Where to Live in Chengdu?

[yesmaybe]

Hello All,

I have read through a few forum posts and you all seem to be in the know and active. Where is (will be) the best living location in Chengdu?

Throughout the whole of the city, where would you look to buy an apartment, to live in for a few years and for future investment? I see the subway is fast developing and with more foreign business here, which part of the city is the most desirable, has the best access, nicest parks, best restaurants foreign and local, etc. Perhaps it’s a hard question, but your ideas will be better than mine. So fire away …

I’m English, my wife is from Ya’an and her sister lives near Jinsha Museum. I have only been to Chengdu a couple of times (first in ’99 but on my second visit in ’09 didn’t recognise any of it!) and most recently only around the Jinsha area.

We now have a baby and so we are looking to move away from Beijing closer to her home for a few years and we chose Chengdu as a stepping stone between the two. I will be able to work from home and will visit Beijing less and less, so access to the Chengyu or Chengwenqiong gousu probably the most useful which covers the airport as well doesn’t it.

Perhaps another way to look at it, are there any compounds (or construction companies) that you would particularly recommend for good build, design, building management and long-term investment?

Any feedback and chat welcome..

[Charlie]

It really depends on what’s most important to you. Personally, I think the south of Chengdu is the best place to live. Neighborhoods like Yulin, Tongzilin, Zongnan & Zongbei, etc. Some people choose to live downtown, some further south where there is a ton of new development, and some in Flower Town even though it’s on the outskirts of Chengdu.

If you’re buying an apartment in Chengdu, I would select a location near the subway. Everything near the subway will rise in value as more lines go up and it becomes a more practical solution to the transportation problem in Chengdu. If you aren’t in Chengdu now, check that post because it really accurately portrays a serious problem that Chengdu is currently facing. As with all everywhere else, property value is determined in Chengdu by location.

[Brendan]

When are you planning to move exactly? You mention the subway, and that’s already fast becoming a factor in property pricing here. I personally live downtown right beside a new subway station on line 2, and just had my landlord attempt to hike my rent by 30% on lease renewal partly because of it. This is all purely speculative of course as far as future investment goes, but it will be a factor for a while. My advice to you would be to look to the South, and do it on the ground yourself over a period of time to find the best deal or development. No single developer really has too much of an edge over another in terms of reliability and quality because of the way tendering works in construction here, but there will be complexes that have been built with more attention paid to detail. Swire perhaps have the strongest presence across the city, but their developments are also suffering at the hands of low skilled workers on site. I live in a Swire development myself, and some of what I see is in no way reflective of the market price, but then I am downtown.

If you PM me, I will try and get you a copy of a development map that basically shows every existing development within the 3rd ring. I’m aware of an app that’s currently in development also, that pinpoints developers projects for you using GPS.

[Charlie]

Quote:

just had my landlord attempt to hike my rent by 30% on lease renewal partly because of it.

Wow, damn, that is really dramatic. Have you taken the second line yet? I heard this morning that you can already buy tickets for the second line in subway stations.

[Brendan]

Quote:

Wow, damn, that is really dramatic. Have you taken the second line yet?

Dramatic indeed, but I worked it down to 10% in the end.

I didn’t actually know the subway was open. I took a taxi from one of the entrances this morning and saw no signs of life there. I’ll have to check it out at lunch time.

[yesmaybe]

thanks to you both for your input, all really useful. I know the subway will make a big impact on where to live. BTW, on cdmetro I saw an opening date for 27th Sep, if I remember (and google translated) correctly.

You all seem to think the south is the way to go, and that is interesting. If I live somewhere for a couple of years and then try to rent out to a foreigner (although I am not sure why I am thinking that actually), where he wants to live will be important.

For us, the Jinsha area would be good, because a) the subway line 2 is close by and b) the sister is there for baby-sitting! c) It is to the west-ish of the city so fairly easy access to the airport and Ya’an. But if there is little foreign presence in terms of restaurants, local bar and shopping them maybe it won’t be so appealing to others. Saying that, the subway seems an easy option for the jump into town.

As for Flower Town, that is not a priority, if we want to escape the city it will be to the family home in this pure and tiny village.

We are looking to move in the next few months but don’t need to buy straight away. Being here in Lushan is great for the time being but I will soon be itching for a bit of city life and my own kitchen. And I am still renting in Beijing, so may do a stint back there before making the move to Chengdu.

Do you have any thoughts on Jinsha?

[Charlie]

Quote:

Do you have any thoughts on Jinsha?

It’s out of the way basically, unless you work or go to school there. I’ve lived as far West as Wuhou Ci but even that was too far north west for my taste. Especially now with traffic as serious as it is in the inner city of Chengdu.

[Author]

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