Food
Bang Bang Chicken
(Bang bang ji) is a traditional local dish that actually originated in Leshan,
and was introduced to Chengdu in 1920. To prepare this dish a flaming stick
is used to reheat a cooked chicken so that the meat becomes light and flaky.
The chicken is served with sesame and soy sauce. This is one of the tastiest
cold dishes in Chengdu and less spicy than many others which are popular here.
Guoba Roupian
(Guoba Roupian) is a special dish unique to Chengdu. This tasty dish arrives
at your table in two separate parts; a golden crust of cooked rice in one bowl
and hot sauce in another. The hot sauce is immediately poured on the rice which
crackles at the sensation!
Hot Pot
Hotpot is very popular in Chengdu, and is known for its spicy and hot flavor
which can make the tasters tongue go numb! Hotpot once was only served up at
home to the family but is now hugely popular throughout Chengdu on the street
and in restaurants. There are numerous different flavors available including
lamb and fish hot pot. This is particularly nice in the winter as the spiciness
is very warming! To eat a hot pot, just grab some friends, chuck in the pot
what you fancy eating and wait for it to cook!!
Mapo Bean Curd
"Mapo" bean curd is perhaps one of the most typical of Chinese bean
curd dishes and is hugely popular throughout the country. The very best place
to sample this spicy dish is in Grandma Chen's Bean Curd restaurant. This restaurant
was established in 1842 and the owner?ˉs wife, Grandma Chen, who created this
dish, had a very marked face. The Chinese word for this is "Ma", and
"Po" is the name given to an old woman. Since then, this dish has
gained notoriety throughout the nation but maintained its original name. Soft
bean curd is served with a very fiery meat sauce and this is a very spicy and
hot dish, normally served coated with a thick layer of oil, minced beef and
dry chilies.
Fuqi Feipian
(fuqi feipian) is a cold dish unique to Sichuan that was created by an affectionate couple fifty years ago. Literally translated, the name of the dish means ?°Couples Lungs?± but in fact, the dish is not made from lungs but other inner parts. The meat is stewed in soy sauce and then served with chili oil, pepper, sesame and peanut.
Arts & Crafts Service Department Store.
Address: Chunxi Lu , Chengdu
Chengdu Bamboo Weaving Factory
Address:12 Jiefang Bei Road , Chengdu
Chengdu Lacquer Craft Factory
Address:81 Jinghejie , Chengdu
People's Supermarket
Address:North Railway Station, Chengdu
The main form of entertainment in Chengdu is Chinese traditional opera. The city is home to Sichuan's leading opera troupe, famous throughout the country and this is a great place to see some authentic Chinese art on stage. The main difference between Sichuan Opera and Beijing Opera lies in the fact that the themes of the former are more provincial and related to everyday life than their Beijing counterparts. All the opera here is performed in Sichuanese, a special rhythmic dialect and the costumes and face paints are colorful and impressive. Currently the best place to see Sichuan style opera is in the Chengdu Theater on Minzhong Lu and the Jin Jiang Theater on Huaxingzheng Lu.Along with the influx of investment and the inevitable cranes and skyscrapers that are modernizing Chengdu, a fairly lively bar and cafe scene has emerged, helped by the fact that this is a stop off point for many travelers en route to Tibet. There are a few good bars around the Traffic Hotel serving good beer (the local brew is Blue Sword which goes down very well with spicy food!) and also doing western style food. Paul's Place is currently pick of the bunch. These are good places to meet other travelers and swap stories, to exchange some books or to use the internet. After dark, many of the bars in Chengdu get quite lively, staying open until the small hours of the morning. If you are after something a bit more hardcore, try the Huigui Reunion Bar on Yihuan Lu. This place is filled with cool city kids shaking their heads to the techno music blaring out. There are thousands of Tea houses dotted about the city which are nice places to soak up some local atmosphere. If it's something more active you seek, try the stadium on Renmin Zhong Lu where the Chengdu teams often have matches.