"Chengdu - The heart of Sichuan" Chengdu by Lion_Beat

You get an impression you are in some kind of small provincial towns in China, but still Chengdu is home for some 9 million people and is the administrative center of Sichuan Province.

This is what you will read in any travel guide about Chengdu - the city of teahouses, and they will be right. People usualy drink green or flower tea in quite places. That's probably why the city felt like a small town for me. You get a termos of hot water a cup of tea and get to enjoy the view. Although they close early I would say. And there is another tradition-like, people gather at teahouses to watch TV, for the ones who don't have it home this is the only chance to watch TV. Behind the courtanes of a teahouse (so people from outside will not be able to see it) teahouses are filled with customers eager to watch a movie or check the latest news.

This is to be your main base when travelling through Sichuan. Because you will meet with other travellers and get their tips of when to go and what to see, because from here you'll be able to arrange all your iteneraries, buy an travel-agency organized tour and so on.