Live Your Best Lives
Originally, I had no plans to visit Chengdu in 2023, but I snagged tickets for Mayday's Chengdu concert just to test the waters, so I added it to my travel list in October and managed to squeeze in this five-day, four-night trip to Chengdu, hahaha.
Excluding the round-trip journey, I only had four days to spend in Chengdu. There are so many places I want to visit and so many things I want to eat in Chengdu. Four days is totally not enough!!!
We stayed really close to the Wenshu Monastery. It was a 5-minute walk after breakfast. There weren't many people at the Wenshu Monastery at around 9 a.m., which might have been because of the rain.
The most popular check-in spot at Wenshu Monastery is the red wall with the word "happiness". It's actually very long and has many words on it, which seems to indicate that everyone is eager to grasp happiness.
Walking past the long red wall, we arrived at the incense offering area of Wenshu Monastery. Upon entering, we received three free incense sticks. We followed the instructions and made a wish. I didn't make any big wishes, so I made a small wish for good weather over the next few days and a pleasant trip. To our surprise, the weather stopped raining and the sun came out over the next few days. It seems Wenshu Monastery is quite effective.
Wenshu Monastery is huge, with many buildings in the back. We spent almost an hour wandering around. There's a commercial street outside with lots of things to sell and plenty of places to eat. When I looked up the guide online, there were many recommended restaurants nearby, but we didn't miss it and just went into a new restaurant that was having a sale. It was surprisingly delicious.
It was Zhonghe Xunxian. It happened to be the opening day with a 38% discount. There was still a queue when I went there after 12:00 on a weekday. Most of the people in the restaurant were locals (whose Sichuan dialect was hard to understand). I felt like I was eating very authentic Chengdu cuisine.
After lunch, the rain stopped, and we set off for Kuanzhai Alley.
We arrived at Kuanzhai Alley at around 1pm. I didn’t expect there would be many people there on weekdays, but I underestimated the flow of people in a tourist city. Kuanzhai Alley was packed with people, and we couldn’t really stroll around. People were just passing by and looking around.
Holiland's cakes are really nice, but too expensive. I can't bear to buy them.
My main reason for coming to Kuanzhai Alley was to buy panda merchandise from Grandpa Panda. Sure enough, it was packed. The area was lined with shops selling panda merchandise. Grandpa Panda's place was packed with people.
Everyone left with a ton of stuff. I wasn't to be outdone, squeezing in and picking out a backpack, a headpiece, a canvas bag, and the flowery stuffed animal was so cute, but I couldn't really take it all away.
My biggest satisfaction was buying this panda backpack. It's the most practical accessory I've ever bought. It can be used as a bag, a hug, and even a pillow (the high-speed train ride back home really saved our necks). I still carry this panda backpack with me everywhere I go.
Wandered around both the wide and narrow alleys of Kuanzhai Alley. It was fun, but there were so many people, so I quickly left and went to Dongjiao Memory.
Bye bye to Kuanzhai Alley.
Dongjiao Memory is a creative park transformed from the site of a former electronic tube factory. I have to say the renovation is very successful. The park is very large and there are many exhibitions. Although most of them require tickets, it is really fun to visit. The famous "Chengdu" wall is also here. We walked around for a long time before finding it.
I was really tired after visiting Dongjiao Memory. I walked from morning to night all day, but special forces never surrender. Next, let’s go for some skewers hotpot.
It’s really cheap to eat skewers hotpot in Chengdu. The restaurant we went to had a group buy set meal for 68 yuan. Although I don’t know how many skewers there were, I basically took two of all the skewers in the store. The final bill seemed to be more than 70 yuan. However, the hot pot and skewers here are just average, and the main feature is a high cost-performance ratio.
src="https://dimg04.c-ctrip.com/images/1mf0812000dubiqojF011_R_800_10000_Q90.jpg?proc=autoorient" /> I was so full after eating the skewers, but I still didn't give up. I got on my bike and set off to Jianshe Road to eat snacks.
