Chengdu: China's happy capital - International Traveller Magazine

This ancient city has evolved into what more than one billion people have voted the happiest city in China. Are they onto something?, asks Rob Woodburn

The two ‘big guns’ of Chinese travel are Shanghai and Beijing. But the country’s southwest city of Chengdu, capital of the Sichuan province, is climbing the ranks.

It has been nominated in domestic polls as “best tourism city", “happiest city", and bestowed with “the supreme honorary award of China’s model city for people’s livelihood".

Chengdu is a city of splendid temples, restful teahouses and famously spicy food – but is perhaps best known outside China as the gateway to Tibet and more popularly, the place of the panda.

But there is much more to this city. In keeping with a turbulent 2300-year history, Chengdu again finds itself in the throes of significant change. The construction of 30 new skyscrapers and 90 huge commercial complexes promises to radically alter the city skyline.

For the moment, however, pockets of a timeless Chengdu can still be seen down serpentine alleys where gnarled doorways open onto the compact courtyards of ancient wooden houses. Chengdu’s venerable, tranquil temples also provide relief from the fast forward velocity of the streets.

Wenshu Monastery is the perfect example; serene and soothing, the air perfumed by plumes of incense smoke. Wenshu dates from the 6th century BC and contains some 300 Buddhist statues carved in stone, clay, bronze, copper or gold.

Saffron-robed monks conduct daily worship in one of the monastery’s halls, their chanting punctuated by the resonant chimes of a brass gong. The monastery garden has a small pagoda and fishpond, perfectly suited to meditative moments. Wenshu also has a teahouse and a popular vegetarian restaurant.

At the centre of Chengdu is Tianfu Square with its landmark statue of Chairman Mao – at 30 metres tall, it is reputedly the biggest Mao statue in China. The founding father of the People’s Republic gazes perpetually with arm outstretched down Renmin Nan Road where, ironically, both a McDonalds and a Starbucks are in his line of sight.

Tianfu’s fountains and vibrant flowerbeds inject movement and colour into this vast community space. It can be particularly lively in the evening, especially when singers, dancers and musicians perform.

The side streets of Chengdu are a constant whirr of commerce. Customers bargain animatedly over the cost of vegetables, fruit and cooking oil. Pots of noodles brew on the pavement, hawkers peddle snacks and drinks, and scooters whizz past weighed down with bulging sacks. Apartment balconies overlooking the street are strewn with washing lines, the buildings festooned with garish billboards. A group of men squat on the kerb playing cards, impervious to their surroundings.

Another local cultural gem, Qinyang Palace in the city’s west, is the oldest Taoist temple in the Chengdu region. Statues of snarling lions guard a complex of wooden halls resplendently detailed in gold and turquoise paint. In nearby Huanhuaxi Park are the Shu Brocade and Sichuan museums as well as Du Fu Thatched Cottage, the replica home of a famous Tang Dynasty poet.

Taking tea is core to Chengdu tradition and there’s no better place to join in than the teahouse on a lakeside deck in People’s Park, a green oasis just a couple of blocks west of Tianfu Square. The locals don’t just sip tea and read newspapers but also engage in communal Tai Chi, dancing and singing.

The path beside the Jin Jiang River is another regular social hub where games of wei qi (Go), mahjong, chess or cards are played in the riverside shade and attract knots of curious spectators. In a cool spot by the water a professional wax remover uses thread-like wires to delve delicately into his patient’s ears.

Wuhou Memorial Temple, south of the river, is another major religious site but it’s an adjacent attraction that draws the crowds. Jinli Ancient Street is the restoration of a Shu Kingdom shopping street. The grand entrance is a period-style palace gate, albeit one housing a Starbucks.

Along Jinli you can buy all sorts of folksy souvenirs. Two females in Miao (minority group) traditional dress with splendid headgear attract a steady audience to their silver shop. You can also buy bangles, beads, paper lanterns, painted fans, blown glass, plaster animals, shadow puppets, silk brocade pillows, panda toys and bamboo baskets.

