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🇨🇳 China — Sichuan & Yunnan

Vancouver ⇄ Chengdu · 14 nights · Mar 5 – 19, 2027
Final Itinerary · v1.0
Chengdu→ Jiuzhaigou→ Shangri-La→ Chengdu→ Home
3Nights ChengduMar 5–8↓ jump 3Nights JiuzhaigouMar 8–11↓ jump 5Nights Shangri-LaMar 11–16↓ jump 3Internal flightsMar 8 · 11 · 16↓ book 2Jiuzhai daysMar 9–10↓ jump 1Baishuitai tripMar 14↓ jump
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🗺️ Route Map

Real map of your route across Sichuan & Yunnan. Click any marker for dates. Pan/zoom freely.

Chengdu
Jiuzhaigou
Shangri-La
Numbered circles = each day's location · click for details

💱 Currency Calculator

CAD ⇄ Chinese Yuan (CNY/RMB). Edit the rate to match the live rate when you travel.

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Rate:1 CAD = CNY (edit if rate differs · ≈ Aug 2026)
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🌤️ Weather Forecast

Live 13-day forecast for each stop. Most accurate within 7 days of travel — check back as the trip approaches.

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Showing typical March conditions based on historical climate data. Live forecast will populate automatically when the trip is within 16 days (around Feb 17, 2027). Data source: Open-Meteo.

