Note:
If you are only interested in insights on how to game Chengdu women, you might want to skip reading this post.
Full Disclosure:
I am a white American of entirely NW european descent (5/8 Scandinavian) who has never really been into east Asian women, so this is going to color
my observations.
The TL;DR is TL;DR:
While noticeably more attractive than Han Chinese women in other parts of China and overseas, if you do not already find such women attractive Chengdu is unlikely to change your mind.
TL;DR:
Chengdu women are definitely more attractive than your average Han Chinese girls, but not overwhelmingly so. Unless you are truly on the cusp of finding Chinese girls attractive, Chengdu will underwhelm you. Even if you are attracted to them, the language barrier in most cases is enormous without Mandarin fluency. Chengdu has all the amenities one would want while visiting, and is surprisingly livable for the developing world. However, if you are visiting China for the first time, unless you have several months or really love panda bears, there are many other places that you should see first.
Introduction:
I visited Chengdu in April of 2018 to visit people that I knew living there and to see the sites. I had visited China before, but back in the late 1990s when I saw Beijing, Shanghai, and the Yangtze's Three Gorges area before it was flooded to make a dam.
China has changed a lot in 20 years, and it definitely shows in Chengdu, with its massive infrastructure and first world level car fleet of mid-sized sedans, where the most common car is a nicely equipped VW Passat sedan.
I was only there for 11 nights and spent most of my time seeing the sites and getting some badly needed R&R.
Now let's get to the part everyone wants to read.
I apologize in advance that I do not have that much to say about it.
The Girls:
Looks:
I distinctly recall not seeing a single Chinese woman who I found attractive when I visited Beijing and Shanghai 20 years ago. That was not the case in Chengdu. Chengdu and its neighbor city Chongcheung are often noted for having the most attractive women in China. I have to agree that that is definitely the case for Chengdu. It is very rare for me to see East Asian women who I find attractive, yet in Chengdu I saw examples multiple times per day.
Chengdu Han Chinese women are definitely more attractive than I remember seeing in either Beijing or Shanghai 20 years ago or seeing
in Pittsburgh, PA recently, which I noted had more attractive East Asian women than other places I had been.
However, if you do not find Chinese girls generally physically attractive, Chengdu is unlikely to change your mind unless you are truly on the edge.
While I frequently saw women that I thought were attractive in Chengdu, the average girl just didn't do anything for me.
Even the ones who caught my eye made me think:
Attitudes:
Due to 12 hours of jetlag and not speaking Mandarin, I really did not interact with very many women, so I cannot provide much insight. I got only two noticeable IOIs when I was there. One of the IOIs was attractive though.
The Competition:
I didn't make any approaches. I do not know how the local girls feel about the local men.
Where the girls are:
If you speak Mandarin, they are everywhere. I traveled all over Chengdu including many places tourists and even expats rarely visit. While I did not see lots of girls that I found attractive, I always saw at least a couple.
If you don't speak Mandarin, though, your options are going to be much more limited.
The main area where expats and tourists are and where presumably Chengdu girls who can speak English and are potentially interested in a foreign boyfriend is at the intersection of 2nd ring road and main north south road in the south of the city, where the American consulate is located.
There are at least some Chinese women at all of these establishments listed below who speak English. I have no idea if they find any type of expats who do not speak Mandarin attractive. All are reasonably close to the American Consulate either by walking or public transport.
Establishments where English is commonly spoken:
Bookworm:
This is a bookstore-bar-restaurant in the style of Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC. It has excellent and safe to eat salads. The only place where I have ever had salads with fresher and tastier vegetables is California.
The Shamrock:
This leans more towards an actually Irish Irish Pub, not an American Irish Bar. They have frequent salsa nights, but I got the impression that most
people came as couples and that you REALLY needed to be good. Both local and expat men danced very well.
The Range:
This is an American style sports bar. They have excellent food.
The Irish Bar:
About 300m from the American Consulate.
This bar is Irish in the American sense of the word. If you miss that style of Irish bar, this a great place to go.
Again, I want to emphasize that I have no idea if any of these places make sense if you want to game but do not speak mandarin.
Boring But Important Stuff:
How to get there:
Visa:
You will most likely need a visa to visit China.
The cost is $140 for a basic one month tourist visa (type L) for Americans, and does not include Tibet. I was told after I applied that one could apply for a 10 year tourist visa. I would advise looking into that.
It is a complicated process.
You will need at least the following when you apply:
You should get to your local visa office at least a 1/2 hour before it opens or else you will risk waiting a long time to be served. You will still wait a long time, though not as long, if you get there early and prepared.
The visa office can be loud. I would advise bringing head sets or ear plugs for your wait.
Plane:
Chengdu has a major international airport with significant long haul direct service from cities such as Amsterdam, San Francisco, Frankfurt, Paris, Prague, Los Angeles, Tel-Aviv, etc...
