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Sichuan Travel Guide and Tips

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Our many years of Sichuan travel experience, we provide you with a Sichuan travel guide, travel tips, how to travel to Sichuan, attractions, etc. Make your trip to Sichuan full of unforgettable memories.

Sichuan is one of the most popular and largest tourist destinations in China. It is an abundant land full of places with impressive culture and magical nature. Here you can visit the "international honeys" - Giant Pandas, discover thousands years old civilizations, find some interesting local custom hidden in the modern bustling streets, make expeditions to some of the most challenging snow mountains, trek those mysterious and beautiful wild valleys, savor at delicious local Sichuan snacks and cuisines...you get here, and you see and experience more out of your expectation.

Why Visit Sichuan Province:

Hometown of Giant Pandas. Many travelers come to Sichuan for the adorable giant pandas where you can see it in Chengdu, Dujiangyan, Ya’an and Wolong. At present, Dujiangyan Panda Base is the only place to do panda volunteer program that travelers can have close contact with panda up close and personal, take care of the lovely creatures and even hug in your arms.

Gorgeous Natural Scenery & Colors of Nature. Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong are the best painting presenting the best color used by the Mother Nature. Visiting Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong is a feast of vision. Wild forests, flowers, lakes changes colors in different season – grey in spring, green in summer, golden in autumn, white in winter.

Ancient Shu Lost Civilization. Before the discoveries of Sanxingdui and Jinsha Site, most people believed Sichuan played more as a constituent part in China history than an independent local civilization. But after research on the cultivated relics, archaeologist has indicated that the cultural existence of Sanxingdui and Jinsha were quite different from those typical civilization in northern or center ancient China, such as Xia Dynasty, Shang Dynasty.

Three Kingdom Culture. Three Kingdoms Culture is one of the most exciting parts of China history which is full of stories. Sichuan, known as Yi State in ancient time, is the stronghold or the base of Shu Han Bloc of which the leaders are Liu Bei, Zhu Geliang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, etc.

Holy Land for Buddhism. Sichuan Buddhism has a long history since Han Dynasty and the temple in Sichuan reached more than ten thousand in history. Mount Emei is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains in China which is regarded as the Bodhimanda, or place of enlightenment, of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra.

Birthplace of Taoism. For those who are interested in Taoism, travelers should explore the origin in the birthplace of Taoism – Mount Heming and know more sect and architectural building in Mount Qingcheng and have a bite of the legendary story about Laozi in Qingyang Palace.

Leisure Life..Sichuan is known for its leisure culture and slow-paced life which can be vividly experienced in Chengdu. No matter how quick the city develops and how fast-paced the locals move, the consistent relaxing and calm way of life resonates throughout every aspect of Chengdu.

Most Popular Tourist Destinations

Sichuan has 18 cities and three autonomous prefectures. Here, we have listed the most popular tourist destinations for you:

China Panda

Chengdu: As Sichuan’s capital city, it’s one of the most popular tourist cities in China and is home to giant pandas and the famous Chengdu hot pot.

Leshan: This historic cultural city is famous for its giant Buddha statue and Mount Emei.

Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong: These are fairylands with waterfalls, alpine lakes, tranquil grasslands, snowy mountain views, and Tibetan villages.

Kangding: Located in western Sichuan, this is a county-level city belonging to Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It’s filled with Tibetan culture and tranquil plateau scenery.

Daocheng: This region offers alpine views under a blue sky, flowing rivers and lakes, broad pastures, and snowcapped mountains.


Must-Sees in Sichuan

Sichuan is a large province and each city has many attractions. Here, we have handpicked the must-see attractions in Sichuan:

Chengdu

Wolong Panda Center: In the homeland of pandas, there are multiple activities for people to take part in, especially for those who prefer to see pandas in their natural habitat.

Jinli Ancient Street: This is an old street filled with the glamour of Sichuan’s folk customs and is one of the oldest shopping streets. It is a stage for life in Chengdu.

Jinsha Site Museum: This is one of the most important archaeological sites in China.

The Leshan Giant Buddha: It is the tallest and largest Buddha carved in a cliff in China.

Jiuzhai Valley National Park: This World Heritage Site is renowned for its stunning natural scenery of colorful lakes.

Mount Emei: It is one of the most well-known summer destinations and acts as a natural "oxygen bar".

Mount Siguniang: This a good place for climbers and hikers. It is well-known for its various sceneries, especially the precious plants and animals.

Best Times to Visit Sichuan

 

Sichuan is a big province — it’s about the size of Spain or California. Three major geographical regions lead to different weather conditions.

Eastern Sichuan’s lowlands have a relatively pleasant climate for touring all year round. The best times to visit the area are spring and autumn. Most cities in Sichuan are located in this area, such as Chengdu and Leshan.

Western Sichuan’s high plateau has a long winter and a cold summer but with lots of sunshine. The best time to visit this area is in summer. The representative areas are Kangding, Ganzi, and Daocheng.

Southern Sichuan’s mountains have a changeable climate, which depends on the altitude.

The Colorful Sichuan Culture

Apart from cute pandas and beautiful natural scenery, Sichuan’s colorful culture is also a big attraction.

Spicy Food Culture

Sichuan Hot Pot

Sichuan's spicy cuisine, one of the eight famous cuisines in China, is renowned worldwide for being hot and numbing. Sichuan lies in a mountainous region with a humid climate.

Cooking food with peppercorns, chilies, ginger, peppery herbs, and broad bean chili paste gets rid of the cold inside people’s bodies.

According to historical records, the cuisine originated in the ancient nations of Ba and Shu. Sichuan comes from "Four Lus" — Lu is the ancient administrative unit of Song Dynasty, and Sichuan is composed of four lus.

So the Cuisine has four styles and divided by location: Chengdu, Chongqing, the Yangtze and the Jialing River. So the flavor includes Chongqing, Chengdu, Leshan, Neijiang, Zigong and other local-style dishes' characteristics.

The most famous Sichuan dishes include hot pot, gong bao chicken (kung pao chicken), twice-cooked pork, stewed bean curd with minced pork in pepper sauce, and sautéed shredded pork in a spicy chili sauce.

Sichuan Opera — “Face-Changing”

Sichuan Face-Changing

In a Sichuan opera performance, as the plot changes and the inner world of the characters change, the facial makeup changes accordingly. Multiple (layered) masks worn by the actors can be changed at lightning speed.

A photographer once tried to capture the secret behind this by turning up the shutter speed on his camera to maximum but had to admit that the actor's face changes happened so quickly that even his camera was unable to follow the action.

Mahjong Culture

Sichuan Mahjong

Playing mahjong is the major form of entertainment for Sichuan people. When you visit Sichuan, you will see people playing mahjong everywhere — in the street, in the park…

In mahjong, there are 144 small rectangular tiles, which are usually made of bamboo, bone, or plastic with different patterns on them.

Four players have 34 unknown tiles. They take new tiles and discard useless tiles one by one in turn. People who organize the right arrangement first win the game.

If you are interested in playing mahjong, your local guide can teach you how to play it and you can play with the locals during your tour.

Recommended Sichuan Tours

Top 4 Sichuan Tours chosen by most customers to explore Sichuan in the best way. Check the detailed itinerary, or tailor your own trip now with us.

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