Location: Chongzhou
Top Things to do in Chongzhou
Top Restaurants in Chongzhou
10 Things to Do in Chongzhou That You Shouldn't Miss
Chongzhou (Chinese: 崇州; pinyin: Chóngzhōu) is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, People's Republic of China, located about 37 kilometres (23 mi) west-southwest of downtown Chengdu. It is accessible by road from central Chengdu via the 65.1 km (40.5 mi)-long S8 Chengdu–Wenjiang–Qionglai Expressway, just outside the Chengdu greater ring road.
Restaurants in Chongzhou
1. Jianchuan Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 26 reviews
Reviewed By jongjong - Singapore, Singapore
The Exhibitions in the public squares are free of charge, others will cost a nominal fee. Good for those interested in modern history in China. Didn't bother with the chargeable Exhibitions since we arrived there rather late and was nearing their closing time.
2. Jiezi Ancient Town
Overall Ratings
4 based on 33 reviews
Reviewed By JeffCypress - Europe
Jiezi is a beautiful, very traditional town with an interesting main square and a lovely riverside walkway with tremendous views of two very different and impressive Bridges. The town gets very busy with people from Chengdu at the weekends. There are huge numbers of eateries of all types. Most of the town is pedestrianised but you can hire bikes or motorised rickshaws. It is quite a long walk from the start of the pedestrian area to the river.
You are unlikely to see any foreigners / English speakers!
3. Anren Ancient Town
Overall Ratings
4 based on 13 reviews
Reviewed By wanderwolf - Rochester, Minnesota
In Anren ancient town, you will find a cluster of museums and a tourist-y old street with snack shops and tea houses. The Jianchuan Museum (100 Yuan entrance fee), which holds memorabilia and artifacts of the Communist beginnings, Second World War, and Cultural Revolution period. Jianchuan museum was founded by a real estate mogul called Fan Jianchuan. It's a huge complex which will take the whole day to properly explore, and is comprable to the revolutionary museum in Yanan.
Across the way you will find the old manion complex of Liu Wencai, who was a landlord and official and opium dealer. The highlight of the Wencai mansion complex (50 Yuan entrance fee) are the life-size clay statue artwork by the students of Sichuan Art Academy in the 1960s of the grain tax being collected from the peasants. Down the road, you will find the mansion complex of Liu Wenhui (20 Yuan entrance fee), who was the first provincial governor of Xikang in today's western Sichuan. Wencai and Wenhui are brothers. Wencai mansion complex dates from the Daoguang period of the Qing dynasty, but unfortunately not much information is given about the architectural history. The Wenhui mansion exhibits Liu Wenhui's life and activities as warlord, governor, orator in some detail and is quite interesting as a structure. There's some interesting photos and the historical text is quite good, but only accessible to you if you read Chinese as there is only a bit of English language.
The only hotel foreigners are allowed to stay in Anren is a red-themed hotel called Jingui. Rooms are 288 and up (ask for a 20% discount) and quite clean. There are some nice hostels down the road with rooms for 80, 100, 120 Yuan, but there is a frustrating rule that foreigners cannot stay there.
The best way to get to Anren from Chengdu is a direct bus from Wuhou Temple. It is a free bus that takes you directly to the mansion complex and will take you back to Chengdu as well.
The second best way to get to Anren is from Jinsha bus station in the north of the city, which will take you to Dayi bus station -- this will take an hour. From there you will take the bus number 11 (three yuan) to Anren. The trip should be 20 minutes from Anren to Dayi.
A third way is from Shiyang bus stop in the south of the city. You can get on one of the small buses that makes a number of stops. You will have to get off the bus and walk across a crumbling bridge to get one the second leg of the trip to Anren. While the first two routes will take one hour, going from Shiyang bus stop will take you two hours or more.
4. Dujiangyan Panda Base and Center for Disease Control
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 148 reviews
Dujiangyan Giant Panda Base enjoys a favorable climate and natural environment with vast bamboo forest coverage and lovely scenic surroundings. The base covers an area of about 51 Hectares (126 acres), including a panda hospital, a medical lab, 10 sets of monitoring enclosures, 30 sets of enclosures, a panda kitchen, an educational center and staff housing.
Reviewed By bubblebath89 - london
Very expensive volunteering trip. Also repetitive. You do the same volunteering tasks in the same panda pen before and after lunch, photo experience too short.
5. Liu's Manor
Overall Ratings
4 based on 14 reviews
Reviewed By MattwalesNorthWales - Chengdu, China
A well preserved manor house that belonged to a Sichuan of power during the dying days of the Qing Dynasty. The original Mr Liu made a fortune from driving the serfs cruelly hard and selling opium. The family home passed on to more philanthropic generations (the latest occupant being an important military figure in the anti-japanese war) and is well a preserved example of a wealthy person's home from this era. The contents of the house reflect the tastes and styles of the Republican period which make it interesting.
6. Jiguanshan Scenic Resort
Overall Ratings
4 based on 4 reviews
7. Crane Forest Park
Overall Ratings
3 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By Joshua M - Xinjin County, China
Firstly, if you're trying to find signposts for this place, it's posted as 'Bamboo forest'- not Crane Forest park.
Since this is a park, there is no entry fee (or at least, there wasn't when I visited).
The park has guards at the gate, as well as walking around and keeping an eye on the notable attractions such as the traditional home.
There are a few bins provided around the park, so litter isn't a problem. The place seemed very clean and well maintained during my visit.
