Do the Du: Chengdu

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For China’s National Holiday, we packed up our duffle bags and headed down South to Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province. The travel was an experience in itself— it was our first time on a long train ride here (18 hours to be exact.) Hey, it was cheap, and we found out we had an extra day off, so we weren’t in any rush.

The train stations here are equally as large and crowded as any airport back in the States. Most people arrive early for their train and anxiously wait outside the gates with their luggage. It’s hard to tell who is homeless or who is simply a tired traveler.

You’re given five options on the slower-speed trains: hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper, soft sleeper, and deluxe soft sleeper (ordered from least comfortable/least expensive to most comfortable/most expensive). We were fortunate to have hard sleepers both ways (praise).

With the hard sleepers, there are 6 “bunks” to a room, with about 11 rooms per car. In other words, you’re really packed in there. The bed itself is small (think dorm-style) but you’re given a decent pillow and blanket to make things a bit more comfortable. The train attendants walk through the cars quite frequently throughout the trip, sweeping up trash and offering dried fruits and ramen noodles from their carts. They even clean the bathrooms, which is a huge bonus if you’ve ever experienced a frequented public (squat toilet) bathroom.

Overall, we really enjoyed Chengdu. We both agreed that for a big city, it felt much more relaxed and low-key than Xi'an. Then again, maybe that was just because we were on "vacation mode."

We ended up staying at three different hostels because we originally weren't sure on our vacation dates, and by the time we tried to extend our stay at one hostel, it was completely booked. It was a bit of a pain packing up and moving from place to place, yet it was neat to experience another hostel, meet new travelers, and see a different part of the city.

Most of the teachers from our program made their way to Chengdu too, so it was nice to spend time with them, catch up, and enjoy lots of good food (which was mostly Western... #sorrynotsorry.)

There were so many great moments from our trip, but I’ll highlight my top 5 here:

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The Aidao Nunnery

By far, one of my most memorable moments. Recommended by our first hostel, the nunnery was nestled near the more touristy Wenshu Monastery, but was far, far less crowded. We walked through several winding roads, artisan shops, and food carts to a quieter corner of the city.

Marking the nunnery’s entrance were two large metal doors with dragon mouthed handles, facing inward, almost as if they were beckoning you to come inside. A Buddha statue greeted you right away, along with two nuns situated off to the side of the entrance, chatting quietly with visitors. We walked among the enclosure first, admiring the Buddhist relics, enjoying the smell of incense, and listening to a room of robed women chanting softly.

We were told there was a vegetarian lunch ceremony that began at 11:40 AM every day, so we found our way to the meal hall. Following the “crowd” (by crowd, I mean 50 or so older women, men, and families) to a dish room, we chose a bowl and washed it, along with a set of chopsticks. We payed 5 yuan (less than $1) each for a “ticket” and made our way to the dining area. As we were walking, a nun began sounding a gong, while another sat in the dining hall singing. I noticed everyone set down their chopsticks to listen. They weren’t necessarily praying— they were simply paying respects to the nunnery, the nuns, and the meal.

We made our way to a seat after this as the nuns began dishing out the meal. I couldn’t tell you what we ate, but it was all vegetarian and it was one of the best meals I ate in Chengdu. Amidst all the traveling mayhem, having the opportunity to sit in a quiet space and enjoy a meal (with Buddhist nuns... I mean, come on!) was such a special experience.

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Local Sichuan Opera

This wasn’t necessarily a positive highlight, but it sure was memorable. The “opera” was performed inside a restaurant within a small city park. We payed 30 yuan (less than $5) each for a ticket inside. The best part of the show was the tea— included in our ticket was a delicious cup of jasmine tea that was refilled throughout the show (bonus!).

We stayed for three “acts,” which consisted of (from what we could tell) sassy grandmas telling stories, giving advice, and/or seeking revenge on another character, all while singing in a high-pitched tone, crying, dancing, and even fighting. We loved the band, though— with one hand, they would bang on a drum or some other instrument, and with the other, they'd smoke a cigarette or eat some nuts. There ya have it.

Sichuan Museum

One of the many “freebie” experiences— you can’t beat those! Although the museum was on the smaller side, it was beautiful. The rooms were full of paintings, pottery, ceramics, and artifacts from nearly all the dynasties, all discovered in the province of Sichuan. The whole time I couldn’t stop thinking about how impressively intact all of the relics were, especially considering how old China is. 

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Antique Art Market

After the Sichuan Museum, we walked over to a nearby antique art market. I wasn’t sure if we caught it at a good time or if it was one of the city’s “hidden gems” no one really knows about, but there was virtually no one there. While it was set in a small corner of the street, it was still full of many tiny shops and street vendors. You can find a lot of these street vendors around China, particularly in the tourist hot spots. What was extra-cool about this market was that you could tell people weren’t just selling things to make a quick buck— the artists were all working on new projects right there. You could really spend your paycheck... Stone jewelry, hand-carved statues, hand-painted pottery, and much, much more.

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Pandas

I must say, the pandas were a bit of a let-down, but because it's Chengdu, I have to mention them. Chengdu is well-known for pandas— the largest panda breeding research center is right in the city. However, visiting the panda park during China's National Holiday was like going to Disney World during April vacation when you were in middle school... times 10. We spent about 2 hours in the park and maybe a total of 10 minutes looking at pandas. The rest of the time, we were battling a sea of people just to move through the park. The babies were super adorable, though, and the red pandas put on quite a climbing show. 

When it's all said and done, Sichuan food is super spicy, pandas are lazy, and the monasteries are plentiful and beautiful. Chengdu is still definitely worth a visit. Now off to a 7-day teaching week... 

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