Jinli is fun but more fulfilling are the Sichuan snacks available from the adjacent food street. These include delicacies such as tofu dusted with nuts and chilli flakes, fried octopus, spiced pork slices, dan dan noodles, tiny deep-fried birds and offal soused in chilli oil.

Three years ago UNESCO handed Chengdu the plaudit of Asia’s first City of Gastronomy and local food mag Sichuan Cuisine estimates there are now some 40,000 restaurants and teahouses.

Sichuanese cuisine is famously fiery. Nothing beats the intensity of the Chengdu hotpot; a deep bowl of bubbling, viscous dark red liquid sprinkled with mouth-numbing chillies and potent Sichuan peppercorns. Slices of meat, seafood and vegetables are cooked in this broth then dabbed in crushed garlic and coriander before eating. Caveat emptor!

Other worthy suggestions for sampling the essence of Chengdu include the Jinsha archaeological site of ancient graves filled with treasures, some of them on display; the Shufeng Sichuan Opera for singing with acrobatics, an acquired taste but unforgettable; and Chunxi Road for shopping. Look for handbags, bed sheets and pillowcases decorated with Shu embroidery or brocade, Qingcheng silk rugs, silverware, fine lacquer ware and bamboo products.

And of course, the pandas. One of the best places to see these pandas is Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (or Chengdu Panda Base), which lies north of the city and consists of numerous low-walled enclosures within 106 verdant, shady hectares. It’s worth devoting a whole morning here – this is their feeding time and when they are most active.

At last count the base was home to 83 indolent yet adorable bamboo munchers. The base also has beautiful, sleek Red pandas but they simply don’t have the pulling power of their tubby black-eyed cousins. And an extra $220 may buy you the opportunity to have a Giant panda cub sit on your lap for a photo.

Digital boomtown

The three state-telecom giants – China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom – are together spending $US47 billion to create the world’s largest cloud-computing base at Chengdu Tianfu Software Park.

One fifth of all computers in the world are now made in Chengdu. Local factories produce most of Apple’s iPads and 50% of Intel’s global supply of chips.

New and remarkable architectural wonder The New Century Global Centre, a glass and steel pagoda “big enough to hold 20 Sydney Opera Houses", will open in time for the Fortune Global Forum of top CEO’s this June.

Work will soon begin on the futuristic Tianfu Cultural and Performance Centre and MoMA Chengdu is to rise “under the nose of Mao’s statue" in Tianfu Square.

A city that had no luxury hotels now has 27. The Sofitel Wanda and the Shangri-La are five-star neighbours. New business hotels include Fraser Suites, Crowne Plaza and the period-style Old Chengdu Club. In the pipeline are Mandarin Oriental (opening 2015), Four Points by Sheraton Chengdu (2016) and Western China’s first Waldorf Astoria (2016).

The details

How to get there
China Southern flies from Sydney to Chengdu via Guangzhou twice a day with minimal connection times. Return economy fares from $1094 and business class fares from $3929, including taxes. There are 10 flights a week from Melbourne, daily from Brisbane and three flights a week from Cairns and Perth. flychinasouthern.com

Wendy Wu Tours offers independent itineraries like the Chengdu Short Stay, from $685 per person twin share including three nights’ accommodation, breakfasts, guide, entrance fees and two lunches. wendywutours.com.au

When to go
The best time for travel to Chengdu is in spring, between March and May, or in autumn, between September and November, when temperatures average between 19-25 degrees Celsius.

Where to Stay
Boutique: Old Chengdu Club: 20 period-style rooms with Ming and Qing Dynasty furnishings and décor. Rooms from $142 per night. 28 Wuyuegong Street, Qingyang District; +028 8695 6688

Luxury: Sofitel Wanda Chengdu: French elegance beside the Jin Jiang River within easy walking distance of Tianfu Square. Rooms from $110 per night. 15 Binjiang Middle Road; sofitel.com

Where to eat: Visit a teahouse at least once, not necessarily for great food but to soak up the local atmosphere.
Affordable: Baguo Buyi Restaurant: A vast selection of local dishes along with other regional choices. Renmin Nan Lu 20, 4 Duan

Memorable: Chuan Jiang Hao Zi: A popular Chengdu hotpot hangout in the Yulin area south of the river and known for its restaurants. 131 Fangcao Street

High End: For a big night out locals will often choose a top hotel restaurant like the Sofitel Wanda’s The Palace and La Brasserie (sofitel.com) or Shangri-La’s Shang Palace (shangri-la.com).

