-
Hi, welcome to travelogue. I am Yanling,
still in Chengdu. This capital of the
ancient Shu Kingdom, is one of the
fastest growing city in china today. It
prom
ises travelers
under the
condition that you take your time to truly savor
all it has to offer,
shall we start
with a cup of tea?
Most Chinese
metropolis today baffles with the balance of
galloping towards mod
ernization and
preserving traditional way of living.
Few cities in China today like Chengdu
that is so fond of memories from the
pas
t, and manage to actually living in
it.
Even growing in rocket speed,
Chengdu, the city of more than 8 million,
somehow
feels like a rare city oasis
where the bustle slows down and the original
spir
it stays intact. And what is it?
Where to feel it?
Once you are in Chengdu, you have to
learn one word, and truly understand the
s
pirit of it
–
xiuxian -- allow yourself to relax as long as you
need, so idlin
g around in one of
teahouses for 5 hours doesn't make you a slacker
in Chengdu.
Chengdu teahouses are
everywhere. Scattered at every corner of the
streets, in
every park and even in
every office compound...
Pensioners or
pillars of the society? People of all kinds
patronize
（资助）
tea
houses
more often than their grocery shop.
So
what do you see in a teahouse in an afternoon?
Small society, as Chengdu peo
ple call
it. It is the perfect spot to relax, to socialize;
to people-watch.
Once you are in teahouses, enjoy the
timeless quality of your teatime. Even
the
waiters and waitress on duty often
take it slow since there is no such demand
as for fast and efficient service.
But for someone
who works as ear-picker
（经典的词语啊，挖耳屎的人，相信
你在茶馆
见过这种人吧，学会该怎么说，
earpicker,
那挖耳屎勺子叫做：
earpick
）
, an age-old r
are profession
that is probably hard to find a job elsewhere,
they take their j
ob very seriously.
Although their tools remind me of my
dentist's scary weapons, how can I pass
on
the chance to try something for the
first time?!
It was certainly both eyes
opening and ear opening experience
(
大开眼界
)to have
my
ear picked outside of my bathroom, by someone
else, in such a complicated
p
rocedure...
Not every teahouse has to be this
adventurous of course. Some people would
like
to compare Chengdu teahouses with
coffee houses in Paris, probably not after
b
een ear cleaned in Renmin park, more
likely have enjoyed a cup of green tea in
one of these kind of teahouses along
Funan river,
Chengdu locals take pride
in their city for good reasons. History and
commerce,
animal and people apparently
all meet in peace.
Chengdu people love
dogs, yes, as pet.
Once you step into the dog market by
Funan River on a Sunday morning, you will
understand why Chengdu locals
prankishly call it
（狗
博会，
哈哈）
A full display of the beauty
of variations--color, race
（一般来说，
r
ace
我们知道的意思是赛跑，但是这个地方表示狗
的品种）
, origin and character!
As a dog devotee, it surprised me that
many of them even I haven't seen
befor
e...
I
am so jealous of
（经典句型，表示嫉妒。。）
those who take
a little puppy home
today. You get good
bargains here
（这个句子也特别经典，表示东西特别便宜，如果你
给别人介绍成都的荷花池，
也用上这个句子吧。
）
. Of course it takes more than just
money to have a dog. You need have a
comfortable living, slow paced life,
conte
nted life style. Sooner or later,
I will have a dog, perhaps have to move down
here then...
That's the down
side of being a traveler, many things you love and
care. You ca
n't take them home.
But if you are a flea mark
et
（跳蚤市场，
就是那种东西特别廉价的地方，
我觉得成都荷
花池也基本上可以这么翻译。
怎么突然
发现我对荷花池这么感兴趣了呢？）
fanatic, and
happen to be in the city on Sunday.
This is the best place to rummage and find
some carriable bargain. Everything from
old books and coins, Tang potteries to
old gramophones from unidentifiable
origin, you never know what you will find
t
o take home.
Some stall
owners here are hobby collectors themselves, they
tend to be more no
nchalant to price
negotiation, but more keen in lecturing you about
their
thing
Some others are
mind readers. They look at your interest and
experience then of
fering you a price
that's just slightly out of your sustainable
budget...
I am just a
travel reporter, but really if you are interested
in Chinese antiqu
e furniture you don't
have to read a million trillion books, all you
need is a
feeling and a vibe. It's
about picking up things, holding them, and
smelling th
em. Conveys that kind of
affinity, feel like yours? Take it home! This one?
It
is nice but should belong to someone
else...
I was there mostly for the fun,
not the finds, but here?! Chengdu snacks,
Cheng
du xiaochi, something I wont miss!
Chills don't simply blast the taste
buds, they stimulate them as well,
Chengdu is a city of simplicity and
sophistication. Place of abundance, people
who have time, no wonder it becomes a
center of modern poetry and modern art
sc
ene in the Southwest.
I
met a sculptor in Chengdu Huayuan, a small art
gallery hidden in old town yet
a famous
venue for modern art exhibits.
After
have met many entreprenant modern artists in
China, modern art starts bec
oming more
disputable to me.
Talking to Mr. Shi certain restored my
faith in Chinese modern artists: who
are
not sitting between two chairs of
the old and the new, the foreign and the
loc
al, but comfortably settle in the
middle, rooted in local culture,
incorporatin
g traditional elements,
free from choices of material, creating a new form
of e
xpression.
When you walk
into a Sichuan house, or walk around the entire
city, sweeps of t
he distinguished ma la
flavor will easily make you crave for more Sichuan
food.
My pleasant modern art exhibit
visit also restored my confidence in fusion
foo
d.
Dining here is
certainly not only a gastronomic experience--the
setting with a
Japanese twist glazed
the Chengdu local fondue: hotpot, into something
less soc
ial, but certainly has a more
exclusive and even romantic appeal.
Some may question the authenticity of
such fusion food. But as I was told, it
i
s never a concern here in Sichuan.
Searching for variations and find dining
exp
erience is Chengdu locals'
insatiable pursuit; Sichuan cooking has the
traditio
n of encouraging innovation to
meet that need.
Certain tourist
programs are so obligatory in travel itinerary
that it feels li
ke a must, then it
feels less attemptive, like the Sichuan opera
show, but once
you are there, you will
understand why you can't miss it. This is
certainly on
e of these moments!
It is easy for today's well-traveled
audience to suppose the secret behind
chan
ging face and spitting fire in
Sichuan opera, but it is hard not to be
impresse
d.
Puppet show is always my favorite.
Every time I cant help gawping at the
perfor
mer and wondering how someone can
inject life into a wooden dummy and turn it
i
nto a person of character, this case,
a vivid beauty of character that easily
w
on the heart of all, effortlessly...
As xiuxian as it is,
Chengdu is a vibrant modern city after all, 5
minutes walk
in Chunxi road, the center
of the city, you will feel charged with an extra
do
ze of energy, 15mins walking around
all shopping malls and sale signs will
rais
e your heartbeat, 50mins later,
loaded with your harvested shopping bags and
mo
re faith in the city in process, you
will probably find Chengdu's urban
marketi
ng slogan
h sense.
But for Chengdu locals who work hard
for it, a temporary leave is almost
necess
ary. I learned a new phrase
called 5/2 people here addressing for local
weekend
ers. Some of them simply drive
to villages around the city and spend two
nights