I was advised by multiple people that you should avoid any flights to Chengdu where you have to change planes at Los Angeles International (LAX) or Beijing. It was noticeable on kayak.com that the cheap deals to fly to Chengdu very often went through at least one of those 2 cities if you were flying from the USA's Northeast Corridor. Hopefully, this will change in the next few years with planned upgrades to LAX allowing easier transfers between terminals and with Beijing building a new airport.
Chengdu's Airport has both excellent road connections with cheap taxis and a subway connection. The subway connection, however, is an extension and does not go to the city center. You will very likely have to change trains in order to use it.
Also, if you are flying on a Boeing 787, you should note that not all window seats have actual windows. There appear to be major support bulks at certain parts of the main cabin. This can be quite unpleasant if you were counting on the extra inch or two the indent of the window provides. Make sure to closely analyze where your seat is on the plane before choosing it.
Train:
China now has a high speed train network that includes Chengdu. While I did not take a train, I was told that it was a really nice way to travel. Apparently you can travel one way from Beijing in less than 8 hours going first class for $150.
Road:
China now has excellent interstate/autobahn style highways all over the country. However, keep in mind that long distance driving in China can be exceptionally dangerous. The Chinese have a bad habit of parking cars and trucks in the fast lane, where people then crash into them going 100+ km/hr.
I heard stories of expats having such accidents and being permanently crippled.
When you get to Chengdu, parking is scarce even in the suburbs, while the traffic is very bad and people drive in a very third world style.
Despite all of their recent achievements, the Chinese are doing a very poor job of living down the stereotype of Asians driving badly.
For the reasons mentioned above, I do not recommend driving to Chengdu.
Going Away:
The Airport:
It still has a developing country look and vibe up close. A new one is currently being built.
The airport has excellent road connections and a subway line going to it. However, the subway does not run 24/7, and may take a while due to distance and a need to change trains. If you have an early flight, you may not have the option of using it to get to the airport.
Checking in can be difficult since I saw no signs in English pointing to where airlines were, plus there are two unconnected terminals.
There are many security and immigration checks. If you fly internationally, make sure to get there at least 2 1/2 hrs in advance and know which terminal from which your flight leaves. If you think that it might be a busy day at the airport, make it 3 hrs.
At least in April when the temperature was warm, the airport had no air conditioning. If there is AC, they do not run it in April. It also may not have heat in the winter, but I do not know from experience. Make sure to dress in layers.
Where to stay:
The best neighborhood to stay in is around the intersection of the 2nd ring road and the mains north south road, where the American consulate is located. It has hotels that range from very low end to 5 star.
Getting Around:
Public Transit:
Chengdu's mass transit is outstanding. The metro system is very extensive and has English language announcements and scripts. They are still building it. It should get bigger every year. The second ring road has a bus rapid transit line with exclusive traffic free lanes. Chengdu's buses are also excellent, but using them without knowing Mandarin or Chinese characters will be difficult. While full, neither the subway or buses get overwhelmingly crowded, even during rush hour. Fares start at around $0.40 and go up, at least on the subway, the farther you go.
Taxis:
Chengdu taxis are very cheap. Fares start at under $2 and go up at about $0.40 per km/minute. However, the cabbies will not speak english.
Drive Sharing:
There is an uber like service in Chengdu, but I never used it. Keep in mind that you may not be able to get 4G service without using a phone purchased in China. Having to use 3G makes such a service essentially useless.
Prices:
Many say that China is not as cheap as it used to be.
For Chengdu, it depends. If you know how to speak Mandarin, you can go to a hole in the wall and have absolutely great tasting chinese meals with lots of dishes and with plenty of delicious Chinese beer and not so delicious Chinese liquor for no more than $10 a person, and that's assuming everyone really likes to drink. If you want to have an English menu with photos of the dishes in an obvious location, it will cost you a bit more.
You can stay in a well located and clean business hotel that has heat and AC for less than $50 a night, but expect it to look in need of a renovation.
However, if you want all of your western comforts and spit and polish, expect to pay western or near western prices.
McDonald's is about $4.50 for a BigMac meal. In North Arlington, VA, an expensive suburb of DC, it is $7.20.
Sandwiches at Subway are pretty much exactly the same price as DC.
Starbucks actually costs more. Expect any item that you order there to cost about $1 more that it would in DC. Its competitors in Chengdu appear to charge about the same, though the coffee is often of higher quality.
Unique Issues to Chengdu and China:
Personal Space:
The Chinese have a very different concept of personal space than westerners do. Even East Asian Americans born and raised in the USA are shocked by this. People stand a lot closer in line and people will often cut in front of you. The guy sitting next to me on the flight simply jumped over me to look out the window when the plane approached San Francisco.
Seeing people of the same sex holding hands is common.
Toilets:
China has made a massive effort to upgrade its public toilets recently and it shows. They are much cleaner than I remember from the 1990s and now usually include modern toilets. However, older buildings will still have the hole in the floor that you need to squat over to defecate, so be aware of that.
