Interludes from Chinese Class: Wangjiang Pavilion Park

It was time to leave Chengdu. I had a flight that was scheduled to leave Chengdu just a little after midnight, so that meant I had the entire day to myself when I checked out of my hotel. After having a leisurely breakfast, I slowly packed my bags and checked out. And after doing so, I explored Chengdu for the last time. I ended up in Wangjiang Pavilion Park.

Interludes from Chinese Class: Panda Research Base

I felt like I had to go to the Panda Research Base in Chengdu before I left. I got pressure from friends telling me that I should go and take pictures. So even though I don't really care much for animals, and I don't quite find pandas cute, on my final weekend, I went to the Panda Research Base on the northern side of the city, together with a classmate.

Interludes from Chinese Class: Financial City

Before I left Chengdu, I wanted to see the two skyscrapers that seem to be featured on every Chengdu promotional poster. It seems that it's a prominent feature of the Chengdu skyline, yet I still haven't seen them. So I made it a point to go south of the city centre, in the so-called Financial City, where these two skyscrapers were located.

Interludes from Chinese Class: Wenshu Monastery

On my last weekend in Chengdu, I moved out of my homestay. My Chinese classes have finally wrapped up, and I have allocated a few extra days on my own before I flew back home. I had a hotel near the Wenshu Monastery, so after checking in, I decided to explore this historical area.

Interludes from Chinese Class: People's Park

After exploring the eastern suburbs, I headed back to the centre of Chengdu. I got off the metro in Tianfu Square, but from there I walked westwards to go to People's Park. I wanted to check out an outdoor area, given that the weather was rather favourable that day.

Interludes from Chinese Class: Eastern Suburb Memory

One Sunday morning, I decided to head east. The weather has improved, and so I wanted to explore Chengdu. I ended up in Dongjiao Jiyi, or Eastern Suburb Memory. This is where Chengdu's industrial past gets modernised.

Interludes from Chinese Class: Dufu Thatched Cottage

One weekend, on a Saturday, I decided to visit Dufu's Thatched Cottage. Before visiting Chengdu, I didn't even know who Dufu was. But now I know.

Interludes from Chinese Class: Gudashengci Temple

One morning, when I had plenty of time to kill before my Chinese class, I went to a nearby temple. The Gudashengci Temple was a short walk away, and it was also the Lantern Festival, so there was increased activity. I wanted to check it out.

Interludes from Chinese Class: Anshun Bridge

One of the things I saw while in Chengdu was the Anshun Bridge. Literally, the name of the bridge means "Bridge of the Peaceful and Fluent". It contains a large restaurant.

Interludes from Chinese Class

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.

Cavorting in China: Yu Garden

So, it was time to leave. But before we did that, we visited one final item on our list, the Yu Garden, also known as the Yuyuan Garden.

Cavorting in China: Zhujiajiao

We still had some days in Shanghai. So on one of these days, we did a day trip to a village that was far away, but believe it or not, it's still part of Shanghai. We took several metro rides to get to Zhujiajiao.

Cavorting in China: Oriental Pearl Tower

I suppose we can't get enough of the modern skyscrapers in Shanghai. So we made a point to climb up on one of them, the Oriental Pearl Tower.

Cavorting in China: 1933 Old Millfun

So we went back to Shanghai, and this time, we stayed in a different neighbourhood. It is great to explore different parts of a new city after all. And in the same vein, we also explored a new neighbourhood for us, the Hongkou District, where 1933 Old Millfun is located.

Cavorting in China: Nanping Mountain

The last place we wanted to visit in Hangzhou was the Nanping Mountain. This is a small hill on the southern side of West Lake, and is the home of Jingci Temple.

Cavorting in China: Leifeng Pagoda

After being on the lake for a while, we headed back to land. So we took the boat to return from the island, and after a tasty lunch that involved just pointing at pictures on a wall, we explored further. The next point we explored was the Leifeng Pagoda, which was located on the south side of the lake.

Cavorting in China: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon

So we learned that one of the most iconic views of China was in Hangzhou. This scenery is called Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, and is seen from the little island within the West Lake. So we decided to check it out.

Cavorting in China: West Lake

And then we went to Hangzhou. After spending a few days in Shanghai, we took the high speed train to Hangzhou. The train was so fast it whisked us to Hangzhou in no time. And after checking into our hotel, we immediately saw the West Lake.

Cavorting in China: The French Concession

Somehow we prioritised walking outdoors whenever the weather was good. So one day, we headed to explore the French Concession. There is a recommended walking tour on our guidebook, and we simply followed its route.

Cavorting in China: The Bund

The day after, the weather was better. It was sunny. So this time, we decided to follow one of those walking tours that were recommended by our guide book. This walking tour was for The Bund, on the other side of the river from Pudong. We took the metro and successfully found our destination, and a short walk from there was this nice little canal.