Chengdu – A garden city in Southwestern China, famous for spicy food & spicy girls.

Chengdu has one airport, the Shuangliu International Airport (CTU), in the southwest of the city. Located about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the city center, it is the largest aviation hub in central and western China, and aims to form the national aviation hub in mainland China. It has flights to more than 70 domestic cities and over 20 international cities. It is convenient to visit the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Spot by air from Chengdu, a 40-minute flight from CTU to Jiuhuang (Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong) Airport with one-way fare of about CNY 700. Visitors are advised to book flights early for this popular trip. Discounts may be available through hotels or travel agencies.

As the largest railway hub in southwest China, Chengdu has convenient railway transportation. At present, it has two railway stations for passenger transport: Chengdu Railway Station and East Railway Station. Another two passenger railway stations are south and west railway stations. The “two principals" (north and east railway stations) and  "two assistants" (south and west railway stations) setup of Chengdu rail transport are formed and better serve passengers.

Chengdu Metro is the rapid transit system of Chengdu. The system has six lines in operation. The first line of the Chengdu Metro opened in October 2010, slicing north-south through the city along Renmin Rd and connecting the North and South railway stations together. The fare for a single ride is ¥2-4 depending on distance. When entering the metro you need to put your bags through an X-ray machine. The ticket is flashed by the gates on the reader on your right side. You need the ticket to get out as well, so keep it safe.

Official taxis are either green or blue and are equipped with meters. A free taxi will display an illuminated sign with Chinese characters "空车" in its dashboard. The meter is turned on by tilting the sign, make sure the driver does that and if not, you can try to do it yourself and the driver usually gets your point. Taxi fare is ¥8 on flag fall for the older taxis and ¥9 for the new ones, and increases at ¥1.9 per km after the first 2 kilometers. 

Spring in Chengdu often comes early from the end of February and lasts long until early May.  As the temperature rises, colorful flowers are blooming one after another, and trees and grass are turning green under the spring wind. 

Summer here is both hot and rainy, from mid-May to early the end of August. Besides shorts, a thin overcoat and rain gear are also necessary for a summer tour to the trip. At this time, the area is somewhat unpleasant because of the high humidity although the temperature is usually less than 35 °C (95 °F).

Autumn usually starts from September and lasts till the end of October or early November. The temperature drops quickly, and there may be a lot of rain. You’d better take long-sleeved T-shirts and thin overcoats plus a thin sweater. Kalong Valley, Sanjiang and Miyaluo at this time are covered with red maple and yellow chrysanthemum, beautiful and magnificent. 

The average temperature in winter from November to mid-February is about 5 °C (41 °F). However, due to the clouds and moist weather, it feels very cold. You have to wear woollens, down jackets and warm winter boots to spend a winter holiday there. 

When people think of Chengdu, they immediately think of hotpot. Introduced from Chongqing, Chengdu hotpot has its own style ranging from simple spicy to moderate, three or four kinds of spices, as well as fish head hotpot, medical herbs hotpot, etc. Huangcheng Laoma is an old-fashioned hot pot restaurant, regarded as No. 1 among hotpot restaurants in the city. A worthy representative of Sichuan culture and diet, Huangcheng Laoma offers hotpot, plus stunning entertainment--a Changing Face opera performance/shadow play.

Fu Qi Fei Pian (Braised Cow Lungs) is a popular Chengdu dish, served cold or at room temperature, which is made of thinly sliced beef and beef offal. Common ingredients in the modern version include beef heart, tongue and tripe, and a generous amount of various spices, including Sichuan pepper. True to its Sichuan roots, the desired taste should be both spicy and mouth-numbing. 

Lai Tang Yuan (Lai's glutinous Rice Ball) is kind of the nutritious glutinous rice balls with sweet fillings made by Lai (Surname of the maker), which are soft and sweet. It is one of the most famous and popular local snack brands in Chengdu. With more branches than McDonald's, Lai Tang Yuan is easy to find in Chengdu.

130 kilometers from Chengdu, Wolong Natural Reserve is renowned as the hometown of giant pandas and the Natural Zoological and Botanical Garden. It's the earliest, largest and best-known panda reserve in China. It was placed on UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve Network in 1980. After the earthquake on May 12, 2008, the pandas were moved to Bifeng Gorge Panda Base.

This irrigation project is one of the world's cultural heritages constructed 2,000 years ago, and amazingly continues to benefit more than 40 neighboring counties. It's the oldest and only surviving no-dam irrigation system in the world and a wonder in the development of Chinese irrigation works.

The Three-Star Piles Museum in Nanxing Town, Guanghan, about 40 kilometers from city proper, exhibits the excavations of the ancient Shu Kingdom. It is an important archeological discovery which changed people's understanding of ancient history and culture.

Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, 400 kilometers away from Chengdu, lies a fairyland whose natural and primitive beauty impresses everyone who visits here. Jiuzhaigou with its heaven-bestowed landscape, precious animals, plants and the special local flavor of the Tibetan People, deserves the first recommendation for a neighborhood tour of Chengdu.

General Consulate of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Add: 2306# One Aroe Space Centre, No.7 Xinguanghua Road, Chengdu

Consular District: Sichuan Province, Guizhou, Yunan Province, Chongqing

Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00-18:00

Tel: 86-28-8526-8316

General Consulate of Royal Thai

Add: F/12, Building C, Fund International Plaza, No. 6, Hangkong Road, Chengdu

Consular District: Sichuan Province, Chongqing

Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00-12:00, 13:00-17:00

Tel: 86-28-6689-7861

General Consulate of the Republic of Singapore

Add: Level 30-01, YanlordLandmark Office Tower, No. 1 Section 2, Renmin South Road, Jinjiang.

All the local hospitals in Chengdu are open to international students. Students with minor illness can go to schools' clinic for help. If you are badly ill, you can see a doctor in any of the local hospitals.

Tips for seeing a doctor in the local hospitals.

Process:

Bring your passport, then fill in a form in the hospital which contains your name (English name or Chinese name), date of birth and contact person in China (name and contact)

Register with a doctor

Waiting at the corresponding section

Seeing the doctor