Heating:
In the 1950s, The Communist leadership of China passed a law declaring central heating was illegal south of the Huai River and Qin Mountains in China. As a result, many buildings in Chengdu do not have heat. This can be very uncomfortable during the winter. At least all who I spoke to said that March and April are the nicest times to go. If you visit in the winter, make sure beforehand where you are staying has heat.
Mobile Phone Service:
Getting mobile phone service can be tricky. I was not able to get it from a street vendor despite having a friend who could speak Mandarin helping me. I had to get it from China Mobile, and apparently since I bought my phone outside of China only got 3G instead of 4G service.
I get the feeling that with the exception of some Western European countries, switching between local services while traveling is not as easy as advertised.
As well, the phone service was not up to what I am used to in the USA in general. I know that people like to bash Verizon Wireless for being expensive and using CDMA instead of GSM, but my growing experience with other services both in and out of the USA is making me realize that when it comes to coverage and reliability, they are top notch.
Censorship:
The "Great Firewall of China" is overblown. All the digital issues that I ran into were due to China's infrastructure not quite being up to American standards yet, despite much of that infrastructure being built in China.
Yes, you cannot access any google, facebook, or twitter, but there are many alternatives like yahoo that are not blocked. The only thing that I was told that you absolutely avoid was discussion about were the three Ts:
Basically, do not talk about politics, look it up while you are there, or especially write it digitally while you are there and you should be fine.
Food & Drink:
Alcohol:
Chengdu does not appear to have any open container laws, at least none that are enforced as long as you behave yourself. For just under $0.50, you can buy a .5L bottles of the local Chinese beer at a hole in the wall and drink it while taking a stroll along one of Chengdu's rivers or lakes, which is really nice.
Chinese beer is essentially German style beer such as Beck's made with rice instead of barley. I personally like it a lot. However, it travels very poorly and should be avoided outside of China. Chinese hard liquor tends to be very unrefined. Both are very cheap.
Any major western brand of beer, wine, or hard liquor can be bought in a Chengdu mega market at very reasonable but standard prices. A bottle of Jameson is just under $24 at CareFoure. In Arlington, VA, the same bottle is $31.
You can get not just Western style but American style beer, wine, and liquor in china at reasonable but not cheap prices. Goose Island IPA is available in many places that are surprising. I even saw Kansas City's Boulevard beer for sale, but this was at the Irish Bar mentioned above which is owned by a guy from Oklahoma.
However, if you want western liquor in a western style bar, prices will be the same as Washington, DC. A beer at Shamrock, Book Worm, The Range, or
the Ritz Carlton can easily exceed $10 if it is not Chinese. A double of Jameson will cost around $8.
Food:
Food Safety:
Unlike 20 years ago, food in China appears to be now completely safe. I drank tap water and ate excellent fresh fruits and vegetables without any stomach problems.
If you are still worried, you can just drink bottled water and just order Chinese cuisine since most of it is fully cooked.
Food Quality:
World Class
Sichuan food is one of China's premier cuisines.
You should absolutely have Sichuan hot pot while you're there, which is China's spicy & non dairy answer to fondue. It's fun and delicious. If you generally don't think much of Tofu, try Ma Po Tofu while your there. If you don't like it, then no tofu dish will ever taste good to you. You could schedule every meal for months in Chengdu and still not have every Chinese delicacy it has to offer.
Also, if you go, get ready to never be able to eat most Chinese food outside of China again. In America and Europe, Chinese food gets Chef-Boy-R-Dee'd
and your reaction will be "what the hell is this?"
In addition, there are many stores that sell western style prepared food such as bakeries. I didn't eat any because I figured "I can get that in the USA", but they looked delicious. The prices were less than DC but not dramatically so.
If you are in the mood for American bar food, it is available too, well made, and safe to eat, including salads with very nice fresh vegetables, but expect to pay American prices for it.
If you have access to a kitchen, the city is full of Walmarts and Carrefours that have almost all of the ingredients and products that one would be used
to purchasing in the USA, Canada, or Western Europe. Make a point of seeing one anyway, since it is interesting to see the Chinese differences like live fish in tanks.
The Sites:
The Scale Given Its Obscurity:
Chengdu is a city of probably 10 million people. Its size, scale, and infrastructure including massive double decker elevated highways, elevated high speed rail lines, extensive mass transit, massive power lines, and
seemingly endless rows of 30+ story buildings inspire awe. Chengdu's enormousness creates areas and views that remind one of a non-apocalyptic and cleaned up BladeRunner. It makes Chicago look like a village.
It is shocking to realize that such an enormous place with largely modern infrastructure is practically unknown outside of China.
Being in a Completely Chinese Area of China:
Foreigners of any background are rare to see in Chengdu even in areas to which tourists commonly go, and practically non-existent in the rest of the city. Even at the airport and on flights to and from the USA, one sees mostly Han Chinese.
If you are not racially NE Asian and want to know what it feels like to be a minority in a completely homogeneous society, Chengdu is the place for you.
