Chengdon't

Huanglongxi Ancient Town (黄龙溪古镇).  ‘Crouching tourist hidden peddler’

Not to be confused with the town of the same name close to Jiuzhaigou in the north of Sichuan, Huanglongxi Ancient Town is located a bone-rattling 45 minute drive south west of downtown Chengdu, through the blazing yellow rapeseed fields and eye-watering amounts of new out-of-town developments.  Most guidebooks describe it as a ‘quaint old Chinese town’ with examples of Qing dynasty (1644-1911) architecture, and perhaps for this very reason some of the acrobatic rooftop scenes of ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’ were filmed here.

A scene that didn't make the film?

Whether the film’s popularity had any bearing on the town’s fate is unclear, but it seems that in the last few years Huanglongxi has received a significant makeover.  Just as many crumbling British or French castles are made up to feel ‘old-new’, so antique oriental construction (with modern characteristics) is now all the rage.  Judging by the number of punters milling around the reconstructed buildings on a cold Wednesday in March, Huanglongxi has hit its intended target with domestic tourists, with the town chock-full of tour groups in brightly coloured hats and matching t-shirts.

In and around the town there is certainly no shortage of things to tempt the spend-happy traveller, with shops offering all manner of tourist paraphernalia from local handicraft items like flower-crowns to the more uniform ‘waving cat’ nick-nacks.  Guests are also offered the chance to dress up as a Chinese Concubine or a Terracotta Warrior by enterprising clothing/photography stores, which seemed extremely popular with the town’s younger population.  For the more sedate day-tripper, the town has a number of quiet temples dotted around which have so far escaped the renovation.

There are almost infinite snacking opportunities, with the town boasting copious amounts of riverside tea houses, where insistent peddlers sell black sesame cake, peanuts and rabbit heads, and offer massages and ear-cleaning.  Gourmands can even sample the local delicacy ‘green bean’ curd, where the beans are ground down in stone mills before being boiled and served soft, squidgy and almost impossible to grasp with your chopsticks.

Huanglongxi ancient town, much like its mother country, is full of colour and contrast.  For seasoned people-watchers, observing the Chinese at play is a fascinating spectator sport, and therefore for this reason alone the town (or one like it) is worth a visit.  However, partly due to the extensive and ongoing renovations, if you are looking for tasteful examples of Chinese structural design and traditional ways of life perhaps you would be best to try more untouched areas further a-field in Sichuan.