It's about a 20-minute bike ride from Dongjiao Memory to Jianshe Road. It's quite lively at night, with people all over Jianshe Road. However, there are only a few popular online restaurants with long queues, so we followed others and queued for the ghost buns and roasted sweet potato skin.
The buns are delicious and quite large. The skin is very soft, but I really don't get the pine needle flavor. I wouldn't recommend waiting for too long.
Ah, the first time I ate Houttuynia cordata in my life was with roasted sweet potato peel. I thought I could accept Houttuynia cordata if I could drink Houttuynia cordata tea, but I really couldn't accept eating it raw. I took a small bite and vomited immediately. The fishy smell was really unbearable. 
After eating the ice jelly and tofu pudding, today's trip is really coming to an end. I dragged my tired body to take the subway back to the hotel.
Good night, Chengdu!
Today was the day to get up early to participate in the flower roll competition (not really), but I was up at 6:30, and it was still dark in Chengdu in October.
Passing the subway station, I saw a long line of people waiting for Guokui. I bought one for breakfast before it was crowded. It was delicious, but it was very greasy and a bit messy.
The panda base can be reached directly by subway. There is a special shuttle bus after exiting the subway station, which is very convenient. I arrived at the park around 9 o'clock. There were many panda elements at the subway station.
Cute shuttle bus
It took about ten minutes by car to get to the entrance of the base. We entered through the south gate and exited through the west gate. The base is incredibly large, and there's no way to walk around it all.
The south gate is closer to Huahua, so you'll definitely have to queue to get in. It might look crowded, but it's actually quite quick. After entering, we headed straight to Huahua's villa.
You may not see Huahua and Yeye even if you queue up, as it's really crowded. But this time I was lucky enough to see Grandpa Tan feeding the cats, and the two little cuties were still eating. So cute!
The three-minute visit time passed quickly. I really had to use a stopwatch to catch up with the others. I didn’t even get to squeeze in for more than a glance before I was kicked out. Woooooo
After leaving Huahua’s villa, I could slowly see the other giant pandas. It felt like lunchtime had passed. The giant pandas were all fast asleep, and I could see all sorts of pandas in various sleeping positions.
The South Zone is really crowded. As soon as a panda wakes up, the place is packed. The ones in the Moon Deliveries Ward and the Sun Deliveries Ward have all grown up. If you come in May or June, you can see the adorable mini sesame dumplings.
In comparison, the West Zone is much less crowded. The West Zone is larger, and the pandas have more room to move around. It's just far from the fence, there are many pandas, and there are many paths, so it's not crowded. It's just too big. After visiting the South Zone, I almost couldn't walk to the West Zone.
From the Sun Deliveries Ward, follow the signs to the West Zone.
Saw the 3U little princess
There's a big rest area in the west district where you can eat and buy original merchandise from the base. I picked out some cute floral fridge magnets and stickers to take home.
Then we continued towards the west gate, watching pandas as we walked.
There's no one at Seodaemon. Bye, my cute little pandas. Let's go back and have some rest. We'll leave for the concert at Dong'an Lake this afternoon~~
Our group is the best in the world!
Today is a day of waking up naturally. I prayed successfully at Wenshu Monastery. Today I finally saw blue skies in Chengdu.
I rented a scooter yesterday. It's not due back until 4pm today, so I rode it for a stroll.
My first stop was the Heming Teahouse in People's Park. I wanted to have some tea, but it was packed, so I decided against it. I just wandered around for a bit and left.
Went to Zhong Shui Jiao for breakfast. They were surprisingly sweet and spicy. I ordered the panda glutinous rice balls purely for the look. They were actually filled with strawberry.
People's Park is quite small, with many locals doing morning exercises. The only difference is that the people inside Heming Teahouse are probably not locals. We casually walked around the park before heading to Chunxi Road to check out the panda climbing wall.