You can’t leave without
Seeing the Giant pandas. Most tours will collect you from your hotel. panda.org.cn/english/

Best thing about Chengdu
Away from your hotel, a low headcount of foreign tourists on Chengdu’s streets allows for a delicious sense of exploring a ‘new frontier’.

Worst thing about Chengdu
Deciphering the urban sprawl can be difficult so most visitors rely on a local guide and usually retrace well-worn paths. Where possible, get out and about on your own.

You should know
Australian passport holders need a pre-arranged visa to travel to China. A single entry visa costs $60, must be obtained in person from a Chinese visa application service centre and takes four to five working days to process. For more information visit smartraveller.gov.au

The Chinese currency is Renminbi with the Yuan as its basic unit. It can be purchased with AUD or USD on arrival. Visa, Mastercard and Amex are accepted in China.

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Make sure your holiday to China is one to remember – contact the expert team at Selective Tours at www.selectivetours.com

After youth-led protests in 2025, this year Nepal elected a 35-year-old former rapper as Prime Minister. In a country where tourism is its biggest industry, what’s next for travellers?

In 1986, Nepal changed its clock. It had used India Standard Time since 1920 so, to differentiate, it wound its clock 15 minutes ahead of, not behind, its big-brother neighbour. Boss move. “Nepal is strongly opposed to the idea that our identity is connected to India,” says Community Homestay Network (CHN) guide Bikal Khanal.

Tharu dance is traditionally set to hand drums. (Credit: Kate Lewis)

Today, Nepal is the only independent country with a 45-minute deviation to universal time; an oddity that’s become a symbol of national pride. The quirk is nearly as endearing as Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan airport where carved varnished wood and shiny red bricks rule. One sign points to a ‘Travelator’ and another to a ‘Grievance Handling Desk’ while visas are noisily stamped at customs for US dollars, cash only. When am I?

Spot the endemic Nepal gray langur. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

The 15 or 45 minute anomaly sees me tap out completely on timezone calculations. Why bend my brain calculating if it’s quarter to or quarter past elsewhere when I’m in the honking here and now of Kathmandu where the air is high-altitude crisp, the prayer flags flutter and the street dogs howl?

How tourism is changing in Nepal

Bardiya National Park is rich with wildlife. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

India is not the only association many Nepalis would like to shake. With eight of the world’s 10 tallest mountains, including Mount Everest and Annapurna, Nepal has long attracted mountaineers and trekkers, and expedition numbers are continuing to rise.

Tourism is one of the country’s biggest sources of foreign currency, so this growth is not negative, per se. But according to Ang Tshering Lama, who co-founded Phaplu Mountain Bike Club, being reduced to a mere trekking destination is limiting.

“Trekking is just one layer of our identity,” says Ang. “When it becomes the dominant narrative, it limits how we’re seen and how we see ourselves.” Nepal’s recent success, however, in diverting trekkers to less-trafficked areas such as Manaslu mofuntain, where visitor numbers rose by 117 per cent last year, offers hope that tourism can diversify even more radically.

Local men in Bhada village. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

The founder of CHN, Shiva Dhakal, wants that change. “The whole idea of the Community Homestay Network is to promote experiences outside of trekking,” he says. “Community tourism changes lives and helps kids stay home instead of coming to the city or migrating to the Middle East.”

Ang grew up seeing people leave, “not because they wanted to but because there weren’t enough opportunities to stay”, he states. Yet from remote villages to living traditions; food, art, music and emerging subcultures, “there’s so much that’s not being seen.”

