Things to Do in Chengdu

Large central park with a lake, lotus pond, and the famous Heming Teahouse. Locals gather here for morning tai chi, mahjong games, and impromptu dancing sessions. The park has a small memorial to the 1911 Railway Protection Movement.

🕐 Open 24 hours

💡 Go to the northwest corner near the goldfish pond around 9am to see the best impromptu folk opera singing. Avoid the teahouse at weekends; it's overcrowded. Instead, bring a flask and sit by the bamboo grove behind the cinema.

Three parallel lanes lined with Qing-dynasty courtyard houses now repurposed as boutiques, teahouses, and craft stalls. The wide alley is more relaxed; the narrow alley is busier with street food stalls. Some original stonework remains visible on sid

🕐 Open 24 hours (shops typically 10:00-22:00)

💡 Visit after 7pm when the day-trippers leave and the red lanterns come on. The free folk art museum at 15 Kuangzhai Lane (second floor, no sign) has genuine shadow puppet demonstrations; ask at the shop below to be let up.

Active Buddhist monastery dating from the Tang dynasty, with well-maintained halls, a library of Buddhist sutras, and a large vegetarian restaurant. The grounds include ancient gingko trees and a small koi pond. Monks chant at set hours.

🕐 8:00-17:00 (temple grounds); restaurant 11:30-14:00, 17:00-20:00

💡 Free entry always. The vegetarian restaurant inside serves a set lunch for 30 RMB from 11:30-13:00; queue by 11:15 or miss it. The best incense is sold just outside the south gate for 5 RMB a bundle, not the shops inside.

Modern museum covering Chengdu's 4,500-year history from bronze-age Sanxingdui artefacts through Shu kingdom exhibits to modern urban development. Five floors of galleries. The top-floor view over Tianfu Square is unobstructed. Photography allowed wi

🕐 09:00-17:00 Tue-Sun (last entry 16:30), closed Mon except public holidays

💡 Free tickets require advance online booking via the 'Chengdu Museum' WeChat mini-program; slots release seven days out. Weekday afternoons are quietest. The third-floor Sichuan opera costume gallery is often overlooked but has excellent detail.

On-site archaeological museum displaying thousands of Shang and Zhou dynasty relics, notably gold masks and ivory. The indoor gallery is dimly lit to protect artefacts. Outdoor excavation pit shows original dig layout.

🕐 8:00-18:30 daily (last entry 17:30, free day hours same)

💡 Entry costs about 70 RMB, but free on the first Tuesday of each month. Arrive before 9am to avoid tour groups. The sunken walkway at the back of the site gives the clearest view of the sacrificial pits.