Kuanzhai Alley Route

What Kuanzhai is

Kuanzhai is a Qing-era district surviving near the centre of Chengdu, made of three parallel alleys — Kuan (wide), Zhai (narrow) and Jing (well). Once the quarter where Qing garrison soldiers and their families lived, its streetscape of siheyuan courtyard houses remains. Groomed into a tourist spot, it is also lined with teahouses, snack shops and cafés, known as a place that embodies Chengdu's "slow life." Grey brick walls and wooden gates, and the scent of tea and chili oil drifting from within, are the air of this district.

Teahouse and old names — food you stop to taste

Kuanzhai's food is less a walk than food you sit down and stop to taste. At its centre is the teahouse. Sit on a bamboo chair, order one bowl of gaiwan tea, and with the water topped up you can spend a whole afternoon — the reason Chengdu is called the "slow" city, distilled into a single cup. The other axis is the old names — Long Chaoshou, Zhong dumplings, fuqi feipian, Chen mapo tofu — the tastes of famous houses running since the late Qing. All were born in Chengdu and have spread across China; to eat them in the city of their origin is the worth of this route.

How to walk this route

Start at Tonghuimen on Metro Line 2. First step into a teahouse and let the gaiwan tea tune your body to Chengdu's pace — the manner of this route. For a more local teahouse, it is worth extending to the He Ming teahouse in nearby People's Park. When hunger comes, eat the old-name snacks a little at a time with Long Chaoshou and Zhong dumplings. Taste the sweet-hot in tianshui noodles, take fuqi feipian as a starter, and close with Chen mapo tofu and white rice. Snacks here are mostly sit-down, so the trick is to shift slowly — teahouse, snacks, meal. Reckon about ninety minutes on foot; the heat is adjustable at each shop. Hours change, so confirm on the spot.