Huanglongxi Ancient Town in Shuangliu County, Chengdu city, is a 1700-year-old scenic town. A river running across from the town like a yellow dragon, hence its name. The uniqueness are its ancient streets, trees, temples, wharves and heritage houses displaying time-honored and unadorned folk customs. Huanglonxi Old Town has an absolutely striking view with its heritage background and foreign visitors will appreciate the charm that comes with this attraction.
The curving alleyways will surely charm you once you if you visit the Huanglongxi Ancient Town. These are worth exploring because you never know what gems are hidden behind the curves. You can go on exploring and suddenly on one corner you find an ancient temple. You go enter the doorway and suddenly you land up in the temple courtyard. The town features a number of temples and some of the well known o-nes include Zhenjiang Temple, Chaoyin Temple and Gulong Temple. Temple fairs are organized in Huanglongxi Ancient Town on ninth day of the sixth and ninth lunar month that creates lively scenes from the olden days.
The town is indeed charming and you must visit if you have the opportunity of going to Sichuan Province in China.
One of a handful of old towns that make for convenient, daylong city getaways, Huanglongxi, a modern-day tourist destination with regional historical significance ,lies in present-day Shuangliu County, about 40 kilometers southeast of Chengdu. Built in the year 216 ,the town's historical significance dates back to the Three Kingdoms and Shu Han, when it played an importat role as a center of trade ,due to its proximity to waterways(a tributary of the Jinjiang runs through the town).
Perhaps the town is more interesting from a social-observation aspect ,from watching children playing to seeing shoe-wearing dogs sniffing through litter, to reading the signage, translated from poetic Chinese phrases into slightly amusing warnings in English to not hurt the lovely flowers. Make a wrong turn down one of the small off-shooting roads,and you'll find yourself suddenly in a shockingly typical Chinese rural town-peddlers hawking vegetables on the street and a few small decrepit storefronts selling synthetic sweaters that were never in style or crammed full of dusty odds and ends that seem entirely too utilitarian to exist within spitting distance of a tourist alley. The contrast is bizarre and slightly creepy ,and take our word for it :You're best off following the crowds along the more picturesque routes. Ideally ,you'd make the trip on a sunny day and at least enjoy that a day outdoors in that rare weather phenomenon, strolling ,snacking, and shopping for frivolous trinkets such as swords, dolls ,pretty shoes ,and notebooks with profane cover art .
If you're feeling slightly wealthy and slightly adventurous ,you can also rent a spot on a boat-unfortunately ,your idyllic gondola ride will no doubt be interrupted by the choppy waters generated by small motorboats filled with thrill-seeking tourists buzzing around the river. Clusters of tables and chaires are congregated along the river as well , where you can sit and watch the view, if you're willing to pay the RMB20-per-head sitting fee(it includes a cup of weak tea). Perhaps the best treats to be had in Huanglongxi are the numerous sweats on offer-from sesame brittle so fresh that it's still warm., to crispy, airy tubes of puffed sweet dough stacked into small peaks .Dried fruits-kiwis ,bananas ,pineapple ,apricots ??Care flavorful as well as plentiful, and near-endless varieties of crisps(corn ,wheat ,sweet potato) are on hand .If you don't want to eat it, just watch workers hand-pulling mouth-numbing ,dingding taffy or pouring thin lines of syrup that instantly harden into intricate candy animals. During national and traditional holidays, the town holds special activities ,including temple fairs ,dragon dances, and food festivals .
Coach buses run every half-hour between 6:30 a.m. and 6p.m from Xinnanmen and Jinsha Stations. Tickets are RMB8 each way, and the jorney takes approximately one hour. Return tickets can be purchased on the bus ??Cor you can show up at the bus station in Huanglongxi and wait for the next empty spot (last buses back to the city tend to be crowded ,so do this at your own risk). City bus 801 runs between Huayang and Huanglongxi .By hired car ,the trip should cost you no more than RMB120 each way . in case you're inclined to make this an overnight trip ,the main walkways are lined with buildings that offer guests room and board.