Sights in Chéngdū
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Giant Panda Breeding Research Base
One of Chéngdū's most popular tourist attractions, this reserve, 18km north of the city centre, is the easiest way to catch a glimpse of Sìchuān's most famous residents outside of a zoo. The enclosures here are large and kept in good condition.
Home to nearly 50 giant and red pandas, the base focuses on getting these sexually reluctant creatures to breed; March to May is the 'falling in love period', wink wink. If you visit in autumn or winter, you may see tiny newborns in the nursery.
There's a corny but informative 15-minute film about panda mating habits and an old-fashioned museum has detailed exhibits on panda evolution, habits, habitats and conservation efforts, a…
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Zhaojue Temple
The Zhaojue Temple dates back to the 7th century and has since served as a model for many Japanese and Southeast Asian Buddhist temples.
During the early Qing dynasty, Zhàojué Sì underwent extensive reconstruction under the supervision of Po Shan, a famous Buddhist monk who established the lovely waterways and groves you see here today. The effect is impressive and the grounds are quieter and more spread out than at Chéngdū's other temples.
Little of the temple's original architecture survived the Cultural Revolution, and serious restoration work was only undertaken in the last decade. There are several pavilions, though all except the imposing prayer hall were being…
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Du Fu's Cottage
The revered Tang- dynasty poet, Du Fu (712–70) was born in Hénán, but lived in Chéngdū, in this thatched cottage, for four of his most prolific years. He wrote more than 200 poems whilst here, including one entitled 'My thatched hut was torn apart by the autumn wind'. The 10-hectare site is now part park, part museum.
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Tomb of Wang Jian
The only mausoleum excavated in China so far that features an above-ground tomb chamber, this slightly creepy vault honours Wang Jian (847–918), a general who came to power after the AD 907 collapse of the Tang dynasty and became emperor of the Shu kingdom. The tomb itself is decorated with carvings of 24 musicians all playing different instruments, considered to be the best surviving record of a Tang-dynasty musical troupe, while the statue of Wang Jian at the back of the tomb is thought to be the only existing lifelike sculpture of an ancient Chinese king.
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Wuhou Temple
Next to Nanjiao Park (南郊公园; Nánjiāo Gōngyuán; admission around Y2; open 06:00 to 22:00), Wuhou Temple is a complex of pavilions and statues commemorating figures from the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220-80). The images and names you'll see most frequently here are Emperor Liu Bei and that of Zhuge Liang, a legendary military strategist known for his wisdom and culture and immortalised in one of the classics of Chinese literature, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
The temple is surrounded by picturesque gardens and mossy cypresses draped over walkways. It regularly hosts Sìchuān opera performances.
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Wàngjiānglóu Gōngyuán
In the southeast of town, near Sìchuān University, is Wàngjiānglóu Gōngyuán, a park known for its beautiful bamboo-lined paths and dedicated to the Tang dynasty poet Xue Tao, one of the few women of this period whose work is still celebrated today. The four-storey, wooden Qing pavilion in the heart of the park overlooks Brocade River and was built in her honour. The well nearby is where Xue Tao is said to have drawn water to dye her writing paper.
The park also features over 150 varieties of bamboo from China, Japan and Southeast Asia, ranging from bonsai-sized potted plants to towering giants.
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Green Ram Temple
Located in Culture Park, this is Chéngdū's oldest and most extensive Taoist temple. According to legend, stroking the bronze goat here can vanquish life's troubles. (The other, less goatlike goat combines features of all the Chinese zodiac animals.) Another highlight is an eight-sided pagoda, built without bolts or pegs.
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Wenshu Temple
Wenshu Temple is a Tang dynasty monastery that is Chéngdū's largest and best-preserved Buddhist temple. It has air redolent with incense, a low murmur of chanting, exquisite relief carvings, and, best of all, a sense of serenity and solitude despite the crowds of worshippers who flock to the place. If you only have time for one temple on your visit, this is by far the most interesting.
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Monument to the Martyrs of the Railway Protection Movement
Plopped in the middle of the People's Park's bonsai and perennials is the Monument to the Martyrs of the Railway Protection Movement (1911). This obelisk memorialises an uprising of the people against corrupt officers pocketing cash intended for railway construction. People's Park was a private officer's garden, so it was a fitting place to put the structure.
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Sìchuān University Museum
The Sìchuān University Museum is one of the better museums in the southwest. The collection is particularly strong in the fields of ethnology, folklore and traditional art, and is housed in a swank modern building near the university's east gate. However, it's been closed for some time and no-one seems to know when it will be reopening. Stay tuned.
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People's Park
Particularly on weekends, People's Park is filled with locals dancing, singing, strolling and practising taichi. There are a number of teahouses here too; Hè Míng Teahouse is particularly popular.
Plopped in the middle of the park's bonsai and perennials (open 9am to 5pm) is the Monument to the Martyrs of the Railway Protection Movement (1911). This obelisk memorialises an uprising of the people against corrupt officers who pocketed cash intended for railway construction.
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Culture Park
You can give the Culture Park next door to the Green Ram Temple a miss. With its mass of teahouses, souvenir stalls and weathered rides for kids, it's noisy, loud and doesn't actually have much green space.
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River Viewing Pavilion Park
Dedicated to celebrated Tang-dynasty female poet Xue Tao, this park is best known for its bamboo; it features over 150 varieties, from bonsai-sized potted plants to towering giants. If you're not interested in the Xue Tao exhibits, enter the park through the western gate (open from 6.30am to 9pm), where no admission is charged and you can still stroll among the bamboo. Buses 35 and 335 come here from the city centre.
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Jīnshā Site Museum
In 2001 archaeologists made a historic discovery in Chéngdū's western suburbs – they unearthed a major site containing ruins of the 3000-year-old Shu kingdom. The site is now home to the excellent Jīnshā Site Museum.
This expansive complex includes one building showing the excavation site itself and another beautifully displaying many of the objects that were excavated from the area. Like the earlier discoveries at Sānxīngduī, the 6000-plus relics found here, which date from 1200 to 600 BC, include both functional and decorative items, from pottery and tools to jade artefacts, stone carvings and ornate gold masks. There's also a large number of elephant tusks that we…
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