From Sichuan dishes and giant pandas to temples and mountains

THE home of fiery Sichuan dishes and giant pandas, China’s Chengdu is an adventure you’ll never forget, says writer Qin Xie.

I’m watching a clumsy brawl between two sulky teens. They keep lunging at each other with gusto, but neither manages to land a single punch.

Instead, both end up rolling on the floor covered in leaves.

If these were human teenagers, I might not be laughing, but, thankfully, it’s a pair of juvenile pandas.

They can barely stand up without a wobble, but still seem totally serious about winning, so have been chasing each other around their huge open-air enclosure for the last 10 minutes, dodging behind trees and somersaulting down ramps.

Eventually, one gives up and runs off – but not before making a loud, protesting squeal that triggers a burst of laughter from the crowd.

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The scrappy pair are residents of Panda Base in Chengdu, a sprawling conservation park in south-west China that’s credited with bringing the bears back from the brink of extinction.

Of the 2,700 or so pandas alive today, around 80% live in Sichuan (the province of which Chengdu is the capital), and about 10% are at Panda Base, so there’s no better place to see them. Plus, tickets are a bargain £6.

I was born in Chengdu, so I’ve been coming to the park for years, but only learned recently that if you want to see the bears at their most active, you have to get there early – it’s why the park is open by 8am every day (Panda.org.cn).

Go Green

Still relatively unknown compared to the likes of Beijing and Shanghai, Chengdu is actually a mega-city, home to more than 21 million people.

But unlike other cities of its size, it doesn’t feel hectic, as there’s greenery everywhere.

In fact, Chengdu is currently building a 10,000-mile cycle network to connect its green spaces.

Several sections are already open, like the 62-mile Tianfu Greenway, which wraps around the city centre.

I borrow a dockless bike for 30p per hour to explore a stretch in the south, and as I cycle past fields and a lake dotted with egrets, I spot the New Century Global Center – the world’s largest building.

Day trips in the mountains are easy, too. I head for Mount Qingcheng, which is just half an hour on the fast train, with fares from £2 return.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the sacred mountains of Taoism, a philosophical religion that predates Buddhism in China, and it’s split into two visitor areas.

The front mountain is easier to get to, with paved paths leading up to several incense-filled temples where monks still live. Entry costs £9.

But I prefer the quieter back mountain – it’s wilder and more scenic, with several small waterfalls, and entry is £7 cheaper!

Both offer several hours of serious hiking, so booking a stay at a hot spring hotel to soak tired muscles is a smart move, and the Howard Johnson Conference Resort Chengdu is only a short walk from the train station.

Double rooms cost from £52 B&B (Howardjohnsonchengdu.cn).

Spice up your life

Chengdu is also known for its food. It’s one of UNESCO’s Cities of Gastronomy, and those addictively hot and numbing Sichuan dishes you find in Chinese restaurants around the world are all from here.

Pick a place where there’s a queue and you can’t go wrong, but I always make time for a hot pot, where you order a selection of meats and veggies to cook yourself in a pot of bubbling broth.

I’ve done everything from big buffets to solo dinners in cubby holes, but my go-to is HaiDiLao.

This chain is pricier – meals cost about £15 per person – but there are branches everywhere, and they put on live TikTok-style dance performances while you eat.

At bigger outposts, like the one on Chunxi Road, you can even get a free manicure during your meal (Haidilao.com).

For classic street food, I hit Zhong Shui Jiao (Zhong’s Dumplings) in People’s Park for its namesake garlicky pork dumplings, £1.50, the plain Long’s wontons, £1.40, and spicy dan dan noodles, £1.

Next door, the century-old He Ming Tea House is great for people-watching.

Green tea starts from £1.60, and you can stay all day and bring your own snacks.

All Night Long

One of my favourite things about Chengdu is that there’s so much to do after dark.

Most locals go for post-dinner strolls or take speakers to public squares to dance to C-pop.

Midnight snacks are routine, and there are even 24-hour spas, like FuFu Tang near Renmin North Road station.

Spa entry costs from £30 per person. It’s also an unbeatable time for shopping.

Most malls are open until 11pm and some, like the subterranean SKP Chengdu, even have huge light installations that are attractions in their own right (Skp-beijing.com).

Unlike the UK, there isn’t a big drinking culture. Beers tend to be a watery 2.5% ABV and tea houses easily outnumber bars.

The one main strip, Jiuyanqiao, has around 100 competing bars clustered along the Jinjiang River, each one trying to outdo the next with its club beats. But even here is pretty sedate.

By my 11pm bedtime, the music has already been turned down, although I can still spot the lasers and strobe lights from my hotel across the river – the luxe but surprisingly affordable Shangri-La.

That said, it only takes a wedding or banquet for locals to break out the baijiu, China’s grain-based national spirit.

And in Chengdu, you can try it at Shui Jing Fang’s distillery museum, where the £5 entry fee includes a tour plus a guided tasting of three throat-burning spirits, each delivering a fiery 52% ABV, meant to be sipped neat.

It’s fascinating to see distilling as it was done 600 years ago (Shuijingfang.com).

That’s the most incredible thing about this city: futuristic skyscrapers and boundary-pushing architecture surround you wherever you look, but you only need to turn a corner to spot fascinating cultural relics dating back centuries.

Two thousand years ago, people called Chengdu the land of abundance – it’s as true then as it is now.