Relaxing in Chengdu
The magical home of pandas. Located in Sichuan (southwest China), Chengdu is a world class metropolis with all the amenities of a top-tier international city. Known for its chill lifestyle and welcoming culture, the city is a hotspot for food and music.
Basics
While Chengdu is not known for its high-growth tech careers, the entertainment scene is growing and well-respected. Chengdu is famous for its burgeoning counter-culture scene and its title as the hip-hop capital of China.
For those seeking a fast-paced, demanding career, Chengdu is likely not the place for you.
Cost of living is meaningfully more affordable than Beijing or Shanghai. An average condo costs in the $160k USD range.
Neighborhoods
Chengdu is rapidly changing every three years. Generally, public transit is very accessible so you can live anywhere and get around.
The current hip neighborhoods where young people are living are:
City Hall District
Financial District
GaoXing District
Healthcare
Chengdu has a great healthcare system. It’s easy and cheap to see doctors and walk-ins are possible in every hospital and clinic.
Chengdu is home to West China Medical Center of Sichuan University, ranked #3 in China for medicine.
Traditional Chinese medicine is also thriving in Chengdu, Sichuan.
Things to Do
Chengdu is situated in the gorgeous backdrop of southwest China. Many people will venture out to Emei Mountains or Yunan Province during the weekends, all of which is convenient via high speed rail.
In the city, locals often hangout in mahjong parlors or the park. Younger crowds will attend the vibrant music scene or hangout in a trending food spot.
Culture and Lifestyle
English is not as prevalent as other international Tier-1 Chinese cities such as Beijing or Shanghai. However, there are meetups with English-speakers such at Sichuan University or English Corner. Mandarin is used and most people will speak Sichuanese.
Dating is not too dissimilar from other cities with Chinese characteristics. Attitudes towards marriage is less stringent than Beijing or Shanghai (read: girls are not hung up about housing or car ownership) Sichuan, Chengdu’s larger province, is known for pretty girls and handsome guys within mainland China, so dress to impress and step up your game!
For the LGBT community, Chengdu is known to be more welcoming than other Chinese cities. Due to the uniqueness of the province, Sichuanese have a unique pride of their way of life.
Chengdu Success Story
Elton Keung, a 2nd gen Chinese American, traveled to Chengdu and had a magical adventure where he performed magic, cooked delicious local delicacies, and learned about the local culture. He even went on Chinese Tv! Elton is the founder of Labobatory in Southern California. Click here to read Elton’s story.
Acknowledgements
The information on this page was sourced from a March 2021 Clubhouse audio meetup. Many thanks to Carrie Liu, Jason Zhang, and Aris Hu for serving on our expert panel.
If you are interested in helping our team source knowledge about life in Asia, please contact our team.