Phase 1
Chengdu · Pandas, Hot Pot & Sichuan Soul
Day 1 · Fri Mar 5
Chengdu · Arrival
Long-haul day. Land, eat, sleep. Don't fight the jet lag — the panda base opens early tomorrow.
Evening
Arrive Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU)📍ℹ (or CTU — confirm terminal when booking). Have your visa + hotel address ready. Immigration: 30–60 min.
9:00 PM
Skip the airport food. Grab a taxi or DiDi to your Chengdu hotel in Taikoo Li / Chunxi Road area (~45 min from TFU, ¥80–120 by taxi).
10:00 PM
Light bite if you can find anything open: congee, dumplings, or the hotel's late menu. Sleep fast — alarm set for 6 AM.
If you land at CTU (Shuangliu, the older airport), the city is much closer — ~25 min taxi. Double-check which Chengdu airport your ticket says.
Day 2 · Sat Mar 6
Chengdu · Panda Base
Pandas in the morning, Sichuan opera at night. The classic Chengdu day.
6:30 AM
Early taxi to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding📍ℹ (~40 min from Taikoo Li, ¥60). Arrive at the South Gate by 7:20 AM.
7:30 AM
Doors open. Buy tickets online the day before via Trip.com or the official WeChat mini program (¥55, real-name registration with your passport). Head straight to the Sunshine Nursery and Adult Panda Villas — pandas are most active 7:30–9:30 AM, eating bamboo, climbing, occasionally fighting.
10:30 AM
Catching the tour-bus crowd now. Take the sightseeing bus (~¥10) to the Panda Tower and the quieter Red Panda enclosure at the north end of the park.
12:30 PM
Taxi back to the city. Late lunch: Long Chao Shou📍 (chaoshou/wontons in chili oil — ¥25) or Chen Mapo Tofu📍 (the original — book ahead).
3:00 PM
Slow walk through People's Park📍ℹ — tea at Heming Teahouse, ear cleaning, mahjong. The most Chinese afternoon you'll have.
5:30 PM
Walk to Jinli Ancient Street📍ℹ for snacks and lanterns (touristy but photogenic at dusk).
7:30 PM
Sichuan opera at Shu Feng Ya Yun📍 — face-changing show, ¥180–280. Worth it. Book ahead.
9:30 PM
Late hot pot at Shu Da Xia📍 or Xiao Long Yun — order the yuanyang pot (half spicy / half non-spicy) if you're spice-shy.
Day 3 · Sun Mar 7
Chengdu · Old Town & Departure Prep
Wide alleys, the famous Wuhou Shrine, last Sichuan meal before the mountains.
8:00 AM
Dim sum breakfast at Jin Jiang or a local noodle shop — try dan dan noodles, zhong dumplings, and sweet water noodles.
9:30 AM
Visit Wuhou Shrine📍ℹ (Three Kingdoms era, ¥50). Pair with the adjacent Jinli if you skipped it yesterday.
11:30 AM
Walk to Kuanzhai Alley📍ℹ ("Wide and Narrow Alleys") — Qing dynasty lanes, more tea, more snacks, less touristy than Jinli.
1:00 PM
Lunch at Yu's Family Kitchen📍 (Sichuan tasting menu, book ahead — ¥200/pp) or Maojiao Huoguo for an unhinged local hot pot experience.
3:00 PM
Slow afternoon. Sichuan Museum📍 (free) or Tianfu Square for the people-watching. Pick up altitude-meds at a pharmacy (Redoxon, Diamox, or local rhodiola — ¥50–100) if you haven't already.
5:00 PM
Back to hotel. Pack for Jiuzhaigou — warm layers, gloves, hat, sturdy shoes. Temperatures at 3,000m will be 0 to -5°C, possibly snow.
7:00 PM
Last Chengdu dinner: Yu Ben Yuan📍 (home-style Sichuan, ¥80/pp) or splurge at Yu Zhi Lan📍 (Michelin-starred Sichuan, book 2+ weeks ahead).
Pre-download WeChat and Alipay on your phone. Get your hotel Wi-Fi or local SIM working today so you have offline payment + maps for Jiuzhaigou.
Phase 2
Jiuzhaigou & Huanglong · Alpine Lakes & Travertine Pools
Day 4 · Mon Mar 8
Chengdu → Jiuzhaigou
Fly north to Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport, then descend into a UNESCO valley. Acclimatize gently — you're now at 2,000m+.
11:00 AM
Taxi to TFU (or CTU, depending on which you flew into). Allow 2 hrs for domestic check-in.
1:30 PM
Fly Chengdu (TFU) → Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport (JZH)📍ℹ on Sichuan Airlines 3U 6675 (~1 hr, ¥600–1,200). Book at sichuanair.com or Trip.com.
