travel The inside track Expat residents of Chengdu and Dalian give us the lowdown on the mainland hotspots. Chengdu American expat Abigail Brown spent six months in the panda-crazy Sichuan capital. What was your first impression of Chengdu? I came by plane, but I was so tired I can’t remember the airport. I do remember it was crowded. I have this vivid memory of waiting to cross the street, and suddenly there were 40 people on either side of me. I’d been to Tokyo, but this was surreal. What was your favourite thing to eat? Chengdu is a big place for “mala” – the tonguenumbing Sichuan peppercorn and chilli pepper sauce. I’d never heard of it, so when I was sitting in a hotpot restaurant and my mouth went numb, I thought I was going to die. Now Sichuan food is my favourite Chinese food, particularly hotpot. What was your favourite day trip? Mount Emei was my favourite place. It looks like Chinese scroll paintings of green mountains and fog. Those paintings weren’t imagined or stylized, this is simply what beautiful Chinese mountains look like. The mountain is a bus ride from the city, and you can hike, explore temples, sleepover and watch the sunrise through the mountains.
Mount Emei, Chengdu
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What was your favourite weekend getaway? I never did this. Why didn’t I do this? Chongqing is the nearest city, but I went hiking instead. What does the city feel like at street level? It’s bustling and lively and there are people everywhere. And in the style of other major Chinese cities, there are more restaurants on a given street than you know what to do with. It was great. What was a uniquely Chengdu experience? Pandas! There are pandas everywhere. Particularly red pandas. I heard them referred to as lesser pandas a couple of times, but they are so cute. They’re like a cartoon. They are in every zoo I’ve been to in China. There’s also the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding, where you can pay to hold a baby giant panda. There is so much panda gear there, it is crazy. Hats, chopsticks, ear muffs, boots, candles, panda china... everything panda. How has the city transformed since you were there? A subway has been added that was supposed to help with crowds and traffic. And a brand new airport terminal is scheduled to open in October.
How to get there Air China flies direct from Hong Kong to Chengdu and Dalian. Visit www.webjet.com.hk for deals, details and booking information.
