Drink a cup of tea in a local teahouse

Once you are in Chengdu, you may be deeply amazed by the leisurely and relaxing lifestyle of Chengdu residents. Similar to the bar in London, the cafe in Paris, the teahouse in Chengdu is where you can soak up local atmosphere. It’s a social gathering place where people play Chengdu Mahjong and enjoy tea while chatting with friends for less than three bucks per person. Mahjong and tea drinking are the indispensable and essential elements of life in Chengdu.

Mahjong is a game enjoyed throughout China and around the world, but nowhere does it have such notoriety as in Sichuan. Almost every resident of the province knows how to play this game, from the oldest senior citizen, to the youngest school child.Everywhere you go, you will find people playing Mahjong. It can be seen on the streets, in tea houses, in Mahjong houses, and at home.

Spend an afternoon strolling through this inner city park and chances are you’ll get to see sword-wielding grandmas practicing Tai Chi, grizzled grandpas writing essays worth of Chinese characters with a water brush, and the notorious “flash mobs” (large crowds of locals synchronised dancing to loud music). The tea house in the centre serves up a variety of brews and you can even get your ears cleaned out with an array of odd metal instruments for about 15 yuan, followed by a shoulder massage. 

● Top recommended local teahouses in Chengdu

01. Wenshu Temple Xiangyuan Teahouse－Religious Atmosphere: 66 Wenshuyuan Street, Qingyang District, Chengdu.

02. Heming Tea House－ Local daily life: Renmin Park, No.12 Shaocheng Road, Qingyang district

03. Guanyinge Teahouse－ Century old teahouse in Chengdu: Pengzhen, Shuangliu, Chengdu.

04. Yuelai teahouse－ Sichuan Opera and Chinese tea: No.54 Huaxing Zheng Street, Jinjiang district.

05. Shunxing old teahouse－Cuisine and Culture 258 Shawan Road, Jinniu District, Chengdu.