“Bienvenue à Chengdu, maison des pandas et ville d’abondance”!
Vous vous apprêtez à séjourner ici pour une courte durée, le temps d’un week-end? Nous vous avons concocté un petit programme afin de ne rien manquer!
Jour 1
Pour bien commencer sa journée, que diriez-vous d’un bon café ou d’un smoothie? Nous vous conseillons le Bookworm, n’oubliez pas votre bouquin et plan de la ville!
• Métro ligne 1 direction Tianfu Square
• Marchez depuis Tianfu Square à People´s park
Tianfu Square est situé dans le centre de Chengdu, vous y trouverez de nombreux centres commerciaux, et restaurants surmontés par une énorme statue de Mao. Il faudra aller vers l’Ouest pour tomber sur People’s Park en 15 minutes.
Vous pourrez également tomber sur de nombreuses maisons de thé où nous vous conseillons de faire un arrêt! Après ce petit temps calme, promenez-vous dans les ruelles Kuan Zhai, afin de faire le pleins de souvenirs! Vous devriez aussi essayer les raviolis pour le déjeuner à Zhong Shui Jiao près du magnifique monastère Wenshu. Pour une sortie plus culturelle, rendez-vous au cottage Du Fu et l’ancienne rue Jinli, qui se trouve dans les environs.
Conseils:
- Pour le diner: Tai Koo Li
- Pour la soirée, que diriez vous d’aller vers un Opéra du Sichuan? Addresse: Shu Feng Ya Yun près de la station Tonghuimen
Tai Koo Li est un quartier où vous trouverez forcément un restaurant à votre gôut! Après votre diner, et l’opéra, si vous êtes tentés par un verre, nous vous conseillons de tester le meilleur bar de Chengdu: Beernest I.
Pour passer la nuit, nous vous conseillons l’auberge Mrs. Panda . C’est une auberge 2 étoiles, 5$ pour la nuit, située près de Tianfu Square. Il y a le wifi, et vous pouvez prendre le bus pour l’aéroport depuis cette auberge!
Jour 2
Chengdu est bien sur connue pour sa base recherche sur les pandas géants, ils sont trop mignons pour ne pas être vus pendant votre séjour! En espérant que votre soirée d’hier ne s’est pas terminée trop tard, vous pourrez vous y rendre tôt le matin !
Conseils:
- Allez-y dès 8heures afin de ne pas rater les pandas à l’heure du petit déjeuné pour un spectacle époustouflant.
- Prenez le taxi vers Wuhuo Shrine
- Après avoir visiter le centre, vus les différentes sortes de pandas, c’est l’heure de déjeuner! Nous vous conseillons de vous rendre dans la partie gratuite du monastère pour vous restaurer.
- Visitez Wuhuo Shrine
- Vous pouvez aussi vous rendre dans le quartier tibétain si vous avez un petit creux.
- Ensuite prenez le métro ligne 1 direction Chunxi Road
Chunxi Road est connue comme étant la rue commerçante de Chengdu. C’est extraordinaire, vous vous sentirez comme à Times Square à New York. Pensez à avoir du liquide sur vous, car vous ne pourrez résister! Le shopping ça creuse, un bon repas typique vous fera le plus grand bien! Essayez le traditionnel hot-pot, vous ne serez pas déçus!
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- Envie de sortie ce soir? Allez à Lan Kwai Fong
Lan Kwai Fong vous offrira une magnifique vue, et vous y trouverez de nombreux bars et clubs où danser toute la nuit.
Si vous voulez essayer une autre auberge nous vous conseillons Flipflop Lounge Hostel. Elle est très appréciée par les expats et est située près de Chenxi Road. Le prix d’un lit est aussi de 5$, et vous aurez accès au Wi-fi!
Si cette petite visite rapide de Chengdu vous a plu, venez l’essayer par vous même en faisant un stage à Chengdu!
I’m not good at eating spicy food, in fact in Germany I never eat anything spicy at all, even though there are plenty of restaurants where I can try it. The closest to spicy I got to was one time at the kebab shop, where I forgot to tell them not to put chilli peppers in my doner kebab.
Coming to Chengdu I knew I had to get used to eating spicy food as the province of Sichuan is famous for it. The hot pepper was introduced into China from South America around the end of the 17th century. Once it came to Sichuan, it became a popular food flavouring. Sichuan has high humidity and many rainy or overcast days. Hot pepper helps reduce internal dampness, so hot pepper was used frequently in dishes, and hot dishes became the norm in Sichuan cuisine.
The beginning was hard for me, I already started to cough at the smallest amount of food and in my mouth there was no other taste because my mouth was burning from the hot pepper. What was especially hard for me was the Sichuan pepper, which is not spicy, it just gives you a funny tingling sensation, making your mouth feel like it’s gone numb. After trying more and more dishes I have now gotten used to the spice and can actually taste the food.
While some people recommend to just eat as much spicy as you can right from the start, I wouldn’t do this. It’s neither good for your taste buds, nor for your stomach. From my own experience I think it would be good to start with a typical Chinese meal – sharing different kinds of dishes, so you can choose a few spicy and a few non-spicy dishes.
