Travel in China
A recreated Shu-kingdom street beside Wuhou Shrine - red lanterns, sugar paintings and Sichuan snacks from clay pots.
Jinli (Brocade Street) is a recreated ancient street adjacent to the Wuhou Shrine, opened in 2004 to showcase the folk culture and food of the old Shu kingdom (the region's 2,200-year-old name). The 350-metre lane of black-tiled, wooden-fronted buildings are styled after late-Qing and early-Republican western Sichuan, though all the architecture is modern reproduction.
By day, Jinli is a craft market - sugar painters drawing dragons from molten caramel, shadow-puppet theatres, and stalls selling Sichuan embroidery and bamboo weaving. By night, the red lanterns light up and the street transforms into an open-air food court, with dozens of stalls serving everything from rabbit heads to sweet rice balls.
Jinli is touristy but genuinely fun - the food is authentic, the atmosphere is festive, and the lantern-lit crowds give it a film-set energy. It is the best place in Chengdu to sample the full range of Sichuan street food in a single walk.
Highlights
The Night Lanterns
Hundreds of red lanterns lighting the street after dusk - the most photographed scene in Chengdu.
The Sugar Painters
Artists drawing dragons and phoenixes from molten caramel on marble slabs.
The Snack Stalls
Every Sichuan street food imaginable - from dan dan noodles to rabbit heads.
The Shadow-Puppet Theatre
Traditional performances in a small courtyard theatre.
The East Gate Archway
The ornate entrance gate - the classic Jinli photograph.
The Riverside Teahouse
Bamboo chairs and tea on the stream running behind the main street.
Photo Gallery
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