Panda Bears:
The Chengdu region is the home of the Panda Bears, often considered to be the symbol of China as the Bald Eagle is the symbol of America.
In the North East suburbs is the Panda facility where Pandas are bred. It is a very nice place, with very nice gardens in addition to the Pandas. It costs less that $10 to visit. It is a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of Chengdu, even if you do not care about panda bears.
However, go on a weekday in the morning. The weekend crowds are overwhelming. The Pandas do their adorably cute feeding in the morning and often retreat to their shelters afterwards.
What everyone wants to see are the baby panda bears once they have grown their fur. The lines can be very long for this, and there will likely be a guard yelling at you if you take more than 10 seconds looking at them. If you want a picture of yourself with them, it would be a good idea to go with a friend so that you can take pictures of each other with your phones. Given the yelling guard, people will not likely hold your phone/camera for you.
I was told that one can pay either $500 or $1000 (I do not remember exactly) to hold a baby panda, but keep in mind that they are wild animals and can scratch or bite you.
The best way to get there is to go NE on the number 3 metro line, getting off at the station called Panda Avenue in western script. There are buses that will take you there from the station, and the fare will include admission to the park.
Getting back can be tricky. I ended up taking a public bus with the number 1XX (I do not remember the Xs), so if you do not speak mandarin you should make arrangements for this.
Wenshu Temple:
This is a buddhist temple just north of the city center. It's free to go to and definitely interesting if you have never seen one before.
There is taoist temple nearby too which is also worth seeing. It's on the 1 metro line that follows the main north-south road.
Marco Polo Bridge:
This is a walking bridge in the center of Chengdu with a restaurant on top of it. It's fun to see and free to walk over, but I was told that the restaurant is expensive and bad.
Tea Houses:
Chengdu is famous for its tea house culture. These range from the very nice and traditional to carved out of slums. This is a good way to rest your feet while you are seeing the sites.
The People's Park:
A very well kept park in the center of Chengdu. It has a very pretty tea house worth visiting. It is within walking distance from the main downtown square.
Downtown:
The downtown area is worth seeing just to appreciate how massive it is. Just go to the center square and start walking around.
Global Center:
This is a shopping center that is one of the largest buildings in the world. While a bit tacky, it's still quite something to see. Parts of it can induce mild vertigo.
It's in the suburbs south of the city. The 1 metro line will take you there.
The Eastern Mountains:
Without question this is the most underrated site in Chengdu. On the eastern edge of the city is a chain of mountains. If you are in Chengdu on a clear day, these are an absolute must see. While not all that tall, the mountains are very beautiful with breath taking views. They reminded me of a more lush Italy or California. One can go to the end of the subway lines and take a bus from there if you know mandarin (some 8XX buses will take you up the mountains). You will probably need to get a day driver or rent a minibus with others if you do not know mandarin.
CAUTION!!!:
If you wish to hike, you will need a knowledgeable guide. Otherwise, you can risk accidentally walking into the entrances of military facilities where foreigners are VERY unwelcome. If you bump into one, turn around and get away immediately.
Should you go?:
Should you go to game?:
If you already like Chinese girls and speak mandarin, yes, you should absolutely go. Chengdu girls are noticeably better looking than Chinese girls from elsewhere. However, if Chinese girls just aren't your thing, you are probably better off saving your money.
Should you move there?:
If you have industrial, financial, medical, or IT skills that Chinese employers genuinely need and are willing to pay you a western level salary for, yes. Even first world level housing costs are low, taxes are low (if you're not American), economic opportunities abound, and by Chinese standards the air pollution is OK. If China just did something about its air pollution, I think one would see a surge of Westerners trying to move to places in China that do not include the hyper expensive Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong-Shenzhen-Guandong areas.
Should you go as a tourist?
Unless you truly adore panda bears or have many weeks of time, no, you should not. There are many parts of China with much more interesting sites.
Conclusion:
Chengdu will not likely pursuade you to pursue Chinese women if you do not already have the inclination. However, even a largely indifferent man can see that Chengdu women are noticeably more physically attractive than your average Chinese girl in other parts of China or outside of China. If you do decide to game them, not speaking Mandarin will greatly limit your options.
Getting to Chengdu is not difficult due to excellent infrastructure, prices are still low if you know what you are doing, alcohol is cheap to reasonable, the food is safe and excellent, but be careful about getting a visa, getting mobile data service and whether there is central heating and modern HVAC where you chose to stay. Possible job opportunities for foreigners in Chengdu should not be dismissed. If you are just in China for the sites, unless you absolutely love panda bears or have significant time to spare, you should skip Chengdu.
If you are only interested in insights on how to game Chengdu women, you might want to skip reading this post.
Full Disclosure:
I am a white American of entirely NW european descent (5/8 Scandinavian) who has never really been into east Asian women, so this is going to color
my observations.
