As a gateway to Tibet, the start of the southern Silk Road and long an important center of commerce and trade (even Marco Polo had something to say about Chengdu!), this is a city with a good selection of souvenirs and things to buy.

There are a few good local specialties which are worth having a look at even if you don’t want to make a purchase! Shu Brocade is an interesting example of exquisite workmanship and detail. Exclusive to Chengdu and available throughout the city, is a wealth of Bamboo craftwork including table mats, chairs, vases and other pretty pieces. This kind of stuff is incredibly fashionable at the moment in the west and sold in stores such as IKEA for about ten times the price in Chengdu! Equally impressive are the beautiful Silverware pieces and Qingcheng Silk Tapestries.

The best place to pick up all these souvenirs is at the evening street market beside the Jin Jiang Hotel and the Minshan Hotel. This is a great atmospheric market selling all kinds of weird and wonderful goods. In the daytime, there is an interesting antiques market on Chaotang Bei Lu, in the west of the city. Don’t forget to bargain at both these places as traders and store owners are used to seeing foreign faces and ripping them off!

For those interested in cooking authentic Sichuan cuisine, most ingredients for spicy cooking should be available in the People’s Supermarket near the railway station.