A 9 hour layover. At 05:50 am next Tuesday I land in Tianfu. Exit the airport, take a taxi directly to a panda zoo, any of them is fine, visit for an hour or so, run back to the airport, have to be back at the airport at 13:00, flight takes off at 14:30.

OR I take the express metro to 火车南站, then metro to Chengdu Zoo.

Can it be done? Which panda zoo would be the best? Any other suggestion?

Thank you in advance for the help.

I will soon be spending a few months in Chengdu and would like to rent an apartment. The friendliest platform I found was Wellcee, which acts as an intermediary between landlord and resident.

I still have doubts about how reliable it is and whether I can sign online without fear, I found an apartment that caught my attention and I would like to close the contract

This here is the apartment. Is it a scam?

Hey all, I've been trying in vain to find an English copy of Tao te ching in Chengdu bookstores over the past couple of days. Does anyone have any leads? I'm specifically looking for a hard copy before I cave and grab an ebook. I'm already aware of this list: https://chengdu-expat.com/finding-english-language-books-chengdu/

Cheers.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently living in Chengdu and looking to get a new piercing soon.

Can anyone recommend a reputable, clean, and professional piercing studio (or a specific piercer) in the city? Hygiene and good aftercare advice are my top priorities.

It would also be great if they are somewhat beginner/expat-friendly, or if they're easy to find on Dianping (大众点评).

Thanks in advance for any recommendations! 🙏

Hey guys,

I'm set to arrive in Chengdu Tianfu at around 5:30am, assuming immigration takes an hour, I should be out around 6:30am, and I have a domestic transfer departing at around 2:00pm. Is this transfer enough to pop into the city for breakfast and something to do in the morning? Is it worth it or should I just stay in the airport? Worth noting, I am unable to stay in a hotel.

Where are the cool areas of Chengdu? Is there any nice 'strip' with multiple types of bars, breweries, or live music?

Perhaps some artsy stuff.

Cheers

does any1 know where i can get my bloodwork done and how much it costs? also where i can get trt and steroids?

I am travelling in Chengdu for just this week. My son has unfortunately contracted a case of oral thrush. I have tried to visit pharmacies for some antifungal gel but have been told they can’t supply it. We have been to the West China Hospital and the West China Hospital of Stomatology but they said it would take a week for us to see a doctor. We just need a walk-in clinic with a GP who can prescribe antifungal medicine. We have private medical insurance.

Do you know of any walk-in centres where I could take my son?

i'll be in Chengdu! i like coffee... walk around nice neighborhoods. museum, i love bakeries... cats, bars, whatever :) my first time to your town. i'd love to meetup or hear if there's some events happening, festival, or recommendations for me :)

probably i also want to go to Leshan too, hiking the Qingcheng Back Mountain 青城后山, Panda Valley 熊猫谷 + Dujiangyan day trips

would love to hear if more ideas, meetup, or recommendations :)))

Hi!

I'll be arriving at Chengdu Tianfu Airport end of this month at around 2am and will need to get a Chinese SIM card. Unfortunately my phone doesn't accept E-sim. Can I easily get one from the city?

I'll have roaming on from Thailand for the first few days, so there's no rush to get one at the airport.

I assume China Mobile is a good option?

Also how many days would you recommend spending in Chengdu?

I will be in China for roughly 20days give or take.

Thanks!

I'm in Chengdu until December, with an aim of drinking at 1 craft beer bar a week. Please let me know your recommendations. I could do cocktail bars but I'm more a beer or whisky person. Thanks!

I'm visiting Chengdu, China soon, and I'm looking for places to buy cheap physical PS4 games.

Ideally, I'd also like to buy a new PS4, preferably a US version or an international version (Japanese or Hong Kong version would be fine too). I want to avoid the mainland-China version because I use a US PSN account.

Are there any good game shops or markets in Chengdu where I can find reasonably priced physical PS4 games and possibly a console? I'm especially interested in places near Chunxi Road (春熙路).

