Chengdu Slow Living Guide: Tea and the Bustle of People's Park

In the early morning hours of People's Park, sunlight filters through the gaps between the sycamore leaves, carrying the wisdom of Chengdu residents over the centuries—"ba shi" (ba shi) is not just an adjective, but a life philosophy consciously chosen. Social Life at the Matchmaking Pavilion Shortly after entering from the north gate, you'll be captivated by a unique "humanistic spectacle"—hundreds of open umbrellas neatly arranged, each handle tucked between plastic-wrapped A4 sheets. This is the nationally renowned "matchmaking pavilion," nicknamed the "People's Park Talent Market" by locals. Unlike other matchmaking corners in other cities, this spot gathers every weekend morning with worried parents, creating a unique intergenerational exchange. Mathematical Carnival at the Card Table Deeper into the park, the crisp clink of mahjong tiles emanates from beneath the camphor trees. Chengdu locals call playing mahjong "hand yoga," and from dawn to dusk, you can often see senior citizens gathered around playing Sichuan mahjong. They always have three essential items on hand: a thermos, reading glasses, and a small abacus for counting points. A man in a Tang suit showed me his "tactical notebook," densely packed with thirty years of card game data. "It's called the aesthetics of probability," he said. In the nearby children's play area, several children were drawing their own "Panda Mahjong" game in the sand with sticks. This intergenerational wisdom of leisure may be the secret to Chengdu's optimistic nature. The Amber of Time at Heming Teahouse Walking to the lakeside on the east side of the park, the Heming Teahouse, with its green tiles and wooden beams, resembles a piece of amber patinated by time. Founded in 1923, this old teahouse still retains the traditional "three essentials": brass tea boats, blue and white covered bowls, and bamboo thermoses. At 3 p.m., sunlight streamed into the teahouse. I ordered a 16-yuan cup of Bitan Piaoxue and watched a master perform the "Eighteen Forms of the Dragon"—a long-spouted copper kettle tumbling overhead, the water falling precisely into a tea bowl three meters away. Among the tea drinkers were elderly men reading newspapers on their own, tourists posing for photos in Hanfu attire, and the most lively of all were a few middle-aged men engaging in a "chat" in a corner. In their thick Trump accents, they debated serious topics like "should hot pot have sugar?" while their tea lids traced uniform arcs across the tea bowls. This was the unique art of multi-threaded small talk in old Chengdu. Practical Tips Transportation: Directly access the area from Exit B of People's Park Station on Metro Line 2. Shared bikes can be parked at the north gate. Time Trap: The dating corner is busiest from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM on weekends, and good lakeside seating is hard to find at the teahouse after 2:00 PM. Secret Trick: Watch the chef stir-fry tea in the teahouse kitchen, and there are often impromptu performances by Sichuan opera enthusiasts on Wednesday mornings. Taste Bonus: Try the teahouse's special "Tea-Flavored Melon Seeds," a perfect accompaniment to tea. As the setting sun painted the tea table a honey-hued hue, the gentleman at the next table suddenly clinked glasses with me, his thermos cup in hand: "Young man, you know what? The happiness of Chengdu people is this: shadows beneath the sun, stories within the teacup." At that moment, the lake shimmered with golden shreds, and the clatter of mahjong tiles drifted in the distance. Suddenly, I realized that this park's most precious exhibit is precisely this calmness in transforming ordinary days into art.