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Hey! Just registered and writing to ask if anyone can give me the lowdown on life in Chengdu.
Me and my girlfriend (both in our early 20s) are moving to Chengdu to teach for a few months and we have done the usual research on the city but we don’t know anything about what the city has to offer as far as entertainment is concerned.
Neither of us is overly keen on clubs but I am a sucker for live music and my girlfriend is fond of cocktail bars. What kind of thing along those lines is there?
And as far as daytime activities, what are good spots to hang out at and what is there to do?
We literally know no one in Chengdu and any info would be great info. Cheers!
Ciao Roberto, benvenuti! You’re welcome!
Non conosco molto Chengdu, sono qui da Agosto e non sono tipo da locali & ballo, ma se hai bisogno di qualche dritta, mia moglie è di queste zone… chiedi senza problemi!
See you
Grazie mille Federico, terro’ a mente. Ci sono molti italiani a Chengdu?
Also, anyone else, what are good places to hit for someone that is inyo cycling? Beside Natooke (?) Obviously.
Guarda, per ora ho conosciuto solo un’altra persona italiana, ma la senzazione è che non ce ne siano molti… dai, ti aspetto in zona!
See you!
Quote:Also, anyone else, what are good places to hit for someone that is inyo cycling? Beside Natooke (?) Obviously.Natooke is the obvious place to hit up, but there are other bicycle shops all around the city. I think there are at least 4-5 dedicated fixed gear shops in Chengdu now, although most of them are very small and “store front” kind of locations that aren’t usually populated by gear heads. Yesterday there was an alleycat organized by Triple Cross, a local group of fixed gear guys.
Riding around the city though cyclists are becoming a regular sight. There are more and more every month, it seems!
That’s great! Don’t ride fixed myself but if Chengdu is anything like the west in that respect, the fixed gear community is probably more tight knit so keen to find out about shops/spots.
Another question (and I am sorry for coming up with new ones), how are people in Chengdu. Read a lot about how they are very laid back. Is it easy to make friends with the locals and expats?
Quote:Natooke is the obvious place to hit up, but there are other bicycle shops all around the city.Cheers!
Quote:if Chengdu is anything like the west in that respect, the fixed gear community is probably more tight knit so keen to find out about shops/spots.Chengdu and China in general is usually backwards regarding this. The fixie crews are usually the most open and into cycling. They’re a good place to start if you want to get out riding and meeting new cycling friends.
I’ve been to a lot of shops in Chengdu and most of them suck. The giant Giant store? Bummer. Any of the random branches of Merida, Flying Pigeon, Thundercat, Hammermadeponyfist, etc. all provide a service not near what you’d expect in the West and little in terms of follow up.
The other shop on Chengdu Places, Giraffe is a pretty cool spot. One of the owners, Keren, speaks fluent English and they’re super helpful. Also a cool boutique shop you feel at home just kicking it there. Again, you’ll only find fixies.
Another cool spot is LOHAS on the 2.5 ring road. If you need more specific directions I could probably look it up for you. Only downside is it’s higher end and they also lack English.
I’m going to the big Specialized store that opened up a few month ago tomorrow. I liked the guys at the Specialized shop I used to go to from time to time in Beijing. My only gripe was the price.
Quote:Another question (and I am sorry for coming up with new ones), how are people in Chengdu. Read a lot about how they are very laid back. Is it easy to make friends with the locals and expats?Yes. People take things in stride and this includes making friends. Like anywhere it takes a while to peg a few besties but at no point will you ever feel shut out or socially shunted. Once you find the sort of scene you run with it’s easy to meet a number of cool folks lurking around the city. As for locals, it’s a generally Chinese quality to be congenial, warm and inviting to guests. Even if you overstay your welcome.
