Daci Temple stands in the middle of Chengdu's busiest commercial area, at the heart of the Taikoo Li district, and the contrast between the two is the reason to go. On one side are grey-brick halls, incense burners, old trees and a courtyard where people sit over tea; on the other, a few steps away, are glass-fronted international boutiques, coffee shops and a shopping crowd in the tens of thousands a day. The temple has been on this site since the Tang dynasty and remains active, which is what keeps it from feeling like a preserved exhibit.
The temple
The complex follows the standard arrangement along a central axis - gate hall, hall of heavenly kings, main hall, and further halls behind - with side courtyards, a bell and drum tower, steles, and a garden with ponds and bamboo. The halls hold Buddhist figures in bronze, clay and wood, some of them old, and there is a fine set of murals and painted beams in the principal buildings. Because it is a working monastery, you will find monks, lay volunteers, worshippers and a small shop selling incense, prayer beads and religious books, along with the vegetarian restaurant and teahouse that occupy parts of the compound.
The quarter around it
Taikoo Li is a low-rise, open-air shopping district built around the temple rather than over it, with the streets laid out on the old lane pattern and the buildings kept to two or three storeys. It has become the standard example of how Chinese cities now handle heritage and commerce together, and it is worth walking not for the shops but for the way the scale and the materials hold the temple in place. The adjacent Chunxi Road is the older commercial street, and the whole area is dense with food, drink and people in the evenings.
Practical notes
The temple is open from early morning to late afternoon, with a nominal or no admission charge, and it is a five minute walk from a subway station on several lines. It is quieter in the morning and busier with shoppers all afternoon. Dress modestly and keep voices down in the halls, and ask before photographing worshippers or ceremonies. The teahouse inside the compound is a good place to sit for an hour, and the vegetarian restaurant is cheap and reliable. Allow about an hour for the temple and another for the surrounding streets.