The TL;DR is TL;DR:
While noticeably more attractive than Han Chinese women in other parts of China and overseas, if you do not already find such women attractive Chengdu is unlikely to change your mind.
TL;DR:
Chengdu women are definitely more attractive than your average Han Chinese girls, but not overwhelmingly so. Unless you are truly on the cusp of finding Chinese girls attractive, Chengdu will underwhelm you. Even if you are attracted to them, the language barrier in most cases is enormous without Mandarin fluency. Chengdu has all the amenities one would want while visiting, and is surprisingly livable for the developing world. However, if you are visiting China for the first time, unless you have several months or really love panda bears, there are many other places that you should see first.
Introduction:
I visited Chengdu in April of 2018 to visit people that I knew living there and to see the sites. I had visited China before, but back in the late 1990s when I saw Beijing, Shanghai, and the Yangtze's Three Gorges area before it was flooded to make a dam.
China has changed a lot in 20 years, and it definitely shows in Chengdu, with its massive infrastructure and first world level car fleet of mid-sized sedans, where the most common car is a nicely equipped VW Passat sedan.
I was only there for 11 nights and spent most of my time seeing the sites and getting some badly needed R&R.
Now let's get to the part everyone wants to read.
I apologize in advance that I do not have that much to say about it.
The Girls:
Looks:
I distinctly recall not seeing a single Chinese woman who I found attractive when I visited Beijing and Shanghai 20 years ago. That was not the case in Chengdu. Chengdu and its neighbor city Chongcheung are often noted for having the most attractive women in China. I have to agree that that is definitely the case for Chengdu. It is very rare for me to see East Asian women who I find attractive, yet in Chengdu I saw examples multiple times per day.
Chengdu Han Chinese women are definitely more attractive than I remember seeing in either Beijing or Shanghai 20 years ago or seeing
in Pittsburgh, PA recently, which I noted had more attractive East Asian women than other places I had been.
However, if you do not find Chinese girls generally physically attractive, Chengdu is unlikely to change your mind unless you are truly on the edge.
While I frequently saw women that I thought were attractive in Chengdu, the average girl just didn't do anything for me.
Even the ones who caught my eye made me think:
wb
not:WB!
Again, if you like Han Chinese girls already, you're going to really like Chengdu. They are definitely a significant step above Chinese girls that I have seen elsewhere in China and outside of China.Attitudes:
Due to 12 hours of jetlag and not speaking Mandarin, I really did not interact with very many women, so I cannot provide much insight. I got only two noticeable IOIs when I was there. One of the IOIs was attractive though.
The Competition:
I didn't make any approaches. I do not know how the local girls feel about the local men.
Where the girls are:
If you speak Mandarin, they are everywhere. I traveled all over Chengdu including many places tourists and even expats rarely visit. While I did not see lots of girls that I found attractive, I always saw at least a couple.
If you don't speak Mandarin, though, your options are going to be much more limited.
The main area where expats and tourists are and where presumably Chengdu girls who can speak English and are potentially interested in a foreign boyfriend is at the intersection of 2nd ring road and main north south road in the south of the city, where the American consulate is located.
There are at least some Chinese women at all of these establishments listed below who speak English. I have no idea if they find any type of expats who do not speak Mandarin attractive. All are reasonably close to the American Consulate either by walking or public transport.
Establishments where English is commonly spoken:
Bookworm:
This is a bookstore-bar-restaurant in the style of Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC. It has excellent and safe to eat salads. The only place where I have ever had salads with fresher and tastier vegetables is California.
The Shamrock:
This leans more towards an actually Irish Irish Pub, not an American Irish Bar. They have frequent salsa nights, but I got the impression that most
people came as couples and that you REALLY needed to be good. Both local and expat men danced very well.
The Range:
This is an American style sports bar. They have excellent food.
The Irish Bar:
About 300m from the American Consulate.
This bar is Irish in the American sense of the word. If you miss that style of Irish bar, this a great place to go.
Again, I want to emphasize that I have no idea if any of these places make sense if you want to game but do not speak mandarin.
Boring But Important Stuff:
How to get there:
Visa:
You will most likely need a visa to visit China.
The cost is $140 for a basic one month tourist visa (type L) for Americans, and does not include Tibet. I was told after I applied that one could apply for a 10 year tourist visa. I would advise looking into that.
It is a complicated process.
You will need at least the following when you apply:
- a TYPED application (using adobe acrobat reader for the pdf from their website is enough)
- a photocopy of your passport
- a passport photo
- a "letter of invitation". A hotel reservation will do in this case.
- a plane ticket purchased BEFORE getting a visa and include a copy of it
- if you have ever visited China before, a photocopy of your previous Chinese visa
You should get to your local visa office at least a 1/2 hour before it opens or else you will risk waiting a long time to be served. You will still wait a long time, though not as long, if you get there early and prepared.
The visa office can be loud. I would advise bringing head sets or ear plugs for your wait.
