in Chengdu. I wouldn’t have been able to travel around so successfully on my own if it wasn’t for the help of Wendy, one of my university students. I made up a list of places and phrases, and she translated them into Chinese for me (especially helpful when I got off the beaten track!). That one piece of paper was the most valuable thing to me during my trip, apart from cash and my passport! Thank you Wendy! In future I hope to travel to the northeast of Sichuan province where it is said many Tibetan-style villages and people can be found. Now, it’s back to Hangzhou and Lesson Planning for me!
Tags: Travel
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