Top 10 Ancient Towns in China's Sichuan Province

Hi! My name is Noah Kartha, and I'm a travel blogger/vlogger in China. I've fallen in love with China's countless ancient towns, and I hope to visit all of this country's most beautiful ancient towns and villages in the next few years. Having lived the past year and a half in Sichuan, I've been able to explore this province in depth, and this list is what I believe to be Sichuan's top ten ancient towns in order.

1. Langzhong Ancient City

My favorite ancient town I’ve visited in all of China is Langzhong Ancient City. This is far larger than any other ancient town in Sichuan and is actually one of only four completely preserved ancient cities in China. When I visited Langzhong for Chinese New Year 2021, I was totally mesmerized. Every one of its 90 streets had some surprise waiting down it, whether it was locals celebrating the New Year playing with fireworks or firecrackers, some interesting old landmark, or a gorgeous hidden cafe. Then you can go for a lovely stroll or even boat ride along the Jialing River with the ancient city on one side and the picturesque Jinping Mountain on the other. You can even walk across a floating bridge to another part of the ancient town seemingly hidden inside the mountain.

Traveling in China during Spring Festival is widely discouraged amongst foreigners because every tourist destination in the country is packed with people, but I highly recommend a visit to Langzhong during Chinese New Year. The New Year’s atmosphere here is so festive and fun and made for one of my favorite travel experiences in all of China to date.

Best Way to Get to Langzhong:

• *Fly into Langzhong Ancient City (At the moment the airport isn’t open, it will probably open at the end of 2022)

• Take a train to Langzhong station（阆中站)

2. Pingle Ancient Town

To be honest, Pingle’s ancient town scenic area isn’t that impressive; however, if you go off the beaten path, you can find some amazing hidden gems. Pingle is the oldest trading town on the Southern Silk Road. One of the coolest experiences I’ve had in Sichuan was being able to walk on the Silk Road on the outskirts of Pingle. The same road that brought caravans and horses here from around the Eastern Hemisphere thousands of years ago is still intact today and walking along it eerily feels like stepping into the past. Beyond that, Pingle has several other attractions worth checking out including Lugou Bamboo Sea (a beautiful bamboo forest).

If you go to Pingle, I highly recommend you stay at 邛崃墨隐壹舍客栈 located at 邛崃平乐镇金河社区18组8号. The host, Aunt Sun, is one of the most lovely women I’ve met in China. She willingly showed my friend and I around the town in her tuk-tuk, and at night her husband took us to a lovely creek area right next to the mountains to catch fireflies. It was all these lovely off-the-beaten-path experiences in Pingle that gave me plenty of warm, comfortable memories of this place and make it stand out as one of my favorite destinations in Sichuan. Check out my vlog of Pingle here:

Best Way to Get to Pingle:

• Take a bus from Chengdu’s Xinnanmen Station （新南门站）

3. Lizhuang Ancient Town

Lizhuang is actually know as the first town along the Yangtze River, and while it’s not huge, there is plenty to see and do here. Firstly, when you come to Lizhuang, you’ve gotta eat! There are many famous specialties, but the most famous is Bai Rou (白肉), which is thinly sliced pork which you can dip in a chili sauce. Or you can take a beautiful stroll along the river or through its many charming scenic alleyways to explore quaint old buildings. In addition, it has an interesting history as it was an important safe haven for several universities during the Sino-Japanese War.

When in Lizhuang, make sure to check out Xizi alley (席子巷), which is a charming quiet little walkway with cute wooden houses on both sides, at the end of which you can find “My Coffee,” a very cozy and quaint coffee shop. The owner, Angel, is very accommodating and welcoming. Check out my Liuzhuang vlog here:

Best Way to Get to Lizhuang:

• Take a train/plane to Yibin and from there, take a bus or order a car to travel the remaining ~25 km to Lizhuang

4. Anren Ancient Town

Known as the Museum Town of China, Anren is really a one-of-a-kind ancient town. In addition to the ancient Chinese influence, it also has a unique academic and old-timey Western atmosphere and contains several excellent-quality musuem exhibits. Some of the exhibits are temporary and continuously changing, but others, such as Liu’s Manor have been standing for hundreds of years and provide a unique modern perspective on the town and its history. Check out my Anren vlog here:

Best Way to Get to Anren:

• Take a bus from Chengdu's Xinnanmen Station (新南门站) or Shiyang Station (石羊站）

5. Shangli Ancient Town

Shangli is a beautiful little getaway hidden amongst the mountains and rivers of Ya’an 150 km southwest of Chengdu. It’s fairly small, but it’s as visually appealing as any other ancient town in the province. When I visited Shangli on a misty morning, it had the appearance of a mystical fairlyland, with alluring old wooden architecture, old stone bridges covered in greenery, and a calm stream flowing peacefully throughout the town.

