I love places where locals hang out. Places where I can sit somewhere in a corner and watch life go by, look at locals, see what they do, how they enjoy their free time, relax. Be it city squares, parks or shopping areas. If you actually sit and watch, you get the feel of the place.

In China, tea houses are perfect for this “people watching” activity and whenever I guide, I always make a point to come to a park where locals sit down and hang out. One of my favorite cities in China is Chengdu. This city has over 2700 registered tea houses and thousands more “less official” ones in local parks and street corners. Due to Sichuan being one of the biggest tea producing regions in China and Chengdu being one of the main exporting centers for tea caravans on their way to Tibet and Central Asia, it makes sense to focus on tea - although tea is not at the top of my list, I must admit despite having spent 20 years in China, I still don’t like the stuff.

My favorite place is People’s Park both for the photography and the ambiance. Located right downtown, the park has many areas where one can ballroom dance, fan dance, sing, listen to orchestras, and the tea houses are doing a brisk business. People play cards, mah-jong, read newspapers, text message and catch up with neighbors. The sound is one of voices, laughter, tiles being shuffled for a new game, and men walking around clinking 2 metal rods advertising ear wax removal…

I’ll drink green tea anytime but stay away from my ears… just let me watch the show for a while.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT:

Chengdu is on the UNESCO List of “Cities of Gastronomy”, like Paris.

BEST MONTH TO VISIT:

May

Longitude 80 offers a private Sichuan itinerary of 12 days including 3 days in Chengdu where tea houses, pandas, Chinese opera, cooking with Sichuan famous chillies and meeting emerging new artists are some of the great experiences this city offers.