Met Chengdu in Midsummer

Relaxing tour at dog days in Chengdu and Dujiangyan.

5 days and 4 nights by air, with Mom and grandparents.

Chengdu is known as a cozy city. Its streets are clean, and skies gorgeously blue.

At the same time, it’s prosperous and crowded (like Beijing) in most of the main streets.

We stayed at Holiday Express, 1 km away from Chunxi Road (the most prosperous shopping street in Chengdu).

Chunxi Road

From the second day, we started our tour following the Must-Go travel list.

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Upgraded into a AAAA scenic area since 2006, the panda base has gradually shift from a pure scientific research centre to entertainment and exhibition place.

Giant pandas and lesser pandas are most honorable residents here.

Giant panda with silly face…

Baby giant panda in incubator

Lesser panda outdoors

Lesser panda comes in front of tourists

Ticket: 58 yuan per person

Opening Hours: 07:30 – 18:00 (all year round)

Kuan Zhai Xiangzi (Wide and Narrow Alley)

Dated back to the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911 AD), Kuan Zhai Xiangzi is one of the historical and cultural reserves in Chengdu, and was renovated in 2008.

It consists of 3 parralled alleys, named Kuan Xiangzi (Wide Alley), Zhai Xiangzi (Narrow Alley), and Jing Xiangzi (Well Alley). Lots of teahouses and restaurants could be seen there.

Entrance of Kuan Xiangzi

Street view at sunset

Kuan Jing that connects Kuan Xiangzi with Zhai Xiangzi

Ticket: Free

Du Fu Thatched Cottage

In 759 Du Fu moved to Chengdu, built a thatched hut near the Flower Rinsing Creek and lived there for four years. The “thatched hut” period was the peak of Du Fu’s creativity, during which he wrote two hundred and forty poems, among them: “My Thatched Hut was torn apart by Autumn Wind” and “The Prime Minister of Shu.”

A Quatrain, one of the poet’s well known pieces written at the cottage in 764, describes the surrounding scenery:

A pair of golden orioles sings in green willows
a column of snowy egrets flies off in blue sky
my window contains peaks with a thousand years of ice
my gate harbors boats from ten thousand miles downriver

兩個黃鸝鳴翠柳，
一行白鷺上青天。
窗含西嶺千秋雪，
門泊東吳萬里船。