2:30 PM
Arrive JZH. Shuttle bus to Jiuzhaigou valley entrance area (~1.5 hr, ¥50–60 per person, runs every 30 min after each flight). Or pre-book a private transfer (~¥400/car).
4:30 PM
Check in at your Jiuzhaigou hotel near the park entrance (Goukou/Zhangzha Town). Drink water, take it easy, no alcohol tonight. Altitude can hit fast.
6:30 PM
Dinner at the hotel or a nearby Tibetan-style restaurant — tsampa, yak butter tea, hot pot. Heavy carb-heavy meal helps with altitude. Early night.
Headache, nausea, dizziness at 2,000m+ = altitude sickness. Don't push through. Hydrate, take ibuprofen, avoid alcohol, rest. If symptoms worsen (persistent vomiting, confusion), get to a clinic — the park has basic medical facilities at the entrance.
Day 5 · Tue Mar 9
Jiuzhaigou Valley · Day 1
The main event. Walk into a valley of impossibly turquoise lakes. Off-season means fewer crowds AND frozen waterfalls.
7:30 AM
Park opens. Book tickets online 1+ day in advance via the official Jiuzhai Valley site or Trip.com — there is no ticket counter at the gate (off-season: ¥80 entrance + ¥80 bus = ¥160 total).
8:00 AM
Take the sightseeing bus into the park. Get off at the top end of Zechawa Valley (Long Lake / 五花海 endpoint) and work your way down — easier than climbing back up.
9:00 AM
Long Lake📍ℹ (highest point in the park, frozen in March) → Five Color Lake📍. In winter, the lakes are partly frozen — surreal blue-and-white.
11:30 AM
Bus down to Nuorilang Waterfall📍 (partly frozen in March, dramatic). Lunch at the Nuorilang restaurant area (~¥60–80).
1:30 PM
Walk the Shuzheng Valley boardwalks: Shuzheng Lakes → Reed Lake → Swan Lake. Flat, easy, the most photogenic stretch.
4:00 PM
Bus back to the entrance. Hot tea at the hotel.
6:30 PM
Dinner at Abulanti Tibetan Restaurant📍 (yak hot pot, ¥120/pp).
Off-season in March: some high-altitude areas (including the Virgin Forest section) may be closed for maintenance. Check at the entrance kiosk for which sections are open today.
Day 6 · Wed Mar 10
Huanglong Day Trip
The otherworldly travertine pools. Higher elevation (3,500m), more remote, fewer tourists.
7:00 AM
Pickup at your hotel (or Jiutong Bus Station) for the bus to Huanglong Scenic Area📍ℹ (~2.5 hr, ¥62). Buy your ticket in advance (off-season: ¥60 entrance). Cable car is closed in off-season (Dec–May) — you're walking up.
9:30 AM
Arrive Huanglong (3,100–3,576m elevation). Move slowly. Drink water. The path climbs steadily along terraced limestone pools — at this altitude, even short climbs feel harder.
10:00 AM
Walk the upper boardwalks to Five-Color Pond📍 (3,576m — highest point). The pools are partly frozen in March. Breathtaking and quiet.
12:30 PM
Descend on foot (4–5 hr round trip if you go all the way to the top). The lower Zhengyan Pond and Bonsai Beach are easier if you're feeling the altitude.
2:00 PM
Lunch at the visitor center or pack your own (limited options, hot instant noodles ~¥20).
3:00 PM
Bus back to Jiuzhaigou (2.5 hr). Rest at the hotel.
6:30 PM
Pack tonight. Light dinner at the hotel — you're flying out tomorrow to warmer (lower) altitudes.
Huanglong at 3,500m+ is significantly higher than Jiuzhaigou valley. If you felt rough yesterday, take it very easy today. Diamox (acetazolamide) helps if you started it yesterday; otherwise ibuprofen + water + slow movement.
Phase 3
Shangri-La · Tibetan Plateau, Baishuitai & the End of the Road
Day 7 · Thu Mar 11
Jiuzhaigou → Shangri-La
Long travel day. Fly back to Chengdu then onward to Shangri-La — but the views as you drop onto the Yunnan plateau make the journey worth it.
9:00 AM
Hotel checkout. Shuttle back to JZH airport (arrive 2 hrs before flight, ¥50–60 shuttle, depart 7:00 AM latest).
11:00 AM
Fly JZH → Chengdu (TFU) on Sichuan Airlines / Air China (~1 hr, ¥600–1,000).
2:00 PM