Plane:
Chengdu has a major international airport with significant long haul direct service from cities such as Amsterdam, San Francisco, Frankfurt, Paris, Prague, Los Angeles, Tel-Aviv, etc...
I was advised by multiple people that you should avoid any flights to Chengdu where you have to change planes at Los Angeles International (LAX) or Beijing. It was noticeable on kayak.com that the cheap deals to fly to Chengdu very often went through at least one of those 2 cities if you were flying from the USA's Northeast Corridor. Hopefully, this will change in the next few years with planned upgrades to LAX allowing easier transfers between terminals and with Beijing building a new airport.
Chengdu's Airport has both excellent road connections with cheap taxis and a subway connection. The subway connection, however, is an extension and does not go to the city center. You will very likely have to change trains in order to use it.
Also, if you are flying on a Boeing 787, you should note that not all window seats have actual windows. There appear to be major support bulks at certain parts of the main cabin. This can be quite unpleasant if you were counting on the extra inch or two the indent of the window provides. Make sure to closely analyze where your seat is on the plane before choosing it.
Train:
China now has a high speed train network that includes Chengdu. While I did not take a train, I was told that it was a really nice way to travel. Apparently you can travel one way from Beijing in less than 8 hours going first class for $150.
Road:
China now has excellent interstate/autobahn style highways all over the country. However, keep in mind that long distance driving in China can be exceptionally dangerous. The Chinese have a bad habit of parking cars and trucks in the fast lane, where people then crash into them going 100+ km/hr.
I heard stories of expats having such accidents and being permanently crippled.
When you get to Chengdu, parking is scarce even in the suburbs, while the traffic is very bad and people drive in a very third world style.
Despite all of their recent achievements, the Chinese are doing a very poor job of living down the stereotype of Asians driving badly.
For the reasons mentioned above, I do not recommend driving to Chengdu.
Going Away:
The Airport:
It still has a developing country look and vibe up close. A new one is currently being built.
The airport has excellent road connections and a subway line going to it. However, the subway does not run 24/7, and may take a while due to distance and a need to change trains. If you have an early flight, you may not have the option of using it to get to the airport.
Checking in can be difficult since I saw no signs in English pointing to where airlines were, plus there are two unconnected terminals.
There are many security and immigration checks. If you fly internationally, make sure to get there at least 2 1/2 hrs in advance and know which terminal from which your flight leaves. If you think that it might be a busy day at the airport, make it 3 hrs.
At least in April when the temperature was warm, the airport had no air conditioning. If there is AC, they do not run it in April. It also may not have heat in the winter, but I do not know from experience. Make sure to dress in layers.
Where to stay:
The best neighborhood to stay in is around the intersection of the 2nd ring road and the mains north south road, where the American consulate is located. It has hotels that range from very low end to 5 star.
Getting Around:
Public Transit:
Chengdu's mass transit is outstanding. The metro system is very extensive and has English language announcements and scripts. They are still building it. It should get bigger every year. The second ring road has a bus rapid transit line with exclusive traffic free lanes. Chengdu's buses are also excellent, but using them without knowing Mandarin or Chinese characters will be difficult. While full, neither the subway or buses get overwhelmingly crowded, even during rush hour. Fares start at around $0.40 and go up, at least on the subway, the farther you go.
Taxis:
Chengdu taxis are very cheap. Fares start at under $2 and go up at about $0.40 per km/minute. However, the cabbies will not speak english.
Drive Sharing:
There is an uber like service in Chengdu, but I never used it. Keep in mind that you may not be able to get 4G service without using a phone purchased in China. Having to use 3G makes such a service essentially useless.
Prices:
Many say that China is not as cheap as it used to be.
For Chengdu, it depends. If you know how to speak Mandarin, you can go to a hole in the wall and have absolutely great tasting chinese meals with lots of dishes and with plenty of delicious Chinese beer and not so delicious Chinese liquor for no more than $10 a person, and that's assuming everyone really likes to drink. If you want to have an English menu with photos of the dishes in an obvious location, it will cost you a bit more.
You can stay in a well located and clean business hotel that has heat and AC for less than $50 a night, but expect it to look in need of a renovation.
However, if you want all of your western comforts and spit and polish, expect to pay western or near western prices.
McDonald's is about $4.50 for a BigMac meal. In North Arlington, VA, an expensive suburb of DC, it is $7.20.
Sandwiches at Subway are pretty much exactly the same price as DC.
Starbucks actually costs more. Expect any item that you order there to cost about $1 more that it would in DC. Its competitors in Chengdu appear to charge about the same, though the coffee is often of higher quality.
Unique Issues to Chengdu and China:
Personal Space:
The Chinese have a very different concept of personal space than westerners do. Even East Asian Americans born and raised in the USA are shocked by this. People stand a lot closer in line and people will often cut in front of you. The guy sitting next to me on the flight simply jumped over me to look out the window when the plane approached San Francisco.
Seeing people of the same sex holding hands is common.