CHN is opening some of those doors. It doesn’t own, or fund, any homes. Rather, it promotes homestays to travellers on a single, slick platform, while fostering entrepreneurship in places where women, marginalised castes, Indigenous people and the youth stand to benefit the most.

A new generation demanding more

Dalla Town Hall, where volunteers discuss anti-poaching tactics. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

The future prospects of next-gen Nepalis can no longer be ignored. On a Kathmandu tour with 33-year-old guide Monica K.C, we pass buildings torched in the September 2025 ‘Gen Z protests’, including the Supreme Court and Parliament House. Seventy-two people died. “They were anti-corruption protests,” says Monica. “Politicians’ children are living a lavish life but the airports are crowded with youngsters leaving to find work.”

We stop in ‘little Tibet’ at the wondrous sixth-century Boudha Stupa. “The wheel of life is Buddhism in a nutshell,” says Monica. “Things such as hate, ignorance and anger keep you rotating around the wheel, so you must follow the principles of Buddhism to detach. If you can’t, there’s no nirvana for you.”

Boudha Stupa's prayer wheels — Boudha Stupa’s prayer wheels are used to recite Buddhist prayers. (Credit: Kate Lewis)

In a sun-drenched twist to the usual temple visit, we ascend the stupa’s sloping plinth and roam its whitewashed dome. Tendrils of diaphanous prayer flags stream from a steeple-like structure where the Buddha’s unblinking eyes stare out. No nirvana for you…

bouda stupa prayer flags — Tibetan-style prayer flags embellish the whitewashed dome of Bouda Stupa, a Buddhist temple. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

The dome is delightfully free of guard rails or chiding from security. There is, however, a stern ‘No TikTok’ sign, perhaps in response to the youth’s newly flexed power. The booted-out Prime Minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, was replaced in a resounding election victory in March by 35-year-old Balendra Shah of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) – a former rapper and mayor of Kathmandu. The RSP’s manifesto indicates tourism is a priority, and that Nepal’s cultural identity in areas such as gastronomy will be strengthened.

Boudha Stupa vendors — Vibrant souvenir shops and cafes around Boudha Stupa. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

A more confronting stop awaits at Pashupatinath Temple. Today is Bala Chaturdashi, a Hindu festival where thousands of devotees gather to honour their dead ancestors. Vendors hauling foam mattresses do a lucrative trade as people set up for a night of vigil. This includes burning the bodies of recently deceased relatives on bamboo pyres in the Bagmati River, which flows into the sacred Ganges.

A woman at annual Hindu festival Bala Chaturdashi, in Kathmandu. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Wrapped in a shroud, the bodies are positioned with their heads facing north to the Himalayas where Lord Shiva resides. They’re covered with flowers and straw and set alight by male family members.

Hours later, the ashes are swept into the river where devotees will take a holy dip the next day. As much as Monica assures us it’s not voyeuristic to watch, I struggle to do so. “Here you see the reality of life because everyone ends up there,” she says, gesturing to the river.

Life unfiltered in the Terai region

tharu woman — Tharu woman and master weaver Parbati Chaudhary in Bhada Village. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

The reality of life needs processing time, which the western Terai region delivers in spades. The Terai is largely separated from India by the Karnali River and Bardiya National Park, where elephants, rhinos and the elusive Bengal tiger roam.

Once a nomadic tribe, the Indigenous Tharu people are now the largest ethnic group here. “They didn’t know their daily life was interesting for international travellers but they’re starting to understand now,” says CHN founder Shiva.

Take a Jeep safari through Bardiya National Park. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

We fly Buddha Air to Dhangadhi airport and drive five hours to stay in Tharu homes. The journey to Bhada village is a blur of roadside fruit stalls, traffic-stopping sacred cows and fields sown with wheat, rice, mustard, spinach, cauliflower and potatoes. Nepal’s agriculture feeds only Nepal.

