Chengdu

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Pandas at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

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Overview

Chengdu (成都, Chéngdū) is no great draw when it comes to major tourist sites, yet this is one of the few super-sized Chinese cities that most visitors do end up enjoying. There's a relaxing teahouse culture – favorite local institutions have been serving the same brews for generations; a lively nightlife that mixes craft beer bars and super-hip clubs with Sichuan opera shows; and delicious food that is famous for its heat, history and variety even in cuisine-rich China, and is very much a point of pride: Chengdu is, after all, Unesco's first-ever City of Gastronomy. Oh, and as if that's not enough, this is the place to come to see China's cutest residents – the giant pandas.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Giant Panda Breeding Research Base
Chengdu
One of Chengdu’s most popular attractions, this panda park 18km north of the city centre is the easiest way to glimpse Sichuan’s most famous residents…
Wenshu Monastery
Chengdu
This Tang dynasty monastery is dedicated to Wenshu (Manjushri), the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, and is Chengdu’s largest and best-preserved Buddhist temple…
Chengdu Museum
Chengdu
Spanning ancient Shu and pre-Qin dynasties to the Revolutionary era and modern Chengdu, this spectacular five-storey museum (completed in 2016) is packed…
Jinsha Site Museum
Chengdu
In 2001 archaeologists made a historic discovery in Chengdu’s western suburbs: they unearthed a major site containing ruins of the 3000-year-old Shu…
Tomb of Wang Jian
Chengdu
Built for Wang Jian (847–918), a general who rose to power following the collapse of the Tang dynasty to rule as emperor of the Shu kingdom, this above…
Chengdu Museum of Contemporary Art
Chengdu
This privately funded museum aims to create a space for the development and exhibition of contemporary and abstract art in Chinese society. Works on…
Wuhou Temple
Chengdu
Located adjacent to Nanjiao Park and surrounded by mossy cypresses, this temple (rebuilt in 1672) honours several figures from the Three Kingdoms period,…
Sichuan Museum
Chengdu
Aficionados of Chinese history will enjoy a stop here for a look at Sichuan's past through Shu-era calligraphy and painting, bronze works and ceramics,…