Transit in Chengdu. Allow 2+ hrs between flights.
3:30 PM
Fly Chengdu (TFU) → Shangri-La (DIG)📍 on China Eastern / Air China (~1h 20m, ¥500–900, multiple daily).
5:00 PM
Arrive Shangri-La (3,200m — back to high altitude). Taxi to your Shangri-La hotel in the old town (~15 min, ¥40).
6:30 PM
Light dinner. Tibetan butter tea, momos (dumplings), yak meat. Rest early — your body has been at sea level, then 2,000m, then 3,500m, now 3,200m. Don't be surprised if you don't sleep great.
If Jiuzhai-Huanglong → Chengdu is sold out, alternative is the direct China Eastern or Tibet Airlines flight JZH → Kunming → DIG, but this usually costs more and takes longer.
Day 8 · Fri Mar 12
Shangri-La · Old Town & Monastery
Acclimatize day. Old town, the biggest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan, slow pace.
8:00 AM
Sleep in. Coffee at Dukezong Coffee or Akya Tara Café📍ℹ in the old town.
9:30 AM
Walk Dukezong Old Town📍 — 1,300-year-old Tibetan quarter. Guishan Park at the center has the giant prayer wheel (one of the largest in the world, requires 3+ people to push). Climb the steps for the view.
12:00 PM
Lunch at Yak & Yeti📍 (Tibetan/Nepali, the old expat standby) or Quiet Mandarin for refined Tibetan cuisine.
2:00 PM
Visit Songzanlin Monastery📍ℹ (~20 min from town, ¥115) — the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan, often called the "Little Potala Palace." 30 monks chanting at 3 PM = magic.
5:00 PM
Back in old town. Walk the city wall at sunset. Buy a Tibetan scarf (¥40) for the cold days ahead.
7:00 PM
Dinner at Zhongdian Restaurant or the local favorite Namtso for yak hot pot. Try tsampa (roasted barley flour, eaten with butter tea) at least once.
Day 9 · Sat Mar 13
Shangri-La · Napa Hai & Pudacuo
High-altitude wetlands, alpine lakes, the closest thing to a Tibetan postcard you've ever seen.
8:30 AM
Private car or shared van to Pudacuo National Park📍ℹ (~30 min, ¥100 entrance + ¥60 sightseeing bus).
9:00 AM
Walk the boardwalk around Shudu Lake — 3.5 km flat loop, ~2 hrs. Yaks graze in the wetland. Mountains everywhere.
12:00 PM
Lunch back in town. Try Imagery Tibetan Restaurant or grab noodles at a casual place near the monastery.
2:00 PM
Drive to Napa Hai Nature Reserve📍 (¥60) — seasonal lake/wetland. In March, partly frozen, with black-necked cranes overwintering. Drive around the perimeter, or hire a horse (¥80/hr).
5:00 PM
Sunset at the lake. The mountains across the wetland go pink/orange — it's the most photogenic spot in Shangri-La.
7:30 PM
Dinner at Tibetan Family Kitchen — yak momos, thukpa (Tibetan noodle soup), butter tea, all in a courtyard.
Day 10 · Sun Mar 14
Baishuitai (White Water Terraces) Day Trip
China's Pamukkale. Limestone terraces of milky blue water at the foot of Haba Snow Mountain. The headline nature day.
7:00 AM
Private car pickup at the hotel (book the day before — ¥500–700 round-trip, split between 2–4 people). 2.5-hr drive to Baishuitai📍ℹ. Or take the daily 9 AM minibus from Shangri-La Bus Station (¥70 round-trip, 3 hr each way).
9:30 AM
Arrive at the White Water Terraces (¥30 entrance, 8:30–17:00 in March). Walk up the wooden boardwalks — the cascading travertine pools are at their most photogenic in late morning light.
10:30 AM
Explore the upper terraces. In March, the snowmelt from Haba Snow Mountain feeds the pools — bright blue and overflowing. The Naxi village (Baidi Village) at the base is a quiet, ancient Naxi Tibetan community.
12:00 PM
Picnic lunch (bring from town) or eat at the small Tibetan restaurant near the entrance (~¥40).
1:30 PM
Drive back via the East Ring Road — different scenery, look out for prayer flags and grazing yaks.
4:00 PM
Back in Shangri-La. Hot shower. Optional: 30-min hot-tub soak at the hotel.
7:00 PM
Dinner at Regong Arts Cafe or splurge on Amdo Garden for refined Tibetan. Try air-dried yak meat if you haven't yet.
