Day & Night: new old streets in Chengdu, China

          Jinli streets during the day: ye er ba, beef fried pancakes, edible sugar art, sichuan north jelly noodle; Bottom 2: Wide Alley at night.

Chengdu, known as Tian Fu Zhi Guo (“land of heaven”) is the capital city of Sichuan province in China. Aside from being one of the most important economic centers in Western China, Chengdu is famous for its tasty spicy food, and for being the home of the adorable pandas. It is also the place where I grew up. If you ask me, I would proudly tell you, I'm a Chengduese first, a New Yorker second (although I just recently moved to LA).

7 years is surely too long a time to be away from one's hometown. It changed so much that I couldn't even navigate the streets I used to know by heart! To bring me up to date, my friends took me to 2 new-to-me attractions: Jinli and Kuan Zhai Xiang Zi which translates to Wide & Narrow Alleys.

Both Jinli and Wide & Narrow Alleys are revived ancient streets located in Chengdu's historical sites. They are similar in that they sell xiao chi (snacks) and lots of cute, fun souvenirs. Wide & Narrow Alleys seems to be more upscale, but both have many restaurants and bars, making them great places for a night out.

They are also perfect for a fun afternoon with friends: snacking on my favorite ye er ba (steamed mochi with either meat or sweet fillings), slurping spicy jelly noodles, browsing the market for unique gifts, sipping tea in an old tea house, watching the opera (the famous bian lian, aka face change), and goggling over the old man making edible sugar art—one of the many street stands that I used to stop by everyday on my way to school. Sadly, sugar art stands are now pretty much extinct in the city. Seeing them certainly brought me back to my happy childhood days. You too, will be transported back to a simpler time to enjoy the old old Chengdu life.