When golden rapeseed flowers spill over white walls and gray-tiled roofs, Chongzhou becomes a canvas straight from Monet’s palette. Tucked west of Chengdu, this little city captures the soul of western Sichuan’s countryside—teahouse steam curling through the air in Yuantong Ancient Town, old opera songs echoing down the stone alleys of Jiezi.
Getting there:
Take the train to Chengdu, then hop on the high-speed line—Chongzhou is just 16 minutes away. Stay in the city center for easy access and better rates.
🏡 Yuantong Ancient Town
Ticket: Free
Time slows on the polished flagstone streets, lined with weathered houses whose gray bricks still carry faded slogans. A living town, where nothing feels staged.
By the Wenjing River, enamel cups clink in the hands of old men resting under crooked trees. The lanes are too narrow to walk straight through; turn a corner and you might glimpse into someone’s back garden—sausages hanging from bamboo poles, chili peppers sunning in bamboo trays.
A whiff of fried cakes leads you down the road before you realize it, past teahouses in creaky wooden buildings and market sellers with shoulder poles heavy with morning vegetables still kissed with dew.
🏯 Jiezi Ancient Town
Ticket: Free
Jiezi’s six old streets still carry the form of Qing-era Chengdu: rows of dark-timbered eaves, little creeks gurgling past each doorstep, stone wells smoothed by centuries of hands.
At the west end of town stands Sichuan’s only surviving Qing Dynasty character tower. Five stories high, its walls are etched with scenes from Legend of the White Snake: Xu Xian under an oil-paper umbrella, Bai Suzhen mid-spell, peonies blooming around them. The carvings are still sharp, despite moss creeping through every crack.
The smell of sesame cakes drifts around corners, and bamboo chairs creak softly in creekside teahouses—here, even the dust feels touched by history.
🌊 Baita Lake
Ticket: Free
The lake gleams pale green, like mint candy melted into glass. Under the trees, an old man naps beside his fishing pole wedged between stones.
Clouds slide over the island, startling ducks into flight; ripples spread to the mossy steps at your feet. Wild daisies bloom on the hillside while an empty swing creaks in the breeze.
You’ll wish you’d come earlier—to sit by the lake, watch the sky, and breathe in air scented faintly with grass. When the wind brushes through, the leaves whisper and the light on the water shimmers like silk.
🌾 Wuxing Village
Ticket: Free
White-walled cottages stretch along the edge of the fields. Open an old wooden window and golden rapeseed flowers flood your vision, rising like tides in the wind.
Stand on the ridge and watch the blossoms pour toward the distant mountains, sunlight catching the pollen like gold dust on your hair.
At sunset, rest on the grassy slope by the edge. The flower fields glow like burning coals in the hearth of the earth.
🍽 Must-Try Chongzhou Dishes
Feichang Xuewang (pig intestine hot pot)
Caozi Cake (glutinous rice pastry)
Pregnant Tofu (tofu with meatball center)
Douhua (silken tofu)
Tofu Lianzi (tofu skin ribbons)
