Wrapping up Chengdu

As I prepare to depart Chengdu, I find that I will miss it.  I didn't know what to expect (other than great food and pandas), but see that there is a lot more to the city.  The people are all fabulous and friendly, starting with the stranger who gave me a ride to my hotel, and the city is full of great sites, culture, and history.

Here are a few final views of Chengdu.

Bicycles waiting at the subway stop

Walkways and parks along the river

 Jianfu Square, the center of the city

Celebrating life (and the new year)

 Statues decorating the high-end shopping district

Post office, open and accessible on Sunday afternoon

Monks on [rental] bikes

 A few more panda pics

 And, goodbye to Chengdu

Until we meet again

Sichuan Food in Chengdu

The combination of tastes in Sichuan food (lots of chili peppers and peppercorns, hot and, occasionally, numbing) brought Chengdu a USESCO designation as Asia's first City of Gastronomy in 2010.  The vast array of restaurants, from stalls in the streets, to fancy top-end restaurants all serve a wide variety of incredible dishes based on this combination.

I start with something simple and fabulous, a lunch of pork dumplings with spicy chili sauce, minced garlic, and pickles.  To accompany it, the server didn't ask if I wanted anything to drink, but automatically brought me a cup of hot water and kept it refilled through the meal.  This is very traditional in modern China, to drink hot water or hot tea through the day and with meals.

 Spicy pork dumplings

Another lunch features stewed beef and noodles, with Sichuan spices and pickles in a [spicy/hot] chili sauce.

Spicy beef brisket noodles

One day, I wander into the high-end shopping district near Tianfu Square and find a food court in the bottom floor of a mall.  There, I choose a platter of chicken, beef, vegetables, noodles, spaghetti, soup, and rice, all for 36 RMB ($5.21 USD).  It sounds like quite a combination and it is.  I enjoy it all!

 Food court

Chicken, beef, vegetables on top, noodles and spaghetti

on bottom, soup and rice on the side

Meanwhile, out on the street, the vendors are selling great looking and smelling treats.

 Food carts

And, the markets have fabulous displays of produce and prepared foods.

Herbs and spices

 Produce

 Fruit

Fresh fish

 Poultry

Everything is fresh and inviting and I only wish that I could spend a few more days and sample some more of this fabulous cuisine!

Kuanzhai Lane in Chengdu

Kuanzhai Lane is actually three small streets/lanes near Renim/People's Park, called Kuan (Wide) Lane, Zhai (Narrow) Lane, and Jing (Well) Lane.  These streets are now preserved as a microcosm of Chengdu's history.  Kuan Lane shows the original style of Chengdu life, with taverns, elaborate door headers, and old tea houses.  Zhai Lane consists of preserved traditional buildings and courtyards where Chengdu life carried on.  Jing Lane represents the new Chengdu, with modern shops and entertainment in traditional buildings.

Entrance to the three lanes

I start in Kuan (Wide) Lane, wandering down the street and looking at the great traditional buildings of Chengdu hundreds of years ago, examples of leisurely life in the Qing Dynasty.  I think the building entrances and doors are really great.

 Doors and entrances

Traditional buildings

 Lots of shops and restaurants

I next walk through a narrow passageway to Zhai (Narrow) Lane, with traditional crafts, foods, teashops, and courtyards that were central to Chengdu life.

 Narrow Lane

 Sichuan pepper shops

 Silversmiths at work

 Welcome to our teashop

I next head down another narrow passage between the lanes to Jing Lane, featuring more modern shops and restaurants (and smaller crowds)

 Jing lane (the crowds are in the old lanes)

The three lanes of Kuanzhai offer a great peek into old and new Chengdu and I enjoy my pass through, but time to head back to the hotel and think about Sichuan dinner.