Yes, I spent two weeks in Chengdu, with the primary goal of enrolling myself in a Chinese language course. Hence, as much as I had plenty of time in the city, I also devoted the majority of it to language learning, and not to sight-seeing. In any case, I still had some time to see things, and this travelogue will showcase these findings.
I landed in Chengdu one Saturday early morning, and after finding my hotel and being allowed to check in even though it was still rather early, I actually went ahead and went out and explored a few things. I saw temples, I saw interesting alleys where they sell street food, and of course I found my bearings within the city. I also saw some rather noteworthy bridges spanning the rivers that cross the city in various places.
One afternoon after class, as I had plenty of time left, I managed to check out a temple that was close by, and it was actually the Lantern Festival, and so there were plenty of candles and lanterns and other light-bearing objects that were lit up in the temple.
During my weekend, I saw the cottage of a famous Chinese poet. And I also explored an industrial area that has been transformed into an event space and fancy shopping area. I also explored various parks, including People's Park, and I even watched the light show emanating from the twin towers located in the Financial District, on the southern side of the city.
And on my last weekend, I saw the pandas. After all, Chengdu is famous for them. So I went to the panda research base in the north to check them out.
Visiting China for the second time was still an eye-opening experience. Yes, my first time in China was in Shanghai in 2025, so I had a few things I was already expecting. Yet, the culture shock was still there. It still felt like I was an alien dropped in a foreign planet, where things didn't work the way I expected them to be. Take payment methods for example. China is heavily reliant on your smart phone to essentially exist. Things are absolutely modern, yet there are still very traditional pockets of China, right in the middle of a very modern city. Chinese restaurants are not suitable for solo travelers, as typically the serving sizes are so huge, and they are absolutely meant for sharing. So if you're traveling solo, your best bet if you want to eat out without wasting food is essentially the noodle shops. Or you can order for take away, as this is also ubiquitous. In any case, though, I definitely enjoyed my second visit to this fantastic country.
Of course, pictures will be posted here in due course. Stay tuned.