You can see the panda's face when you enter the top floor of the mall. There are many people queuing up to take pictures.
After eating and drinking, we went to the Daci Temple next to Taikoo Li and took a photo with the little monk.
After eating the egg cake, I quickly rode my electric scooter back to return it, then rode my bike to see the night view of Jinli.
It was still dark when we got to Jinli, so we decided to wander around until the lights came on. Jinli is right next to the Wuhou Temple and is a commercial district modeled after the Three Kingdoms period. Just wander around. The things there are super expensive and there are tons of people. I just came here to check in.
It was getting dark. The lights in Jinli came on. There were more and more people. The already crowded streets became even more crowded. It was difficult to walk.
There's a big trendy brand shopping mall next to it. Chengdu is indeed a gathering place for trendy people. You can go in and have a look while waiting for the show to start.
The show is starting. I really recommend everyone to watch the show here. We booked the lowest ticket price of 70 yuan, which is for seats at the edge. If you want a better viewing experience, book a seat in the middle. It's not expensive, only about 100 yuan per person.
I won't say much, just come and see how exciting it was. I applauded non-stop the whole time.
Today we ended with a hot pot meal~
It takes almost two hours to get from Chengdu to Dujiangyan by subway and light rail. Although there are many light rail lines from Chengdu to Dujiangyan, it is still recommended that you plan your trip in advance and grab tickets in advance, because there are many people going to Dujiangyan, and it is better to have a seat than not to have one, especially after a day of sightseeing, it is really tiring to stand and take the light rail back to Chengdu.
Take the urban rail to Lidui Park. Once you get off the urban rail, you will reach Yangtianwo Square. You can take photos with pandas
After checking in, we took a taxi to Panda Valley. If you like pandas, you must come to Panda Valley if you come to Dujiangyan. It is a completely different experience from Chengdu Panda Base. The pandas are very close. Although the park is small, there are not many people. There is a clear tour route, and you can see red pandas up close. The experience is really great. It seems that we arrived after 10 o'clock, and most of the pandas were busy cooking.
Boss Ya is so handsome
The invincible and cute Meilan Rourou, this big round face looks so cute
Go to bed after eating
Let us welcome President Ao
The weather is also very good today, you can see blue sky and white clouds
After passing the giant panda area, follow the guide and walk up the mountain, and you can see the red pandas
Panda Valley is relatively remote and it is difficult to take a taxi, so we waited for the bus back to Lidui Park. Next to the park is Guanxian Ancient City, which is a bit like Dali Ancient City. It is very big and easy to visit, and we can have lunch there by the way.
After taking a long rest after dinner, I took a taxi to Qinyan Tower. Walking down from the highest point of the scenic spot is not so tiring. Before coming to Dujiangyan, I read a lot of explanations about Dujiangyan on the Internet. If I could talk about it, I bought an electronic explanation so that I could understand this great water conservancy project.
The electronic explanation is indeed not as lively as the manual explanation, and there are no friends who can prepare guides in advance. There are many explanation teachers at the door. You can join a group, about 100 people per person. When you come to Dujiangyan, you really have to listen to the explanation to understand how powerful the wisdom of the ancients is.
Only at the scene can you feel the turbulence of the Jinsha River
After leaving Dujiangyan, my legs were useless as I walked, and then returned to the ancient city of Guanxian County, waiting for the South Bridge to light up
I went to eat roast duck tonight, near the university on the edge of the ancient city. Sure enough, the food near the school never disappoints me
Xiang is confused. You can’t eat such delicious roast duck after leaving Chengdu
Here I want to complain about the urban rail from Lidui Park back to Chengdu. After 19:38, the next train is at 21:55. It is not completely dark at 19:38. Those who want to see the night view of Nanqiao can only wait until 21:55 to return to Chengdu. I am very tired.
This lamp looks green to the naked eye, but it turns out to be blue when photographed, which is very beautiful and magical.
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