Chengdu first impressions
Dear friends,
Today marks one month of arriving in Chengdu, and my muscle memory of living China is coming back. I've remembered how to ride a bike on the right side of the road in peak hour traffic. I have (almost) navigated Taobao (Amazon on speed) to order things in the right size (everything looks bigger on Taobao. I have a loofer the quarter of a regular size and 12 boxes of small tissues). I now add anyone and everyone on WeChat, because China's entire interaction ecosystem revolves around the APP (friends, colleagues, clients, the person who waters your plants or does your nails, your zumba instructor...)
When my Chinese friends found out I was moving to Chengdu, many told me that Chengdu people "know how to live". They were right. In a country where "996" or "887" is the expectation for the white collared workforce, Chengdu is a city where the streets are empty before 10am, cafes open at 11am, and on a Monday night you struggle to find a parking spot and have to wait in line for a hot pot restaurant.
Compared with Shanghai, Chengdu has a lot less expats/foreigners in this city. It means that the guy who I bought my second clothes steamer from is also the Jazz musician at my favourite Jazz place and a friend of a friend. A Dutch guy I play badminton with told me "there are around 15 Dutch people in Chengdu".
Most expats teach at international schools, but I've also met the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra's principal bassist from Turkey, the partner of an Israeli footballer contracted to play for Chengdu's football team, and an Aussie who works with rescue bears at the China Bear Sanctuary. What strikes me is that whilst Chengdu is hard when you don't speak Chinese, if you love it, you don't leave.
Chengdu has great coffee culture, and I love the numerous boutique cafes scattered around town. Sichuan food is excellent. As Fuchsia Dunlop describes, its dishes are layered with flavour. I haven't started doing a proper exploration of Sichuan food, but it will come. I'm slowly upping my Sichuan peppercorn count with each meal.
A couple of weeks back, I travelled to Shanghai for work. After getting stuck and moving back to Australia in 2020, I did return last April, but returning back to Shanghai after moving to Chengdu felt different again.
Shanghai was still as I remembered it, but it felt like another past chapter in my life. Everywhere I went, there were memories, but it no longer felt like it was where I belonged.
I tried to reacquaint myself with 2024 Shanghai, but IMO, Shanghai changed the moment Shelter closed #iykyk
On the corner of Yuyuan and Tongren Rd there's a new fusion Italian restaurant Ya Ya's - bringing Chinese flavours like Mapo tofu to pasta. Didn't get to try the food but had a good glass (or two) of vino. Vibey and extra brownie points for having an Aussie co-founder
Changle and Nanchang Rd has a noticeable increase of small bars and what appears to be young Chinese kids not needing to work or go to uni the next day. I went to a cocktail bar called Paal, that feels like you're drinking in someone's dining room.
I invertedly dined at a restaurant upstairs of Perry's (did not go in)
Apparently Found 158 is dead, and all the kids go to this place called INS at Fuxing Park. It's a huge establishment with bars downstairs and a five-storey club (each floor has a different genre of music). $50 (250 RMB) cover charge.
My favourite was still taking a share-bike and cycling to the Bund at night.
Much love,
Lucy x