Best Way to Get to Shangli:

• Take a train to Ya'an Station (雅安站), then order a car/taxi to Ya'an South Bus Station (雅安汽车南站), and take a bus the remaining ~1 hour to Shangli

6. Huanglongxi Ancient Town

The largest ancient town in Sichuan is Huanglongxi. (Remember: Langzhong is technically considered an ancient city). Although it is quite commercialized, I personally find it to be a fascinating maze of old and new, full of ancient bridges, interesting shops and restaurants, and in some areas it even has a wacky Madam Tussaud’s movie set kind of feel to it. Huanglongxi is referred to as "China’s Hollywood" as many Chinese films were shot here. Furthermore, it was a military post during the ancient Shu Kingdom over 1500 years ago. Huanglongxi is also where I shot one of my favorite vlogs to date. On May Day 2022, I went around the town asking different food vendors and restaurant employees if they’ve heard of different American food dishes. The resulting answers I got were quite amusing. Check out that video here:

Best Way to Get to Huanglongxi:

• Take Chengdu Metro Line 5 to the South end (Huilong Station) and take S18K Bus or order a car to the town

• Rent a bike (makes for a nice day trip)

7. Luodai Ancient Town

Luodai is one of the first hometowns to the Hakka ethnic minority group in China. The two things that stood out to me about the town were the food and the laidback local vibes. Firstly, when you go to Luodai. You’ve got to try the “Shangxin bean jelly” at the restaurant called: 伤心凉粉. To this day, I still consider it one of the best meals I’ve had in any ancient town. Bean jelly is basically very thick and soft rectangular noodles, but the flavor of the bean jelly has a complex smoky, spicy and sweet taste to it that makes it extremely delicious. After a full “bean jelly” meal, make sure to stop by the Hakka park. I really admired the incredibly authentic local feel of this park. All the infrastructure appears incredibly old and authentic; it looks like it hasn’t been touched for hundreds of years. It’s a great place to escape the tourism of China’s ancient towns and have a cup of tea with the locals. Way back when, they even had a women’s only teahouse here! Check out my Luodai vlog here:

Best Way to Get to Luodai:

• Take the bus from Chengdu’s Xinnanmen Station (新南门站）

• Take Chengdu’s Subway Line 4 to the last stop on the East end, Xihe Station, and from there order a car to the town which costs ~20 RMB=$3

8. Yuantong Ancient Town

I believe Yuantong Ancient Town is the most underrated ancient town in Sichuan. I found the architecture of Yuantong to be some of the most charming and distinctive I’ve seen in Sichuan. It includes a cute little Catholic Church, a huge golden pagoda along the river, a 164-meter iron chain bridge, and Luo’s Courtyard, which looks like an ornate, sacred and ancient temple. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of Yuantong. When I visited Yuantong, all around the town I saw old folks gathered all over the place to play cards, mah jong, drink tea, eat, etc. Check out my Yuantong vlog here:

Best Way to Get to Yuantong:

• Take the train to Chongzhou Station (崇州站) and from there order a car to the ancient town (car costs ~25 RMB=$3.5)

9. Jiezi Ancient Town

Jiezi probably has the best location of any Sichuan ancient towns. It’s just 50 km northwest of downtown Chengdu, right at the foot of the infamous Qincheng mountain, one of China’s most famous Taoist mountains. There’s quite a lot to explore in Jiezi. You can walk for hours along the beautiful Wenjiang River and take in beautiful natural views. You can explore the main ancient town area, and enjoy the charming architecture and delicious food. Or you can go off the beaten path and explore more of the local life, explore the markets or try your hand at some Sichuan-style mah jong. That’s what I did in my Jiezi ancient town vlog. My friend and I asked locals to teach us how to play mah jong. Finding willing teachers was much more difficult than we thought it would be. Check out the full video here:

Best Way to Get to Jiezi:

• Take the bus from Chengdu’s Chadianzi Station（茶店子站）

10. Liujiang Ancient Town

I traveled to Liujiang at a time when I just needed to escape my life for a bit, and it totally hit the spot. Located in rural Meishan, Liujiang is a bit hard to get to (I took two different buses to get there), and the actual town area is pretty small. Still, you could spend days walking along the river, checking out some banyan trees, which hold a high spiritual significance here, hiking in the mountains, and going completely off the tourist grid. It is absolutely gorgeous.

Best way to Get to Liujiang:

• Take the bus from Chengdu's Xinnanmen Station (新南门站) to Hongya (洪雅站), and then transfer buses from Hongya to Liujiang

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Honorable Mentions:

Danba Jiaju Tibetan Village

When visiting Sichuan Jiaju Tibetan Village is a must-see! I didn’t include it in my top 10 because, firstly, I’ve never been, and secondly, because it’s a village, which I consider slightly different than these other ancient “towns." However, I’ve heard it’s amazingly beautiful.

Best Way to Get There:

• Take a bus from Chengdu’s Chadianzi Station (茶店子站) (one-way trip takes 5+ hours)

Daocheng

Located at the Western corner of Sichuan province, right next to Tibet is the stunning Daocheng county. It’s home to Daocheng Yading Park which is considered “the last pure land on our blue planet” and has been called “The Soul of Shangri-La,” as well as “The Last Shangri-La.” I didn’t even visit Yading park, but I can still say that Daocheng is one of, if not the most naturally beautiful place I’ve seen in China. In Daocheng, you’ll be driving on this seemingly endless tiny road with majestic towering mountains on both sides of you lush green fields in between, and yaks all around. The scenery is stunning. I put it down as an honorable mention on this ancient town list because there are plenty of Tibetan-style villages hidden and scattered around the vast natural landscape, and for adventurous travelers who love to go off the beaten path, I highly recommend exploring them. This area is, after all, considered by many to be the “real” Shangri-La.

Best Way to Get There:

• Airplane to Daocheng Yading Airport (but the airport closes in the winter, and afternoon flights are often canceled due to unpredictable weather there)

• As a last resort, you can take the bus from Chengdu’s Xinnanmen Station （新南门站）(Be warned, it takes ~13 hours)