Any recommendations from people who live in Chengdu or have bought games there would be really appreciated. Thanks!

I am planing on taking a one year non degree language program and SCU and have tried to submit an application for the spring semester 2027. However, I keep coming across hurdles which I can't solve anymore and I'm hoping that someone has some tips or suggestions.

While trying to pay the application fee, the only option I gat is Alipay, WeChat and bank of china. I don't have a Chinese bank account and Alipay as well as WeChat pay are somehow not working anymore in Europe even tho it worked fine when traveling china.

I tried to call the university but failed several times as they didn't pick up. They also have not replied to my E-Mail yet.

Another thing I noticed is that the overseas SCU homepage is not accessible anymore, even with a VPN.

Has anyone had similar experience and can give tips on what to do?

I’ve just returned from Chengdu and wanted to look at archival photos of the city centre - specifically, what used to be in the area around the IFS shopping centre with the panda. With the help of AI, I was able to read descriptions of those places before the modern development, but I haven’t found any good websites with historical or vintage photographs.
Chinese websites either won’t load for me (heh), or they do load but it’s impossible to tell where the photos were taken or what their sources are. Are there perhaps any archives from English-language publications that might have historical photos of central Chengdu?

Travelling with husband and 8 year old child (who LOVES caves). We'll be based in Chengdu and want to do a day trip to Qingcheng but am struggling to decide on which side.

Any advice or experiences? We're all good walkers although we'll probably use the cable car for some bits whether we go the Front or Back side of the mountain.

I'm a jeweller and I'm travelling to Chengdu soon. The cost of gold plating services have risen dramatically where I'm from, and I'd like to see if I could Gold plate in Chengdu. Does anyone have any recommendations?

So I'm currently travelling in China and am walking way more than my feet can actually handle. My dorm mate in the hostel mentioned having gotten her shoes fixed and thinking of getting new orthotics (that's what my translator app says they're called, we call em orthopedic shoes inserts) since they will likely be cheaper than in my country. Health insurance doesn't cover it and they'd cost multiple hundred Euros. Idk if this is even feasible but my feet hurt immensely after walking or standing for a couple hours – not the legs, not the arch of my foot, but specifically the bottom of my feet, the heel and the ball of the foot. It's very likely I walk wrong, my shoes deteriorate in certain areas faster than others, and without multiple breaks a day for self-massages I couldn't make it these days. Yesterday I walked 21k steps and in the shower before bed I could barely stand anymore, it was so bad.

Anyways tl;dr: anyone know anything about the process of getting shoe inserts in China, maybe a rough price estimate or can recommend a place? Thank you!!

Searched on Amap but they all have very few reviews. Would love to get a recommendation from personal experience.

Planning a trip to Chengdu a week before CNY, probably leave on 3rd or 4th Feb 2027, back to my country (SEA). What would it be like, will shops be mainly closed and will tourist places be closed as well?

I’d like to get some video of the HSR for a four-year-old who’s really into trains. (And fire engines. And "diggers," whatever that is.)

Does anyone know a good public spot that’s reachable by Metro, where I can film the HSR approaching and then passing at speed?

Thanks!

Hi, I will visiting Chengdu next week and I would love to find any place where I can buy or play board games. Could you recommend me any?

I'm traveling solo in Chengdu and would love some company (one, two, or more) for hotpot on Wednesday evening, around 7pm.

I'm staying near People's Park and was thinking somewhere in that general area, but I'm happy to go elsewhere for a good place.

I'm interested in food, history, bouldering, and exploring the city. Locals, expats and other travelers all welcome. Mainly looking for good conversation over good food rather than drinking or nightlife.

If interested, please reply here or DM me.

ps If Wednesday doesn't work ... I'm here through Friday.

Rode on it for the first time today (only about 1/4 of the way on a shared bike), super impressed that something this huge was built just for the residents to walk & bike on, lots of pretty bridges as well.