People's Park & Heming Teahouse 人民公园与鹤鸣茶社Rénmín Gōngyuán yǔ Hèmíng Cháshè

Why go to People's Park & Heming Teahouse

People's Park is central Chengdu's green heart, where locals stroll, dance and while away the hours over tea. Its lakeside Heming Teahouse, open since 1923, is the classic place to sink into a creaking bamboo chair with a lidded bowl of jasmine tea while ear cleaners make their rounds with an array of metal picks. At weekends the matchmaking corner draws parents swapping details of their unmarried sons and daughters.

The story

The park opened in 1911 as Shaocheng Park, carved out of the old Qing garrison quarter, and was the city's first public park. Heming Teahouse has served tea beside its lake for over a century; you are left a flask of hot water to top up your bowl for as long as you care to sit.

What to see at People's Park & Heming Teahouse

• Heming Teahouse 鹤鸣茶社: A teahouse beside the lake, open since 1923 and one of the oldest in Chengdu, still the park's best-known place to sit with a bowl of tea.
• Railway Protection Movement Monument 辛亥秋保路死事纪念碑: A tapering stone shaft built in 1913–14 in the north-west of the park, in memory of those who died in the railway protests of 1911, which preceded the end of the Qing dynasty. Each of its four faces carries the title in a different script, written by a different calligrapher.
• Lake and gardens 公园湖区: The park's artificial lake and its gardens, partly laid out over old lotus-pond courtyards.
• Monument to the Sichuan Army 川军抗日阵亡将士纪念碑: A memorial to Sichuan soldiers killed in the war against Japan, outside the east gate. It is a short stop on the way in or out.

How to visit People's Park & Heming Teahouse

Enter beside the metro and loop round the lake first; the monument is in the north-west of the park, and the teahouse sits by the water. Plan on two or three hours in all. A tea session alone can fill an hour or two.

How to get to People's Park & Heming Teahouse

People's Park station, where Metro Lines 2 and 17 meet, is beside the park. Kuanzhai Alley is about 15 minutes' walk to the north-west.

Where to stay

Stay in the centre around Tianfu Square, beside the park. People's Park station on Metro Line 2 is beside the park.

What to eat

• Red-oil dumplings 钟水饺: Pork dumplings in thin wrappers, dressed in a sweet, mildly spicy chilli oil, a Chengdu favourite since the 1930s.
• Fuqi feipian 夫妻肺片: Thin slices of beef, tongue, tripe and heart in chilli oil, with celery and crushed peanuts. Despite its name, it contains no lung.
• Dragon wontons 龙抄手: Wontons with thin, almost translucent wrappers, served in broth. The dish started on Chengdu's Chunxi Road in the 1940s.

Tips for visiting People's Park & Heming Teahouse

• Come on a weekday morning to join the regulars; weekends are the busiest time.
• Agree on the price and what's included before an ear cleaner starts; longer 'packages' are often offered.
• Be discreet with your camera at the matchmaking corner, where real families are seeking real matches.

Nearby

• Kuanzhai Alley 宽窄巷子 under 10 km
  Three restored Qing-era lanes of courtyard gateways, teahouses and Sichuan snacks
• Wuhou Shrine & Jinli Street 武侯祠与锦里 under 10 km
  Cypress-shaded halls honouring Three Kingdoms heroes, with a bustling snack lane next door
• Wenshu Monastery 文殊院 under 10 km
  An active Buddhist monastery of incense-filled courtyards, a teahouse and vegetarian food
• Du Fu Thatched Cottage 杜甫草堂 under 10 km
  Bamboo groves and plum blossom where Du Fu, China's 'Poet-Sage', once lived
• Chengdu Giant Panda Base 成都大熊猫繁育研究基地 10 km
  Watch giant pandas munch bamboo and tumble about among the trees
• Luodai Ancient Town 洛带古镇 30 km
  A Hakka market town on Chengdu's edge, with grand guild halls built by Qing-era settlers

Also within 30 km: Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Chengdu 平安桥天主教堂 (under 10 km), Tomb of Wang Jian 王建墓（永陵） (under 10 km), Shuijingfang Distillery Site 水井街酒坊遗址 (under 10 km), Early Buildings of Sichuan University (Huaxiba) 四川大学早期建筑 (under 10 km), Wangjianglou Park 望江楼 (under 10 km), Jinsha Site Museum 金沙遗址博物馆 (under 10 km).

On the map

Open People's Park & Heming Teahouse on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Official website
• Wikipedia (Chinese)