Toilets:
China has made a massive effort to upgrade its public toilets recently and it shows. They are much cleaner than I remember from the 1990s and now usually include modern toilets. However, older buildings will still have the hole in the floor that you need to squat over to defecate, so be aware of that.
Heating:
In the 1950s, The Communist leadership of China passed a law declaring central heating was illegal south of the Huai River and Qin Mountains in China. As a result, many buildings in Chengdu do not have heat. This can be very uncomfortable during the winter. At least all who I spoke to said that March and April are the nicest times to go. If you visit in the winter, make sure beforehand where you are staying has heat.
Mobile Phone Service:
Getting mobile phone service can be tricky. I was not able to get it from a street vendor despite having a friend who could speak Mandarin helping me. I had to get it from China Mobile, and apparently since I bought my phone outside of China only got 3G instead of 4G service.
I get the feeling that with the exception of some Western European countries, switching between local services while traveling is not as easy as advertised.
As well, the phone service was not up to what I am used to in the USA in general. I know that people like to bash Verizon Wireless for being expensive and using CDMA instead of GSM, but my growing experience with other services both in and out of the USA is making me realize that when it comes to coverage and reliability, they are top notch.
Censorship:
The "Great Firewall of China" is overblown. All the digital issues that I ran into were due to China's infrastructure not quite being up to American standards yet, despite much of that infrastructure being built in China.
Yes, you cannot access any google, facebook, or twitter, but there are many alternatives like yahoo that are not blocked. The only thing that I was told that you absolutely avoid was discussion about were the three Ts:
- Tibet
- Taiwan
- Tiananmen Square Massacre in June 1989
Basically, do not talk about politics, look it up while you are there, or especially write it digitally while you are there and you should be fine.
Food & Drink:
Alcohol:
Chengdu does not appear to have any open container laws, at least none that are enforced as long as you behave yourself. For just under $0.50, you can buy a .5L bottles of the local Chinese beer at a hole in the wall and drink it while taking a stroll along one of Chengdu's rivers or lakes, which is really nice.
Chinese beer is essentially German style beer such as Beck's made with rice instead of barley. I personally like it a lot. However, it travels very poorly and should be avoided outside of China. Chinese hard liquor tends to be very unrefined. Both are very cheap.
Any major western brand of beer, wine, or hard liquor can be bought in a Chengdu mega market at very reasonable but standard prices. A bottle of Jameson is just under $24 at CareFoure. In Arlington, VA, the same bottle is $31.
You can get not just Western style but American style beer, wine, and liquor in china at reasonable but not cheap prices. Goose Island IPA is available in many places that are surprising. I even saw Kansas City's Boulevard beer for sale, but this was at the Irish Bar mentioned above which is owned by a guy from Oklahoma.
However, if you want western liquor in a western style bar, prices will be the same as Washington, DC. A beer at Shamrock, Book Worm, The Range, or
the Ritz Carlton can easily exceed $10 if it is not Chinese. A double of Jameson will cost around $8.
Food:
Food Safety:
Unlike 20 years ago, food in China appears to be now completely safe. I drank tap water and ate excellent fresh fruits and vegetables without any stomach problems.
If you are still worried, you can just drink bottled water and just order Chinese cuisine since most of it is fully cooked.
Food Quality:
World Class
Sichuan food is one of China's premier cuisines.
You should absolutely have Sichuan hot pot while you're there, which is China's spicy & non dairy answer to fondue. It's fun and delicious. If you generally don't think much of Tofu, try Ma Po Tofu while your there. If you don't like it, then no tofu dish will ever taste good to you. You could schedule every meal for months in Chengdu and still not have every Chinese delicacy it has to offer.
Also, if you go, get ready to never be able to eat most Chinese food outside of China again. In America and Europe, Chinese food gets Chef-Boy-R-Dee'd
and your reaction will be "what the hell is this?"
In addition, there are many stores that sell western style prepared food such as bakeries. I didn't eat any because I figured "I can get that in the USA", but they looked delicious. The prices were less than DC but not dramatically so.
If you are in the mood for American bar food, it is available too, well made, and safe to eat, including salads with very nice fresh vegetables, but expect to pay American prices for it.
If you have access to a kitchen, the city is full of Walmarts and Carrefours that have almost all of the ingredients and products that one would be used
to purchasing in the USA, Canada, or Western Europe. Make a point of seeing one anyway, since it is interesting to see the Chinese differences like live fish in tanks.
The Sites:
The Scale Given Its Obscurity:
Chengdu is a city of probably 10 million people. Its size, scale, and infrastructure including massive double decker elevated highways, elevated high speed rail lines, extensive mass transit, massive power lines, and
seemingly endless rows of 30+ story buildings inspire awe. Chengdu's enormousness creates areas and views that remind one of a non-apocalyptic and cleaned up BladeRunner. It makes Chicago look like a village.
It is shocking to realize that such an enormous place with largely modern infrastructure is practically unknown outside of China.
