Huanglongxi sits on the bank of the Fu River about forty kilometres south-east of Chengdu, and it has been a market town for well over a thousand years. Its position at the junction of several waterways made it a trading point, and the present street pattern and much of its architecture date from the Ming and Qing periods: narrow flagged lanes, timber shopfronts, courtyards behind, and the river forming one edge of the settlement. It is one of the closest old towns to the city and the easiest to reach without a car.
What to see and do
The town divides into a main commercial lane and quieter streets behind it, with a small temple, several clan halls, and a riverside strip where boats and stepping stones cross the water. The old wharf area is the most photographed part. Huanglongxi keeps two local traditions alive on a commercial scale: the teahouses, which line the lanes and fill with people playing mahjong and drinking jasmine tea, and the fire dragon dance, a performance in which a dragon puppet packed with fireworks is carried through the streets at festival time. The dragon show does not run daily, so ask locally if it is the reason for your visit.
Eating
The town is well supplied with the Sichuan snack repertoire: cold noodles with chilli oil, sweet glutinous rice cakes, sesame pastries, dried bean curd, and a local speciality in the form of small smoked and spiced river fish sold by the bag. Street food here is cheap and intended for domestic day-trippers, so the flavours are loud and the portions generous. The riverside teahouses serve simple meals all day.
Practical notes
Public buses run from Chengdu's southern bus stations and take about an hour and a half; a taxi or car takes around an hour. The town charges no admission fee, though some individual halls and the temple do. Because it is the most accessible old town in the area, it is crowded on weekends and holidays and much calmer on weekdays, when it reverts to a working town. Combine it with the Pingle and Anren old towns in the same direction for a full day of the Chengdu plain.
