Jiezi is a small market town in Chongzhou, on the western edge of the Chengdu plain where the ground begins to rise towards the Qionglai mountains, about an hour's drive from the city. It grew as a trading point on the road into the hills, and its layout survives: one main street following a stream, side lanes climbing the slope behind it, stone paving, timber shopfronts, a covered bridge and a small temple at the upper end. It has been restored, but modestly and without the wholesale rebuilding that has turned some Sichuan towns into outdoor shopping malls.
What there is to see
The main street runs alongside a channel of fast water from the mountains, with stone steps down to the edge and small bridges crossing it; shops on both sides sell noodles, cured meat, mountain vegetables, bamboo shoots, tea and the bean-paste and pickle jars that Sichuan households keep. In the middle of the town there is a surviving guild hall, a theatre stage and a temple, and at the top of the village a set of stone steps leads up to a hillside path with views back over the roofs. The atmosphere is that of a working small town that has discovered visitors rather than a designed attraction.
The mountains above
Jiezi is the gateway to a genuinely wilder area. The road continues into the hills towards Jiulonggou and the forested valleys of the Qionglai range, and there are walking trails, small temples and scattered guesthouses above the town. The hills here are cool and damp, with bamboo, tea and deciduous forest, and they are a popular escape from Chengdu's summer heat. Several of the surrounding villages specialise in mountain produce - bamboo shoots, wild vegetables, honey and tea - which is why the market in Jiezi is better stocked than its size would suggest.
Practical notes
The town is free to enter and is open every day; the busiest times are weekends and public holidays, when Chengdu families arrive, so a weekday is much more comfortable. It is reachable by bus and by car, and it works as a half day or as a base for a night if you want to walk in the hills above. Wear shoes with grip, since the stone paving is polished and can be wet. The local food to try is the mountain vegetable cooking and the noodles, both of which are better in the side lanes than on the main street.
