Chengdu Tea Houses & Parks

19 May 2010
The sound of majhong pieces clicking still echoes in our ears after our mid-day stroll through old sections and parks of Chengdu. There were thousands of game tables in the Baihuatan Park, full of seniors playing majhong, drinking green tea and eating healthy snacks like sunflower seeds. Quite an experience.




We visited three old sections of the town, Qintai Lu, which has a long tradition as a jewelry center, but has been redone in bad taste, and now is just a row of expensive jewelry stores. Another had lots of local artisans and simple restaurants in a park-like setting with waterways running throughout and lush vegetation.

The third reminded us a bit of Xintiandi in Shanghai and was mainly more upscale coffee shops, bars and restaurants. This is where the most Chinese tour groups were. We ate twice at a really good Indian restaurant near our hotel, Cacaya, which had excellent curries, cold beer, low prices – and was popular with locals.