●Things to See & Do好玩的
Panda Base 大熊猫繁育研究基地
The best place on earth to watch giant pandas — arrive for the morning feeding when the bears are at their liveliest.
Jiuzhaigou 九寨沟
Turquoise lakes and waterfalls in a valley so beautiful it feels engineered. Go in October for the gold-and-crimson autumn.
Leshan Giant Buddha 乐山大佛
A 71-metre Buddha carved into a cliff, best appreciated from a boat on the river below.
Dujiangyan 都江堰
A 2,200-year-old irrigation system that still waters the Chengdu plain — ancient engineering you can walk through.
●Food & Drink好吃的
Hotpot 火锅
A bubbling cauldron of numbing-spicy broth; the table becomes a shared theatre of dipping, cooking, and cooling down with beer.
Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐
Silken tofu in a fiery sauce of chilli bean paste and Sichuan pepper — the numbing 'ma' that gives the cuisine its signature.
Dan Dan Noodles 担担面
Street-stall noodles with minced pork and chilli oil, stirred before every bite. Few dishes are more satisfying for less.
●Folk Customs Few Have Heard Of民间习俗
01
Face-changing opera 变脸
In Sichuan opera, performers swap masks in the blink of an eye — dozens of faces in minutes. The technique is a closely guarded family secret passed down for generations.
02
Lidded-bowl tea 盖碗茶
In Chengdu teahouses, the position of the lid is a silent language: half-covering signals 'more water, please', and a turned lid means the customer is leaving.
03
Yi Torch Festival 火把节
Every summer, the Yi people of Liangshan light huge torches and parade through the hills at night — a festival of fire, song, and courtship.