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Just asking for suggestions as to what a new resident of Chengdu should get up to for fun once they arrive there.
All ideas welcome.
There’s a short list here about half way down the page:
And here (click types of places):
http://www.chengduplaces.com/If you’re up for some craziness I’d start with Chunxi Road and Jinli Ancient Street.
Get bellysick and pray to white stone a couple days.
Get into a car accident.
Pay a 100 kuai for a 5 kuai souvenir.
Find yourself a local girlfriend and wonder where did your time go…
After that your initiation is officially over… i think 🙂
There’s a short list here about half way down the page:
https://www.chengduliving.com/guide-to-chengdu/
And here (click types of places):
If you’re up for some craziness I’d start with Chunxi Road and Jinli Ancient Street.
Chunxi shopping district – I like that yees
Get bellysick and pray to white stone a couple days.
Get into a car accident.
Pay a 100 kuai for a 5 kuai souvenir.
Find yourself a local girlfriend and wonder where did your time go…
After that your initiation is officially over… i think
Those things may happen by fate perhaps, not by choice! 😀
And finally, Rainbow, yes, ultimately that is what is going to happen is I will go to a local bar with somebody to get a feel of the people in the city.
Thanks to all who have ENLIGHTENED me so far. I’m sure we have some more ideas. Please keep ’em coming!
Outside the box people!
Natooke’s Friday night group bike ride. 8pm every Friday. It’s got beers, bikes, beats, and bananas. It’s a great time.
Natooke’s Friday night group bike ride. 8pm every Friday. It’s got beers, bikes, beats, and bananas. It’s a great time.
I will sort myself out with a bike as soon as I get there. Cycling has also been a very good way for me to explore new places.
Natooke’s Friday night group bike ride. 8pm every Friday. It’s got beers, bikes, beats, and bananas. It’s a great time.
This is a really good one. Get some exercise, meet a cool subculture, and see the city by night.
I will sort myself out with a bike as soon as I get there. Cycling has also been a very good way for me to explore new places.
You can also rent one for the evening, and I believe that they don’t charge you as you’ll be in their company the entire time.
my first thing to do here: Foot Massage..
Good one. Traditional Chinese 推拿 massage places are good to check out also, especially blind ones. They’re usually made to be a little painful but you can tell them to go easier on you.
What’s the ‘going rate’ on an hour-long back/shoulder/neck massage in Chengdu? Don’t want to get ripped off.
What’s the ‘going rate’ on an hour-long back/shoulder/neck massage in Chengdu? Don’t want to get ripped off.
There are roughly two broad categories: street side blind massage places which are low-key and run about 45rmb an hour, and more fancy private room massages which are in the 100-200rmb range. Most of the private room places are inside large complexes, tea houses, or spas. I only mess with the blind massage places, they are the real deal, no-nonsense massage experience in my opinion.
“I only mess with the blind massage places, they are the real deal”
Fuuuuuuck that.. I went to two, one time each, and think they were deceptive liars.. either ‘new blind’ massage people who sucked at it, and did NOT massage in a way that felt relaxing or that they understood physiology.. or not blind at all and just put “blind” up there to get people to come in for shoddy massage. You probably know some great places, the authentic ones, and I probably went to bullshit places, BUT:
Here’s the one I think is the best authentic oldschool massage. It’s just south of Tianfu Square. From Tianfu Square, go straight south on renmin nanlu, take the first RIGHT. Walk to the end of the street, look on teh rgiht hand side.. there’s 2 massage places beside eachother that have been there for ages, full of families of masseuses, and they expanded over time to take up some apartments behind them. I think it’s called like traditional chinese massage school or something. There is a famous old laowai hostel next to it or somethin too.. I haven’t been in a while, but I think it was like 30 or so per hour without the extras (cups/scraping/hot stuff/etc) or something ridiculously cheap. Go go go!
Fuuuuuuck that.. I went to two, one time each, and think they were deceptive liars.. either ‘new blind’ massage people who sucked at it, and did NOT massage in a way that felt relaxing or that they understood physiology.. or not blind at all and just put “blind” up there to get people to come in for shoddy massage.
I can’t guarantee you’ll have a great experience in each one, but here’s the deal:
- There are easily hundreds of these blind massage places in the city, they are the standard massage place where Chinese people go. Indeed they are not all filled with massage people who are blind. At the one I go to, the owner is blind, and about half of the people working there are blind.
- It’s not supposed to feel relaxing during the massage, that’s not really the point of this style of massage, consider it therapy because that’s what they call it. There isn’t soothing music or atmosphere and they don’t use or take your shirt off. It’s not like a Western massage at all in that sense. But they will almost always ask if you want more or less pressure, so you have to communicate what you want to them. Here’s the wikipedia entry which has more information: Tui na
- The level of expertise at these places can vary. I used to go to one that was run by a legit Chinese doctor with decades of experience. He spoke really good English, too, which is pretty amazing for a low-key inexpensive massage place. At the place I go now one of the massage guys is a calligrapher and his art is framed on the wall. I find massage places to be usually populated with interesting and friendly neighborhood people, and that has become part of the appeal for me.
- The price varies depending on where in the city you are, but these places used to be 25rmb an hour in Yulin and now they’re all in the 35-40+ rmb range. The cost has just gone up along with everything else.
I go to the massage places Rick mentioned – they’re on 西御街 – xi yu jie – I go to the one that is to the left of the other – they’ve been very good at sorting me out when I have serious back pain.
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