Pingle Ancient Town lies in Qionglai, about a hundred kilometres southwest of Chengdu, on the Baishui River where it meets a smaller stream. The town has existed for around two thousand years as a market and river crossing on the road towards the Tibetan frontier, and although much has been rebuilt, the layout, the river banks and a number of the buildings are original.
The town
Pingle is built around its water. The river runs through the middle, crossed by a long low stone bridge with shallow weirs either side, and the banks are lined with wooden houses on stone bases, tea houses with tables set out under the eaves, and covered walkways. The main street is a narrow lane of shops and workshops, and the side streets climb up to a small temple and a timber theatre building. Bamboo features everywhere - in fences, baskets, furniture and the frames of the houses - because this is the edge of one of the largest bamboo forests in the province.
Bamboo and the surrounding hills
The Qionglai bamboo sea, a dense forest of bamboo covering a group of hills an hour or so from the town, is the reason many visitors come to this area. It has walking trails, a small cable car, lookouts and restaurants serving bamboo shoots in season. Spring is the best time to see new shoots. The forest is genuinely quiet compared with Sichuan's other scenic areas, and the light under the bamboo, filtering through the leaves, is the main attraction.
What to eat and do
Local food is Sichuan country cooking: bamboo shoots, freshwater fish from the river, smoked pork, tofu, and noodles, eaten at riverside tables with tea. There are boat trips on the river, and the low bridge is used by local children as a swimming spot in summer. The town is best appreciated slowly - walk the length of the main street, cross the bridge, sit by the water, and go up to the temple at the quiet end.
Practical notes
Pingle is reached by car from Chengdu in about an hour and a half to two hours, and there are buses from Qionglai. It is far less developed than Sichuan's better-known ancient towns, which means fewer facilities but far fewer tour groups. Weekends are busy with Chengdu day-trippers and the town can feel crowded on the main street; a weekday visit or an overnight stay gives a much better sense of the place.