Being in a Completely Chinese Area of China:
Foreigners of any background are rare to see in Chengdu even in areas to which tourists commonly go, and practically non-existent in the rest of the city. Even at the airport and on flights to and from the USA, one sees mostly Han Chinese.
If you are not racially NE Asian and want to know what it feels like to be a minority in a completely homogeneous society, Chengdu is the place for you.
Panda Bears:
The Chengdu region is the home of the Panda Bears, often considered to be the symbol of China as the Bald Eagle is the symbol of America.
In the North East suburbs is the Panda facility where Pandas are bred. It is a very nice place, with very nice gardens in addition to the Pandas. It costs less that $10 to visit. It is a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of Chengdu, even if you do not care about panda bears.
However, go on a weekday in the morning. The weekend crowds are overwhelming. The Pandas do their adorably cute feeding in the morning and often retreat to their shelters afterwards.
What everyone wants to see are the baby panda bears once they have grown their fur. The lines can be very long for this, and there will likely be a guard yelling at you if you take more than 10 seconds looking at them. If you want a picture of yourself with them, it would be a good idea to go with a friend so that you can take pictures of each other with your phones. Given the yelling guard, people will not likely hold your phone/camera for you.
I was told that one can pay either $500 or $1000 (I do not remember exactly) to hold a baby panda, but keep in mind that they are wild animals and can scratch or bite you.
The best way to get there is to go NE on the number 3 metro line, getting off at the station called Panda Avenue in western script. There are buses that will take you there from the station, and the fare will include admission to the park.
Getting back can be tricky. I ended up taking a public bus with the number 1XX (I do not remember the Xs), so if you do not speak mandarin you should make arrangements for this.
Wenshu Temple:
This is a buddhist temple just north of the city center. It's free to go to and definitely interesting if you have never seen one before.
There is taoist temple nearby too which is also worth seeing. It's on the 1 metro line that follows the main north-south road.
Marco Polo Bridge:
This is a walking bridge in the center of Chengdu with a restaurant on top of it. It's fun to see and free to walk over, but I was told that the restaurant is expensive and bad.
Tea Houses:
Chengdu is famous for its tea house culture. These range from the very nice and traditional to carved out of slums. This is a good way to rest your feet while you are seeing the sites.
The People's Park:
A very well kept park in the center of Chengdu. It has a very pretty tea house worth visiting. It is within walking distance from the main downtown square.
Downtown:
The downtown area is worth seeing just to appreciate how massive it is. Just go to the center square and start walking around.
Global Center:
This is a shopping center that is one of the largest buildings in the world. While a bit tacky, it's still quite something to see. Parts of it can induce mild vertigo.
It's in the suburbs south of the city. The 1 metro line will take you there.
The Eastern Mountains:
Without question this is the most underrated site in Chengdu. On the eastern edge of the city is a chain of mountains. If you are in Chengdu on a clear day, these are an absolute must see. While not all that tall, the mountains are very beautiful with breath taking views. They reminded me of a more lush Italy or California. One can go to the end of the subway lines and take a bus from there if you know mandarin (some 8XX buses will take you up the mountains). You will probably need to get a day driver or rent a minibus with others if you do not know mandarin.
CAUTION!!!:
If you wish to hike, you will need a knowledgeable guide. Otherwise, you can risk accidentally walking into the entrances of military facilities where foreigners are VERY unwelcome. If you bump into one, turn around and get away immediately.
Should you go?:
Should you go to game?:
If you already like Chinese girls and speak mandarin, yes, you should absolutely go. Chengdu girls are noticeably better looking than Chinese girls from elsewhere. However, if Chinese girls just aren't your thing, you are probably better off saving your money.
Should you move there?:
If you have industrial, financial, medical, or IT skills that Chinese employers genuinely need and are willing to pay you a western level salary for, yes. Even first world level housing costs are low, taxes are low (if you're not American), economic opportunities abound, and by Chinese standards the air pollution is OK. If China just did something about its air pollution, I think one would see a surge of Westerners trying to move to places in China that do not include the hyper expensive Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong-Shenzhen-Guandong areas.
Should you go as a tourist?
Unless you truly adore panda bears or have many weeks of time, no, you should not. There are many parts of China with much more interesting sites.
Conclusion:
Chengdu will not likely pursuade you to pursue Chinese women if you do not already have the inclination. However, even a largely indifferent man can see that Chengdu women are noticeably more physically attractive than your average Chinese girl in other parts of China or outside of China. If you do decide to game them, not speaking Mandarin will greatly limit your options.
Getting to Chengdu is not difficult due to excellent infrastructure, prices are still low if you know what you are doing, alcohol is cheap to reasonable, the food is safe and excellent, but be careful about getting a visa, getting mobile data service and whether there is central heating and modern HVAC where you chose to stay. Possible job opportunities for foreigners in Chengdu should not be dismissed. If you are just in China for the sites, unless you absolutely love panda bears or have significant time to spare, you should skip Chengdu.