In Chengdu it's always worth taking a look, if you have the time, at Longquan Lake, Wangjiang Pavilion and Tiantai Mountain. But one thing you really shouldn't miss is the city's magnificent cuisine.

Finding a restaurant or a food stall is easy, but if you don't like dining with throngs of other people and if you have enough money, there are many delightful restaurants.

Proceeding from Kehua Beilu to Lingshiguan Lu (Consulate Road) and on Renmin Nanlu there is a wide range of top-flight restaurants.

The dish with the highest reputation in the city could be said to be the spicy crabs served up at the Lao Shi Ren Jia ("Honest Family") Restaurant.

And you shouldn't miss the hotpot here, even though summer has nearly arrived. One of the best hotpot restaurants is Kuai Le Lao Jia ("Happy Hometown").

If you want to try Sichuan dishes, Ba Guo Bu Yi on Renmin Nanlu is recommended.

In all the main streets, you can find delicious Chengdu snacks and dishes such as Hui Guo Rou (a kind of spicy meat in oil and Ma La Tang ("Numb, Spicy and Hot" - something like hotpot).

A roadside teahouse delights customers with its beautiful natural scenery.

Another place you shouldn't miss is Chengdu's tea houses.

The tempo of Chengdu is much slower than other big cities - perhaps this is partly attributable to the many tea houses. Chengdu people like to kill time in these places.

The one in People's Park, named Heming ("Singing Crane") Teahouse opened in the 1920s. Wooden tables, bamboo chairs, a rockery and a small stream create a charming atmosphere.

At the always-packed Shunxing Teahouse near the Convention and Exhibition Centre, you can enjoy traditional Sichuan Opera.

Travel tips

The best seasons for Chengdu are the months from March to June and from September to November. It will take tourists in Shanghai 15 hours by train or one and a half hours by air to Chengdu.

( Shanghai Star May 31, 2002)