Background music plays from stylised speakers (rocks), and gives the place a peaceful ambience.
Since I visited in the winter, some of the ponds and pools seem to have dried up, but I hear they're much nicer during the peak season.
In the centre of the park, there are a number of tasteful vendors in the traditional Chinese style buildings. Restaurants, gift shops and Exhibitions are all present.
They do seem to begin closing down at around 7pm. (During the winter at least.)
Apparently, it can get busier during the Summertime, but in the Winter I only met a handful of visitors in the afternoon.
If you're planning on visiting before March 2018, I'd advise approaching from the North, East or West side- since the entry road to the south is under construction and you can expect traffic, trucks and dirty roads for the upcoming months.
So, if you want to take a stroll around nature, snap some photos and enjoy the peaceful setting, why not check out the Bamboo forest for a couple of hours?
8. Mount Qingcheng
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 987 reviews
A natural scenic area and a holy mountain of Taoism.
Reviewed By Alex W - Singapore, Singapore
If it's your first time in China, it may be quite a wow, but frankly, there are thousands of temples all over the continent-sized country similar to these ones on QingChengShan (the Chinese name for Mount QingCheng). To aficionados, however, these temples do have added significance for their age and historical relationship with Taoism. As for the mountain scenery, many places will offer just as good, if not better views.
My overall score is two stars: somewhat disappointing, go only if you have extra time to spare.
Nevertheless, it makes for a nice change of pace as a day trip out of Chengdu. That said, even though it was the middle of the week, there were still a lot of domestic tourists. You’re never alone.
I paired QingChengShan with visiting the Dujiangyan project (see my review at Dujiangyan), doing Dujiangyan in the morning and QingChengShan in the afternoon.
I notice that most reviews are from people within organised tours. If you're planning to go solo on public transport, there are details below.
If you're planning to get here directly from Chengdu, take the train from Chengdu's Xipu Railway Station. You can reach Xipu using Chengdu's metro system -- it's the last stop on Metro Line 2 (to the northwest). The train and metro stations virtually share the same building though they have different entrances.There are trains roughly hourly from Xipu to QingChengShan via Dujiangyan. Journey time Xipu to QingChengShan is about 50 minutes.
Always have your passport with you. You cannot buy a train ticket without it.
As mentioned above, I didn’t get here directly from Chengdu. Instead, I had spent the morning in Dujiangyan’s Lidui Park (see my review in Dujiangyan). After that, from outside Lidui Park, I took the local bus #101 that went directly to QingChengShan scenic area.
QingChengShan is also the name of the small town and the surrounding district; not just the mountain area. So, be careful which “QingChengShan” you are referring to when asking for directions or schedules, otherwise you may get wrong information. The mountain (or scenic area) is some distance from the town.
Anyway, bus #101, after going through the town, proceeds to the mountain, stopping at QingChengShan railway station along the way. The bus took about 45 minutes from Dujiangyan’s Lidui Park.
Things get a bit more complicated at the mountain. Best to think of it as four different segments.
The first is from the bus park to the ticket gate. It’s about 1.0km to 1.5km, and a gentle climb upwards. There’s a shuttle bus (10 yuan) if you prefer not to walk.
Then pay 90 yuan admission at the ticket gate. The second segment, on foot, is another gentle climb with some steps, from the ticket gate to a lake. Follow the broad path (and other people). If you ignore the people, you can enjoy the many trees and greenery.
It’s a small lake, held by Mountains on three sides. There are toilet facilities here. The cable car station is on the other side of the lake. You can walk to the cable car station along a wooden path around the lake or you can pay more money and take the ferry.
The third segment is the steep part. You can take the cable car ride up a few hundred metres. 35 yuan one way. There is a path you can walk if you think you're fit enough. There are many steps.
The cable car does not take you to the top, but it does take you to where the cluster of Taoist temples begin. No two are the same. They’re brightly coloured and richly ornamented, and very much in use by the devout.
The fourth segment is on foot again – a lot of steps, as you wander around from one temple to another, ascending higher and higher, with lovely views of Valleys beyond. If you take it slowly, you can get to the top-most pagoda.
Have good shoes. The stone steps get slippery when wet. No grab bars for your hands.
Getting back to Chengdu: Down at the bus park below the ticket gate, I took bus #101 again. Two stops and 5 minutes later, I was at QingChengShan railway station. It may not be obvious that you have reached the railway station. Depending on which side of the bus you’re sitting at, it may look as if the #101 bus is pulling into a bus park instead of a railway station, but there is a reason why there are other buses waiting here: because there’s a railway station nearby. Look a little beyond and up: you will see a massive modern building too big for the little town of QingChengShan. That’s the railway station, from where you can catch a train back to Xipu in Chengdu (via Dujiangyan).
9. Heming Mountain
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By MattwalesNorthWales - Chengdu, China
There is a lot to see and do amid some beautiful countryside here. Most people these days consider Qincheng Mountain to be the birthplace of Daoism (Taoism) but actually it first began here. The problem was that during Mr Maos period of cultural vandalism the temples on Hemingshan were destroyed. However the local government have spent a considerable amount of time and money restoring/reconstructing them. So you could visit these. Alternatively you could just explore the natural rural beauty of the area. Or you could do as I did spend the afternoon rock climbing and abseiling followed by a delicious meal in a local restaurant. The choice is yours. Only 2 hours from Chengdu by bus and well worth the trip even in the rain.
10. White Tower Lake
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