Marigolds are an important part of Hindu rituals. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

“The only thing we export is young people,” says our guide Bikal. As the light dims and we plunge evermore rural, mysterious mounds of compacted hay – some house-sized – loom like the creatures from Where The Wild Things Are. Even our trusty driver gets flummoxed by a dirt road that abruptly ends and we find ourselves hurtling across a paddock.

On arrival, some are ferried to mud-walled cottages greened by gourd creepers, with thatched roofs and rustic-chic mosquito nets. Myself and two others are ushered to the home of corner store owner, mechanic and mushroom farmer Man Kumar Chilaruwa and his wife Rajkumari.

community homestay entrance — A warm welcome at a community homestay. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

They escort us to a bunker-esque back building with steel doors and a folding security gate, behind which is gleaming linoleum, dolphin-printed tiles and a shower cavity that must be gingerly stepped through to reach the toilet.

The ceiling lights emit a rainbow of colours (the bathroom light gets stuck in, frankly, a quite frightening red). We’re nevertheless touched that our hosts invested in all this bling when the average salary is around $275 a month.

In the coming days, we participate in Tharu traditions such as making moonshine, dancing, weaving straw handicrafts and gold-panning. We’re fed well with staples of rice, mustard greens, lentil pancakes, daal, curried chicken and tomato chutney served on antibacterial saal leaves.

food at community homestay — Dig in. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Sonara community homestay president Indradevi Tharu tells us river snails are often served, and the boiled and pickled flesh of rats hunted in the rice fields. “Perhaps next time?” we say and all have a laugh.

The power of community homestays

community homestay owners in Nepal — Barda community homestay owners Parbati Chaudhary and Ram Krishni Devi Chaudhary. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

Immersing Western visitors in foreign cultural practices is not new. But with the Tharu, I never get that uneasy sensation that I’m being performed for. Despite being the only tourists, there’s no ‘othering’; just warm, composed and ultra-dignified welcomes. Like we’ve always been here.

“I love to have travellers in my village so I can see the world,” says local woman Parbati Chaudhary. “Why would I travel the world when the world comes to me?”

The graceful acceptance the Tharu offer, as well as the slow pace, works miracles on my frazzled nervous system. One day I even take a nap on a vacant homestay bed.

Sonara community room — An authentic stay in the Sonara community. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Roosters strut and goats bray as we sit on the ground in al fresco kitchens, rolling rice flour into cylinders steamed to make dhikri (dumplings). When water is needed, we fetch it using a hand-operated pump as a family of ducks strolls by, side-eying us like curious neighbours.

Animal lovers will delight in Tharu villages. Kind and resourceful inventions are everywhere, such as snacking stations where two posts lean together, with leafy boughs dangling on rope for baby goats to forage from.

CHN’s CEO, Aayusha Prasain, nods knowingly when one in our group says she cried when she left her host, Shayam Chaudhary, in Bhada. Shayam’s 17-year-old son, Prashant, had translated, which deepened the connection.

“Community tourism turns travel into a relationship, not a transaction,” says Aayusha. “It places decision-making power in the hands of local communities, especially women and youth.” Since 2018, CHN has hosted more than 4000 travellers from 52 countries in 408 households, and estimates women’s participation has increased by 381 per cent.

In the Bardiya community, where vexing human-animal conflict has been a balancing act for decades due to elephants raiding crops, long-time homestay operator Salik Ram Chaudhary says young people keep the older ones on their toes.

“We can’t keep homestays stagnant,” he says. “We have to upgrade our service and redefine our product or young people won’t see it as an attractive business. If we can keep evolving with this travelling trend we’re confident the youths will stay and continue it.”

Back in Kathmandu, Monica explains that after the deaths of young protestors in September, a determination had spread to not let their sacrifice be in vain. “We want to keep holding the government accountable,” she says. “We don’t know what situation we’re facing, but we’re ready to face it.”

Interested in Nepal but prefer to experience it in total comfort? Read our guide to luxury travel in Nepal.

Chengdu: China’s happy capital

Digital boomtown

The details

Make sure your holiday to China is one to remember – contact the expert team at Selective Tours at www.selectivetours.com

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