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16 million metro population, 6 million in city proper.
Birth place of famous dishes of Sichuan cuisine: kung pao chicken, mapo tofu, double-cooked pork, ...
Largest panda research and breeding center in the world.
Rich historical sites.
Rich local culture. e.g. Chengdu has more tea houses than Beijing and Shanghai combined.
Some ethnic diversity. There is a Tibetan neighborhood.
Consulates of USA, Germany, France, Israel, South Korea, Thailand, Australia, Pakistan...
Direct flights to America and Europe.
I wouldn't recommend it as a tourist destination to any non-Chinese. The "rich local culture" aren't that interesting to watch, and mostly inaccessible to non-Chinese anyway. The food is very monotonous - it is hard to find non Sichuan Chinese food even, let along non-Chinese food. In fact the only place to eat something non spicy and greasy is Starbucks. The panda research center is ok I guess but not really worth a trip on its own.
I wouldn't recommend it as a tourist destination to any non-Chinese. The "rich local culture" aren't that interesting to watch, and mostly inaccessible to non-Chinese anyway. The food is very monotonous - it is hard to find non Sichuan Chinese food even, let along non-Chinese food. In fact the only place to eat something non spicy and greasy is Starbucks. The panda research center is ok I guess but not really worth a trip on its own.
However Chengdu is the No. 5 tourist city in China, in terms of the number of visitors. Chengdu is also a transit port to Jiuzhaigou, Emei Mountain, Tibetan cities etc.
It is a big city and there are many non-local food restaurants, including Japanese, Italian and French.
All American fast food restaurants can be found there too (KFC, MC, Subway, Burger King, Pizza Hut), not just Starbucks.
However if you are not interested in local culture and food, why bother to visit it?
Last edited by Bettafish; 11-28-2017 at 01:41 PM..
I would say it's probably more well known than Vancouver in most of the world except for India and China... and maybe Washington state.
Well said....was thinking of how to respond. You did it better.
Besides, Vancouver was the only place I've been where I could take a picture of a Starbucks while standing in a different starbucks across the street. Vancouver has a great Asian nightlife scene. Montreal feels much more European. Both are neat cities, and perhaps due to their northern exposure had never made my list of places I'd like to visit prior to work trips bringing me there and having me be pleasantly surprised.
I wouldn't recommend it as a tourist destination to any non-Chinese. The "rich local culture" aren't that interesting to watch, and mostly inaccessible to non-Chinese anyway. The food is very monotonous - it is hard to find non Sichuan Chinese food even, let along non-Chinese food. In fact the only place to eat something non spicy and greasy is Starbucks. The panda research center is ok I guess but not really worth a trip on its own.
Chengdu is one of the largest cities in China with 15 million people, more than Paris and London, and you are saying you can't find non-Chinese non-spicy food there?? Do I need to show you the great varieties of Thai, Japanese, Korean, Indian as well as western restaurants to you? Not to mention the ubiquitous American fast food chains.
Chengdu has thousands of years of history and has always been an important economic and cultural centre in west China. And there are plenty of beautiful and interesting places in and around the city. It is more interesting than Shanghai or Hong Kong - the kind of places westerners always want to see for some reasons, and is definitely worth a trip on its own.
Well, that’s 3 billion people, 40% of the world.
I *had* thought of that, but thanks!
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Vancouver has a great Asian nightlife scene. Montreal feels much more European. Both are neat cities, and perhaps due to their northern exposure had never made my list of places I'd like to visit prior to work trips bringing me there and having me be pleasantly surprised.