Cheers for all the info Jacob! As far as maintenance, I was already prepared to having to do it myself and I prefer it that way. Will get a bike from the school me and my girlfriend will be teaching at and I know it will probably be something along the lines of a Flying Pigeon. I know you guys have a bike rental service, that still the case? I’ll definitely be dropping by at Natooke when I get over to Chengdu and will have to pester you even more for cycling-related info ha!
Now, on a more serious note, we are looking at vaccination and both the British NHS website and our GPs are being absolutely useless as far as letting us know what to get. We have figured out that if we need anything it’s probably going to be Hep B and Jap Encephalitis. Should we get it done if we are over for just 4 months and leave in June towards the start of the rainy season or is Chengdu safe enough that we shouldn’t worry? We’re broke so if we don’t have to we won’t get them.
Again, thank you very much for the help! This website is giving us more information on actual life in Chengdu than any Google search ever could.
as matter of fact. im looking for the workout buddy for the INSANITY program. u know…it was lonely by doing this myself..u down?
Quote:as matter of fact. im looking for the workout buddy for the INSANITY program. u know…it was lonely by doing this myself..u down?What is that, like P90x or something? Because that is insanity.
Quote:Now, on a more serious note, we are looking at vaccination and both the British NHS website and our GPs are being absolutely useless as far as letting us know what to get. We have figured out that if we need anything it’s probably going to be Hep B and Jap Encephalitis. Should we get it done if we are over for just 4 months and leave in June towards the start of the rainy season or is Chengdu safe enough that we shouldn’t worry? We’re broke so if we don’t have to we won’t get them.Hepatitis vaccination is good to get in general but I don’t think you need anything else, honestly.
@Jacob; yeah it seems Specialised are making a big push into Chengdu (there are two stores that i know of). Some nice stuff there, but as you said, their prices are just off the planet (450 kuai for a carbon fibre bottle holder?!). It’s a pity. We had a huge Trek store a few yeas ago, but they disappeared. I would like to see a Cannondale (that was my bike of choice back home)…
Quote:What is that, like P90x or something? Because that is insanity.ya. more intense than P90X. u can youku it (or youtube it). Insanity is more cardio base and doesnt require any equipment. both will bulk up anyway, just different way and method. so…. u down? we gotta make sure pm2.5 is less 300 before we can actually down. ha~
Insanity is similar to p90x. But the guy who does the insanity stuff is a known ‘work out guru’ while the p90x guy was a new face on the scene.
Quote:ya. more intense than P90X. u can youku it (or youtube it). Insanity is more cardio base and doesnt require any equipment. both will bulk up anyway, just different way and method. so…. u down?If that is true, holy shit. I tried P90x last summer with a friend and it was insane. Both of us felt like vomiting after some of those sessions and we were both already in decent shape. Definitely tougher than Crossfit. I will pass!
Quote:Will get a bike from the school me and my girlfriend will be teaching at and I know it will probably be something along the lines of a Flying Pigeon. I know you guys have a bike rental service, that still the case? I’ll definitely be dropping by at Natooke when I get over to Chengdu and will have to pester you even more for cycling-related info ha!Flying Pigeons … they certainly don’t make them like they used to. If you get one I recommend you look for an old one, older the better.
We still do rentals, 20 or 50rmb/day depending on the bike, less if you rent for longer periods.
We ride all over and around Chengdu frequently so we will happily give you any recommendations or cycling related info when you swing by.
Quote:I would like to see a Cannondale (that was my bike of choice back home)…Ray, LOHAS that Jacob mentioned is starting to carry Cannondale. PM Jacob or I for the shop address and we can give the owner a heads up that you’ll be by if you’re interested in getting one. Don’t know for sure exactly how much but I suspect they’ll be pricey too.
Again, thank you for the help!
New question, what is the score with personal liability insurance in China and how much does it cost? UK insurers refuse to cover us because we are going to teach.
Basically I don’t want to end up in a Chinese jail and/or bankrupt if a kid hurts himself whilst under my supervision. Seems like the school doesn’t cover that sort of thing.
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