Travel in China
The teahouse at the centre of Chengdu life - bamboo chairs, ear-cleaners clicking tuning forks, and grannies dancing between the cups.
People's Park (Renmin Gongyuan) is a 100-year-old park in the heart of Chengdu, and its Heming Teahouse is the living embodiment of the city's famous laid-back lifestyle. Under the canopy of century-old trees, hundreds of bamboo chairs fill the courtyard, each occupied by a local with a gaiwan (lidded tea bowl) and unlimited time.
The park's attractions extend beyond the teahouse: a lake with pedal boats, a bonsai garden, a matchmaking corner where parents post their children's resumes on umbrellas, and morning groups practising tai chi, dancing and water-calligraphy on the flagstones. The sound of the ear-cleaners' tuning forks - the signal that they are open for business - is the park's distinctive soundtrack.
People's Park is where Chengdu comes to do nothing, and to do it beautifully. Order a bamboo-leaf green tea (20 RMB with unlimited hot-water refills), find a bamboo chair, and settle in. The teahouse has been operating since 1923 and has served everyone from warlords to modern bloggers.
Highlights
Heming Teahouse
The 100-year-old bamboo-chair teahouse - the definitive Chengdu experience.
The Ear-Cleaning Masters
Long copper instruments, tuning forks and extraordinary skill - a Chengdu speciality.
The Matchmaking Corner
Parents posting their children's dating profiles on umbrellas - a unique social phenomenon.
The Bonsai Garden
A collection of penjing (Chinese bonsai) in a walled garden.
The Morning Tai Chi
Groups practising beneath the trees before the crowds arrive.
The Unlimited Tea Refills
One purchase, hot water refilled all day - the essence of Chengdu pace.
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