Chengdu Living

The Moms and I followed my good friend Zhuang deep into the hills west of Chengdu on a day trip in search of golden gingko trees. We found them surrounding a Buddhist temple.

Author Chris Taylor will be in Chengdu this weekend talking about his new novel, Harvest Season, an up close and unforgiving look at life in a town that is moving from traveler’s haven to tourist trap.

I remember buying international phone cards to call overseas when I first arrived in China. It was slow and annoying. Fortunately, there’s a much better way that might even be free for you.

What does a NY Times travel writer find most engaging and interesting about Chengdu? Read inside to hear Matt Gross’ impressions of Chengdu as he completes his first trip.

I love Chengdu, but I gotta go. I took a job as copy editor in the antithesis of the ‘Du: glitzy, glamorous Shanghai. Here’s what I think about these two cities after spending 10 years in Sichuan.

Bikes are all the rage in green suburbs like San Sheng Xiang and Dujiangyan. And now you can rent one for 10RMB. The rent-a-bike system comes from cities like Paris and Lyons and Forever Corp. has done a good job of implementing the scheme here in Chengdu.

Being another provincial capital along with Chengdu, Kunming is for most people the gateway to sunny and beautiful Yunnan province. Here’s how and why you should check out Kunming for a weekend getaway.

Ever since the government began construction on the massive Pubu Dam project, Hanyuan county in Sichuan has been rocked by protests and bloody pitched battles between dis-possessed, incensed locals and the government over the corrupt and broken relocation process.

Traveling between Chengdu and Chongqing is easier than ever before, with the “He Xie” bullet train delivering passengers in style. The trip costs just 97 yuan one way and I took it recently for the second time.

Over the next few years, a number of Sichuan’s hidden gems will be revealed to a new generation of travelers. We outline some our favorite destinations in the region.