China Guide
Sichuan and Chongqing
Renmin Park
Price: Free
Address: Just west of Tianfu Square
Renmin Park offers an introduction to Chengdu's reputedly slack pace of life, comprising a few acres of trees, paved paths, ponds and ornamental gardens with seasonally varying displays. Near the north entrance there's an ever-busy teahouse shaded by wisteria (look for the large bronze teapot at the gate), and the tall Monument to the Martyrs, an obelisk commemorating the 1911 rail disputes that marked the beginning of the end for the Qing empire – hence the unusual motifs of trains and spanners. Otherwise, the park is just a good place to stroll; look for vendors with little burners and a slab of marble along the paths who execute skilful designs of Chinese zodiac animals in toffee; there's also a canteen next to the teahouse serving Sichuanese xiaochi. The park is crammed with martial-arts practitioners every morning.