One of my all-time favourites is gōngbǎojīdīng 宫保鸡丁 or Gongbao Chicken. It is usually not that spicy and is one of Sichuan’s most famous dishes. If you love Chicken and Peanuts like me you will love this! 😉
The next thing you could try is mápódòufǔ 麻婆豆腐, which is tofu in a spicy and bean-based sauce and can be translated as the ‘Pockmarked-Face Lady’s Tofu’. Despite the not so beautiful name, it is a very nice dish that goes well with rice.
And then comes the more challenging task: because being in Sichuan you don’t want to miss out on the Hot Pot. One of my first dinners in Chengdu was Hot Pot and I was lucky there was a small part with non-spicy soup, so I could still relax my mouth a little after trying the spicy one.
Basically there are three types of Hot Pot. The traditional huǒguō 火锅, which is served in a big bowl in the middle of the table. You then order the meat and vegetables and put them inside to share with everyone.
Then here in Chengdu they also have chuànchuàn huǒguō 串串火锅, which means that everything is on a skewer. You go collect what you want to eat on a plate or in a little basket and they will then bring you the things you have chosen in a bowl with the soup it was cooked in.
The third one is not exactly like Hot Pot, it is gānguō 干锅 Dry Pot. It is usually meat with a lot of hot peppers, some vegetables and usually potatoes cut in a shape like French fries. Some of the Dry Pots are less spicy than others and have other additional ingredients depending on the restaurant. You can try rabbit or frog meat to make it even more exciting.
What’s good to cool off the fire in your mouth and insides?
Watermelon is a salvation for your burning lips and mouth, because it’s sweet and cool and has a lot of water. This is perfect as a dessert after your spicy meal.
Usually you can always order yoghurt to drink, which will cool your mouth and help you digest the spicy and oily food, or dòunǎi 豆奶, soy bean milk, which is especially good when it’s warm.
And if you really cannot tolerate the spice, no need to worry, there are plenty of dishes that are not spicy. But if someone like me can tolerate a certain level of spice now, you probably could to. I now sometimes even think that some of the dishes are not spicy at all. It will definitely help you expand your palate. Also, I was told that if you haven’t had Yunnan food, you don’t really know what spicy is!
Do you feel like trying to immerse into the world of Sichuan cuisine? Apply now and come to Chengdu to have a hot and spicy meal with us!
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szechuan_cuisine
http://www.china.org.cn/english/imperial/26133.htm
Hot pot, one of China’s signature dishes, has been a mainstay of Sichuan province for centuries, the dish style having over a thousand years of history behind it. In China, one of the most famous styles is Chongqing’s má là (麻辣), a mix of numbing flavours and hot spices. The sensations bring about an eating experience unfamiliar to most traditional western dishes, the cooling numbing flavour of the Hua jaio (花椒) balanced by the fiery hotness of the chili peppers. Inherently social, hot pot is rarely eaten alone, generally involving family and friends waiting in eager anticipation for the spice soaked pieces to be cooked in the communal pot.
With Chengdu having its own native style, we decided to try chuanchuan hot pot. Different from the more common Chongqing variety, chuanchuan can be identified through the use of skewers to cook the meat, the skewers resting along the edge of the pot as the meats and vegetables soak in the broth. For a couple of students, this was their first time eating hot pot. A few tepid skewers in to the meal, the pace picked up leaving a mound of wood in our wake, filling out hungry stomachs with an assortment of pork ribs, shrimps, tofu wraps, and a wide variety of vegetables. Eaten with a couple of cool beers, it was the perfect way to cap off a warm Chengdu evening!
Want to discover more of China’s diverse culinary culture? Come to China for an internship! Apply now or send us an email for more information.
After my visit to Jiuzhai Gou National Park a couple of weeks ago, I took the train directly to Chongqing and traveled for about 3.5 hours. The high-speed train takes only 2 hours, but since April 4 is “Tomb Sweeping Day”, many people travel around and I was not able to buy a high speed train ticket.
Chongqing is a large and flourishing mountain city. I stayed for three nights at the home of a friend I met online. She took me for a lot of great local food and gave me a great introduction to the city in only two days.
The first day, after she took me for some local spicy sweet-potato noodles, I took the metro to Ciqikou Old Town. The tea houses in Ciqikou are very famous in Chongqing so I really wanted to experience the tea lifestyle there. I also found that they have many local snacks and some very special street food. Ciqikou is the best place to try local food and buy gifts for friends.
The second day, I went to meet another friend at the touristic center of Chongqing, Jiefangbei. They have lots of shopping malls around and a very famous food street. After a quick lunch with my friend, I went back to my host’s home. That afternoon, her American flatmate drove me around the city on his motorbike and we even went to the peak of Chongqing.
After such a beautiful day, the fun continued: I went to a BBQ party with my friends, at a house located inside a university campus on the peak of the mountain. This is the best place for a night view of the city. I enjoyed the beautiful night view, drank some Shancheng beer and had some great BBQ. I felt like I didn’t want to leave Chongqing!
I have been to many places in China, but I can honestly say Chongqing is one of my favorite cities. I like the street life, always lively, I never saw an empty street. I also like the friendly people, the great food, the relaxing tea culture and the traditional and internationally mixed city. I hope I can go back soon!
Want to learn about the best places to visit in China? Come to Zhuhai for an internship and get first-hand tips and stories from Sunny! Apply now or email us for more information.