The only public transport is the 9 AM minibus, and it returns mid-afternoon. A private car gives you 2 extra hours at the site. Worth the splurge for photography.
Day 11 · Mon Mar 15
Shangri-La · Buffer / Tiger Leaping Gorge
Free day. Use it for Tiger Leaping Gorge if your legs are willing, or rest + souvenir shopping.
7:00 AM
Option A (active): Day trip to Tiger Leaping Gorge📍ℹ (~2 hr drive, ¥65 entrance). One of the deepest gorges in the world. Walk the upper trail (the section between Naxi Guesthouse and Tea Horse Guesthouse, ~2–3 hrs, dramatic cliffs).
12:00 PM
Lunch at a Naxi guesthouse — simple but fresh. Back to Shangri-La by 4 PM.
3:00 PM
Option B (chill): Sleep in, then Souvenir shopping in Dukezong — thangka paintings, yak wool scarves, Tibetan jewelry, dried caterpillar fungus (cordyceps, if budget allows), high-mountain tea.
6:00 PM
Last Shangri-La dinner. Arro Khampa📍 for a refined Tibetan tasting menu, or Shambhala for casual momos + butter beer.
9:00 PM
Pack. Hotel checkout tomorrow morning.
Phase 4
Chengdu · Last Meals & Departure
Day 12 · Tue Mar 16
Shangri-La → Chengdu
Drop back down to the Sichuan basin. Hot pot night, the right way to land.
10:00 AM
Easy morning. Last Tibetan breakfast at the hotel or a butter-tea spot in Dukezong.
12:00 PM
Taxi to DIG airport. Allow 1.5 hrs for check-in.
2:00 PM
Fly Shangri-La (DIG) → Chengdu (TFU)📍 on China Eastern / Air China (~1h 20m, ¥500–900, multiple daily).
3:30 PM
Arrive Chengdu. Taxi to your Chengdu hotel (same Taikoo Li area as the first stay — no neighborhood swaps = less traffic grief).
6:00 PM
Walk to Taikoo Li📍ℹ — open-air shopping/dining complex built around ancient temples. Browse + early dinner.
8:00 PM
The big hot pot return: Xiao Long Yun or Shu Da Xia📍. Order the ma la (numbing-spicy) pot this time — you've earned it. Go easy on the dipping sauce for the uninitiated.
10:00 PM
Walk back to the hotel. Sleep deep — you're at 500m elevation again, and the air is warm.
Day 13 · Wed Mar 17
Chengdu · Pandas / Sanxingdui
The archaeology day, OR a second panda visit if you want a quieter experience. Both are excellent.
8:00 AM
Option A: Drive to Sanxingdui Museum📍ℹ (~1.5 hr from Chengdu, ¥80). 5,000-year-old Bronze Age civilization with massive bronze masks and weird artifacts that rewrite Chinese history. Book the timed-entry ticket online 3+ days in advance.
1:00 PM
Lunch in Guanghan city on the way back, or hold out for Chengdu.
4:00 PM
Option B: Skip the museum. Wenshu Monastery📍ℹ (free, peaceful Buddhist temple in the city) + tea ceremony next door.
6:30 PM
Dinner at Yu Ben Yuan or a chuan chuan xiang (skewer hot pot) place — pick your skewers, dip in chili oil, eat with a cold beer.
Day 14 · Thu Mar 18
Chengdu · Last Day
Souvenirs, last meals, slow send-off. Save your energy for the long flight home.
9:00 AM
Sleep in. Last Sichuan breakfast at the hotel or a neighborhood noodle shop.
11:00 AM
Souvenir run. Chunxi Road📍ℹ for the malls, or Wide and Narrow Alley for tea, Sichuan peppercorns, panda plushies, and embroidered slippers.
1:00 PM
Lunch at Long Chao Shou or Mapo Tofu King — the dishes you liked best on Day 2. Order them again. No regrets.
3:00 PM
Massage. You've been hiking at altitude for a week. Find a Chinese foot-massage place (~¥150, 90 min) — your calves will thank you.
6:00 PM
Last dinner. Yu's Family Kitchen for a refined send-off, or a casual round of chuan chuan xiang + Tsingtao with the locals.
9:00 PM
Pack for real. Don't leave it for the morning.
Day 15 · Fri Mar 19
Chengdu → Home
Coffee, long check-in, then 12+ hours home. You earned it.
8:00 AM
Coffee + a long breakfast at the hotel.
10:00 AM
Final pack, check out.
12:00 PM
Taxi to Chengdu Tianfu (TFU) or Shuangliu (CTU)📍. Allow 3.5 hrs for international check-in.
3:30 PM
Fly home. One stop in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou. ✈️

