Central Chengdu (Part I): 琴台路

A Chinese student of mine from Stockholm and her friend born in Chengdu kindly take me around the city. The first place we visit is an avenue called 琴台路, where traditional-looking buildings (recently restored) line up along the wide street with black tile pavements. The atmosphere is a bit similar to Seoul's Insa-dong street. Housed in these nostalgic buildings are mainly restaurants and tea leaf shops. But we find a traditional shoe shop, an art gallery, a traditional craft shop, and a Tibetan craft shop, too. I buy a tin of jasmine tea balls which bloom when you pour hot water.