A Day in Dujiangyan: Where Panda, Rivers, Books & Culture Meet 🐼🌊📚

My trip to Dujiangyan was one of those journeys where every corner had a surprise waiting. It’s a city that blends natural scenery, deep history, and a touch of modern artistry.

I started at 仰天窝广场 (Yangtianwo Square), the lively heart of Dujiangyan. You can spend 1 hour time to take picture with the iconic big panda.

Besides that, I wandered into the stunning Zhongshuge Bookstore. This place is less like a store and more like a dreamscape. With its mirrored ceilings and arch-like shelves that stretch endlessly, it felt as if I’d stepped into an Escher painting. I spent a good while just strolling through the aisles, admiring how books and design could come together so beautifully. It’s the perfect spot to recharge and maybe pick up a book as a keepsake.

Of course, the highlight of Dujiangyan is its Water Engineering Project, an ancient feat of ingenuity that’s still protecting the Chengdu Plain today. At the Water Engineering Museum, I learned how this 2,000-year-old system redirected the Min River without a single dam, preventing floods while nourishing the farmlands. Walking along the riverbanks and across the bridges, you can actually see how the channels and weirs continue to shape the flow of the river. As the sun set, the whole scene lit up with golden reflections, making it easy to understand why this project is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

🌶️ Must-Try Foods in Dujiangyan
1. 豆花饭 (Douhua Rice) – silky soft tofu pudding served with rice, spicy sauce, and crunchy toppings. It’s simple but full of Sichuan flavor.
2. 江鱼 (River Fish Dishes) – fresh fish from the Min River, often cooked in hot pot style or braised with chili and Sichuan peppercorns.
3. 串串香 (Chuan Chuan Xiang) – like hotpot but with everything skewered: meat, vegetables, tofu. You pick your skewers, cook them in a spicy broth, and dip them in sesame oil sauce.
4. 烧烤 (Sichuan BBQ) – grilled skewers seasoned with chili powder, cumin, and garlic; perfect for snacking at night markets around 仰天窝广场.
5. 张老五凉粉 (Zhang Laowu Cold Jelly Noodles) – a famous local snack; cold mung bean jelly drenched in chili oil, garlic, vinegar, and Sichuan spices. Refreshing yet fiery.
6. 叶儿粑 (Ye’er Ba) – sticky rice dumplings wrapped in leaves, with sweet or savory fillings. A traditional snack you’ll often find in small stalls.
7. 兔头 (Spicy Rabbit Head) – a Chengdu–Dujiangyan specialty for the adventurous foodie, spicy, numbing, and surprisingly addictive.
8. 豆花甜品 (Sweet Douhua)

By the end of the day, Dujiangyan left me with more than just pretty photos—it gave me a deeper sense of how history, culture, and daily life still flow seamlessly here, just like its rivers.

#myitinerary #travel #naturalwonders #familytravel #dujiangyan #panda #钟书阁 #都江堰 #仰天窝广场