📋 Master Booking TODO

Click any 🔲 status to toggle. 🎯 = target time · Book ↗ opens the booking site. Selections save to your browser.

#ItemWhen🎯 TargetBookStatus
1 China tourist visa (Canadian passport) Submit by Feb 19 ⚠️ Visa waiver ended Dec 31, 2026 — apply now Apply↗ 🔲
2 International: YVR ⇄ Chengdu (round trip) Mar 5 / Mar 19 ✓ Book by Jan 2027 (cheaper) Search↗ 🔲
3 Sichuan Airlines TFU → JZH Mar 8 🎯 Aim 1:30 PM dep (arrive ~2:30 PM) Book↗ 🔲
4 Sichuan Airlines / China Eastern JZH → DIG Mar 11 🎯 Aim 3:30 PM dep via CTU (1+2 hr) Book↗ 🔲
5 China Eastern / Air China DIG → TFU Mar 16 🎯 Aim 2 PM dep (arrive ~3:30 PM) Book↗ 🔲
6 Chengdu Panda Base ticket (¥55, real-name) Mar 6 🐼 Book 1 day ahead, morning slot Book↗ 🔲
7 Chengdu hotel Leg 1 — Taikoo Li / Chunxi Rd (3 nts, Mar 5–8)
 Mar 5–8 🏨 Check-in flexible (late evening) Book↗ 🔲
8 Jiuzhaigou hotel — Zhangzha Town (3 nts, Mar 8–11)
 Mar 8–11 🏨 Check-in 4:30 PM (altitude acclimatize) Book↗ 🔲
9 Shangri-La hotel — Dukezong Old Town (5 nts, Mar 11–16)
 Mar 11–16 🏨 Check-in 5 PM (after flight) Book↗ 🔲
10 Chengdu hotel Leg 2 — Taikoo Li (3 nts, Mar 16–19)
 Mar 16–19 🏨 Check-in 4 PM (after flight) Book↗ 🔲
11 Jiuzhaigou Valley ticket + bus (¥160 off-season) Mar 9 🏔️ Book 1+ day ahead (no on-site counter) Book↗ 🔲
12 Huanglong Scenic Area ticket (¥60 off-season) Mar 10 🏔️ Book 1+ day ahead (cable car closed) Book↗ 🔲
13 Sichuan opera — Shu Feng Ya Yun (¥180–280) Mar 6 🎭 7:30 PM show (book 1 wk ahead) Book↗ 🔲
14 Baishuitai private car (¥500–700 round-trip) Mar 14 🚗 Book hotel desk day before (7 AM pickup) — 🔲

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💰 Budget Estimate

Per-person, in CAD. Excludes international flight (~$1,400–2,000 CAD from YVR) + China visa (~$200). All on-the-ground costs.

Travel style:
$2,400 – $3,200
Mid-range hotels, mix of street food & nicer restaurants, all major sights
CategoryRange (CAD)Notes

Tip: Add ~CA$1,400–2,000 for the international flight + ~CA$200 for the Chinese visa + ~$80–150 for travel insurance for the full trip picture. Pay for almost everything in China via WeChat Pay (set up before you fly, link your foreign credit card) or cash CNY from Bank of China / ICBC ATMs — always choose CNY, decline the conversion prompt.

🍜 Chinese Food & Sichuan Glossary

Decode the menu. Sichuan food is one of the world's great cuisines — the more you know, the better you eat.

