Chengdu was on of my favorite cities I visited in China. The capital of the Sichuan province, Chengdu is famous for its spicy Sichuan-pepper filled cuisine, teahouses, and pandas.
Sichuan province is home to the Giant Panda. The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is located a short and inexpensive Uber ride from Chengdu center. Go early in the morning right as the research center opens. You beat the crowds of tourists but you also have a better chance of seeing the pandas who are up early feeding. They spend the rest of their days hiding and sleeping.
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After returning to the city, head to Wenshu Temple, a Buddhist temple within Chengdu. Inside the tempe is a teahouse. Chengdu is known for its teahouses and they can be found everywhere.
Just outside the temple is a street filled with snacks. On the corner is a noodle shop selling some of the best cold noodles.
Cold noodles at Zhang Liang Fen
 Cold noodles at Zhang Liang Fen |  Cold noodles at Zhang Liang Fen |
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Wuhou Temple is in the south of the city near Little Lhasa. The temple offers a bit of peace from a hot, bustling city.
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Jinli Ancient Street is a picturesque street with shops and food stands, showcasing the folk houses of the Qing dynasty.
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For our first dinner in Chengdu we had mapo dourfu, a Sichuan specialty made of tofu in the spicy Sichuan sauce. We accompanied it with a pork and pepper dish and my favorite, bamboo shoots.
Strolling more beautiful, quaint alleys, we headed to the Wide and Narrow Alley. There we tasted the refreshing Chengdu yogurt, pineapple sticky rice bowls, and had fresh kiwi popsicles.
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In Tianfu Square you can see the Mao Zedong Statue. The day we went to go see it was the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests. We couldn't get close but we were able to take photos from across the street.
Our last day we stopped for some more noodles. The noodle shop was across from the post office, which are called Panda Post in Chengdu. Love that.
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