Sichuan Neijiang Travel Guide

Neijiang is a prefecture city in southwest of Sichuan Province. . It locates on the lower section of Tuojiang River, neighboring Chongqing Municipality to its east, Luzhou city to its south, Zigong and Meishan to its west. It is about 200km from provincial capital Chengdu. It is surrounded by hills to its east and southwest, with mostly hilly terrains through out its administrative region. It is consist of 2 districts (Shizhong District and Dongxing District), 2 counties (Weiyuan County and Zizhong County) and one county level city (Longchang city). Its 5000km2 area is home to over 3 million people, mostly of Han ethnic. It’s not often under tourism spotlight, it is more well known as the hometown of famous painter Zhang Daqian (Chang Dai-Chien). The city is also called Tian cheng (the city of sugar) for its long history of sugar making.    

● Top things to do in Neijiang

Zhang Daqian Museum

The legendary painter Zhang Daqian has became the icon of Neijiang City. A museum was built in the city to honour his achievement. Zhang was born in Neijiang and spent most of his childhood in this city before he set foot on Japan for further education. He made fame in 1930s and was active in art world from 1940s to 1970s. He was probably the mostly known Chinese painter to the western world. His paintings were on display on all major galleries in the world. It is through Zhang’s paintings, the western world had an enhanced understanding of Chinese art.    

Zizhong Confucius's temple

Confucius temple is the place where Chinese worship knowledge and wisdom. Instead of religious figures, the statue of Confucius are often worshiped in these temples, as he was considered the greatest educator, philosopher and scholar in China. Confucius temples are found in many places in China. The one in Zizhong ,Neijiang City is one of the biggest in Sichuan province. It was first built in Song Dynasty (10th century BC) and was rebuilt over the centuries. The current one was built in late 19th century during Qing Dynasty. It is a complex building consist of temples and palaces, covering an area of 6700 m2.   

Zizhong God of War Temple (Wu miao)

Just few hundred meters away from Confucius’s temple, is the Wu miao (Temple for the God of Warfare, Guanyu). Confucius's temple worships wisdom and knowledge, while Wu miao temple worships courage and valor in warfare. Guan Yu, a famous general during Three Kingdom Period (3rd century AD), was incarnated as the god of warfare for his dauntless acts in battlefields.

Zizhong wu miao was first built during Ming Dynasty. The current building complex was renovated during late Qing Dynasty. This temple is about 40km away from Neijiang City, in the heart of Zizhong County. It is now added to the list of Major National Level Protected Historical and Cultural Sites.

Longchang Stone Arch

Archway gate, mostly made of stones, is a traditional Chinese architecture often used as the front gate or entrance of a building. It is often built as a memorial of achievement or loyalty. Stone archways are common sights in many places in China. The one in Longchang is famous for its scale and diversity. 17 stone archways built during Qing Dynasty scatter in and around Longchang city. 7 archway gates are in Beiguan area, 6 in Nanguan area, while the rest 4 in nearby villages. All these archway gates are well preserved.

● Neijiang Food&Drinks

Beef noodle of Neijiang

Beef noodle is probably mostly known dish of Neijiang. Legend had it that Zhang Daqian was big on this type of dish during his days in Sichuan. It is a typical Sichuan dish with generous amount of chilly and peppercorn as ingredients. Beef were marinated with soy sauce, ginger and spice before stewing. Some say that the most authentic noodle shop in Neijiang is the one named Lao chuang yi noodle shop, just by the side of Sixth Middle School.

Longchang mutton broth

This is a popular food among locals in Longchang city, Neijiang. It is a simple stew of mutton and sheep intestines, sided with scallions and other vegetables. It is often consumed with Sichuan dou pan (chilly paste) as dipping sauce.

● Neijiang Transportation

Neijiang is on equal distance to both Chengdu and Chongqing, two mega cities in southwest of China. It is a hub for land transportation as planed by Ministry of Transport. Six national highway networks pass Neijiang city. It is also connected to national high speed railway network. To fly in or out of Neijiang, the nearest airports are either Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) or Chongqing Jiangbei Airport (CKG).

● Neijiang Weather

Like most cities in Chengdu plain, Neijiang has a wet, subtropical climate with distinct four seasons. Spring and autumn is relatively short, hot and humid summer and cold and damp winter is relatively longer. Average temperature annually is from 15 to 28 degree.