麻婆豆腐 má pó dòu fu
Mapo tofu. Silken tofu in chili-bean sauce with minced pork and Sichuan peppercorns. Numbing + spicy + savory. The Sichuan dish.
火锅 huǒ guō
Hot pot. Communal pot of bubbling broth (spicy + non-spicy sides) at the table. Dip raw meats, vegetables, noodles. Order the yuanyang 鸳鸯 (half-and-half) for first-timers.
担担面 dàn dàn miàn
Dan dan noodles. Cold wheat noodles in chili oil, Sichuan pepper, sesame paste, minced pork. Served in a small bowl. Street food classic.
龙抄手 lóng chāo shǒu
Long chaoshou — Sichuan wontons in chili oil. Thin wrappers, pork filling, swimming in red oil. Better than the name suggests.
钟水饺 zhōng shuǐ jiǎo
Zhong dumplings. Pork dumplings in sweet-soy-chili sauce (no vinegar, the Chengdu way). Iconic breakfast.
回锅肉 huí guō ròu
Twice-cooked pork. Sliced pork belly first boiled then stir-fried with leeks, chili bean paste, garlic. The home-cooking national dish.
夫妻肺片 fū qī fèi piàn
Husband-and-wife lung slices. Cold beef offal in chili oil, Sichuan pepper, peanuts. Don't let the name put you off — no lung, just super-tender beef. Cold appetizer classic.
鱼香肉丝 yú xiāng ròu sī
Fish-fragrant pork shreds. No actual fish — the "fish flavor" is a Sichuan sauce (ginger, garlic, sugar, vinegar, chili). One of the great flavor profiles in Chinese cooking.
钵钵鸡 bō bō jī
Bobochi. Cold skewers of chicken, vegetables, tofu in a Sichuan chili-oil broth. Sold at street stalls. The "cold hot pot" of Sichuan.
串串香 chuàn chuàn xiāng
Chuan chuan xiang. Skewer hot pot — pick your raw skewers, dip in spicy broth, eat with cold beer. The most fun way to eat in Chengdu.
酥油茶 sū yóu chá
Butter tea. Tibetan staple. Yak butter + black tea + salt, churned into a thick salty drink. Acquired taste but helps with altitude. Sweet version available for Westerners.
糌粑 zān bā
Tsampa. Roasted barley flour mixed with butter tea into a dough. The Tibetan everyday food. Sticks to your ribs at altitude.
酥油茶 sū yóu chá
Yak momos. Tibetan dumplings stuffed with yak meat, beef, or vegetables, steamed or fried. Available everywhere in Shangri-La.
酥油茶 sū yóu chá
Thukpa. Tibetan noodle soup — wheat noodles in a clear yak-meat broth with vegetables. The hot, hearty meal after a cold day at altitude.
牦牛肉 máo niú ròu
Yak meat. Leaner than beef, slightly sweet. Served as jerky, hot pot, stir-fry, or grilled on skewers. Try the air-dried yak meat (风干牦牛肉) in Shangri-La.
花椒 huā jiāo
Sichuan peppercorn. Not actually spicy — it makes your mouth tingle and go numb. The "má 麻" in málà (麻辣). Buy a bag to bring home.
小笼包 xiǎo lóng bāo
Xiaolongbao. Soup dumplings. Thin skin, pork + gelatinous broth inside. Carefully bite the top, sip the soup, then eat. Don't burn yourself.
饺子 jiǎo zi
Jiaozi. Northern-style dumplings, boiled or pan-fried (锅贴 guōtiē). Pork, lamb, or veggie. Eaten everywhere.

🗣️ Useful Mandarin Phrases

Mandarin is the official language. English is limited outside Chengdu. These 18 phrases cover 90% of interactions.

你好
nǐ hǎo
Hello
谢谢
xiè xie
Thank you
不客气
bú kè qi
You're welcome
对不起
duì bù qǐ
Sorry / Excuse me
请问…
qǐng wèn
Excuse me (to ask a question)
多少钱?
duō shǎo qián
How much?
太贵了
tài guì le
Too expensive
可以便宜点吗?
kě yǐ pián yi diǎn ma
Can it be cheaper?
我要这个
wǒ yào zhè ge
I want this one
买单 / 结账
mǎi dān / jié zhàng
The bill, please
洗手间在哪?
xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎ
Where is the bathroom?
我不会说中文
wǒ bú huì shuō zhōng wén
I don't speak Chinese
请说慢一点
qǐng shuō màn yì diǎn
Please speak more slowly
我不吃辣
wǒ bù chī là
I don't eat spicy food
我要辣的
wǒ yào là de
I want it spicy
机场
jī chǎng
Airport
酒店
jiǔ diàn
Hotel
一、二、三、四、五、六、七、八、九、十
yī, èr, sān, sì, wǔ, liù, qī, bā, jiǔ, shí
Numbers 1–10

📅 Sources & Verification