Chunxi Road / Taikoo Li
春熙路·太古里
Chengdu's core shopping district. The century-old Chunxi Road sits beside the open-air Taikoo Li district, and IFS, with its wall-climbing panda, Daci Temple, and fashionable crowds, shows the city's urban side.
Chunxi Road opened in 1924 and has been Chengdu's commercial center for a century. Together with the neighboring Chengdu Taikoo Li, the IFS International Finance Centre, and Times Square, it forms what locals call “Chengdu's Ginza.” Taikoo Li was designed by British architects and features low-rise buildings with sloping roofs in the style of western Sichuan dwellings, arranged around Daci Temple, a millennium-old temple where Xuanzang was ordained and which is open free of charge. The district is home to luxury boutiques, an Apple flagship store, the Fangsuo bookstore (underground, often called Chengdu's most beautiful bookshop), and the Bosh Hotel. It has two circuits, the “fast” and the “slow” route. On the roof of IFS, the wall-climbing panda, Florentijn Hofman's “I Am Here” installation, can be photographed up close from the sculpture garden on the seventh floor, and it is a must-see photo spot. The Chunxi Road pedestrian street includes the statue in Zhongshan Square and Chengdu's oldest state-run department store, and it is always crowded, with street photographers often on hand. For food, try Mawangzi Chuan Xiao Guan, Chengdu Eaters, or the original Long Chao Shou restaurant near Taikoo Li. Or walk to the Jiuyanqiao bar street along the Jin River or to Champagne Square, where couples often pose at Hejiang Pavilion. Everything is free to enter, and the malls are open about 10:00–22:00. The lights on Taikoo Li and IFS stay on until about 23:00. Getting there: Metro Lines 2 or 3 to Chunxi Road Station, or Lines 1, 2, or 4 to Tianfu Square Station followed by a 15-minute walk. For the best experience, come in the evening, then stroll along the Jin River to An Shun Covered Bridge for the night view.
Opening hours
Open all day; malls 10:00–22:00
Nearby sights
- Daci Temple
- Jinjiang Theatre (Sichuan Opera)
- Jinjiang River Night Cruise (Dongmen Wharf)
- Mengzhuiwan Riverside
- Shuijingfang Museum
- Tianfu Panda Tower (Sichuan TV Tower)
- Tianfu Square
- Anshun Bridge & Jiuyanqiao