Dujiangyan Travel Guide

Dujiangyan is a place worth visiting in Chengdu, Sichuan. It has beautiful tourist attractions and historical human architecture. So how to travel to Dujiangyan? Below is a detailed travel guide to Dujiangyan.

Transportation Guide

①、Shuangliu Airport-Dujiangyan Scenic Area: Metro Line 10-Metro Line 7-Metro Line 2-Xipu (High-speed Rail)-Dujiangyan Station or Li Du Park Station. Time: Metro about 62 minutes, high-speed train about 20-30 minutes.

②、Tianfu Airport-Dujiangyan Scenic Area: Metro Line 18-Metro Line 1-Metro Line 2-Xipu (High-speed Rail)-Dujiangyan Station or Li Du Park Station. Time: Metro about 90 minutes, high-speed train about 20-30 minutes.

③、Chengdu City-Dujiangyan Scenic Area: Metro Line 2/6-Xipu (High-speed Rail)-Dujiangyan Station or Li Du Park Station.

Warm Tips:

(1) Dujiangyan High-speed Rail Station can take bus No. 4, No. 6, No. 9 to reach the Dujiangyan Scenic Area.

(2) Li Du Park Station can walk directly along the Tianfu Greenway for 10 minutes to the Dujiangyan Scenic Area.

Travel Guide

Dujiangyan, a city named after its water conservancy project. Visiting the water conservancy project is the first stop in Dujiangyan. Its millennium-old water conservancy project, which has been in operation for over 2200 years, has silently guarded this land and continues to irrigate the Chengdu Plain, nurturing the Land of Abundance.

Recommended tour route: Enter the scenic area from the entrance of Li Du Park → Qingxi Garden → Yan Gong Dao → Fu Long Guan (Bao Ping Kou) → Fei Sha Yan → Yu Zui → An Lan Rope Bridge → Er Wang Temple → Song Mao Ancient Road (Yu Lei Guan) → West Street. Open time: 08:00-18:00. Suggested time for the tour: 3-4 hours. Ticket price: 80 yuan/person.

First stop, entrance of Li Du Park

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Dujiangyan Scenic Area, you can see the ancient gate. Entering the scenic area from this gate marks the beginning of your journey to Dujiangyan!

Second stop, Qingxi Garden

A famous garden in the southwest, simple yet fresh. Qingxi Garden is known as the “Boutique Garden of Sichuan Style Bonsai”. The garden is full of Sichuan folk residence garden style, and the beautiful and elegant buildings and centuries-old trees create an ancient and quaint secret realm.

Every step you take presents a new view. The towering camphor forest shields Qingxi Garden from the direct sunlight, making the temperature pleasant and showcasing the interplay of light and shadow in nature.

Third stop, Yan Gong Dao

Strolling through the ancient garden, you then step onto Yan Gong Dao, a road commemorating water conservancy pioneers. Six ancient and solemn bronze statues are placed on each side of the road, representing the water conservancy officials who contributed to the building of the water conservancy project from the Qin and Han dynasties to the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

Fourth stop, Fu Long Guan (Bao Ping Kou)

Walking straight along the road, you will reach the legendary Fu Long Guan. Legend has it that Li Bing and his son, while controlling the Minjiang River, subdued a dragon and locked it in the Fu Long Tan under the Li Du, and later people built a temple to worship it, hence the Fu Long Guan.

Fu Long Guan stands on Li Du, with three sides facing a cliff. It features carved beams and painted rafters, and the eaves are decorated with vivid and lively ridge beasts that seem to be “walking on the eaves”.

Standing in Fu Long Guan, you can get a close-up view of Bao Ping Kou and a distant view of the mountains and rivers. Inside the hall, there are stone statues of Li Bing from the Eastern Han Dynasty and the water conservancy officials, as well as a colored map of Dujiangyan from the Republic of China period. Behind the hall are the Guan Lan Pavilion and the Huai Gu Pavilion, offering the most expansive view. They are all waiting for you to explore.

Fifth stop, Fei Sha Yan

Fei Sha Yan, also known as the “flood discharge channel”, is the second major project in the Dujiangyan water conservancy project. It not only drains floodwater and diverts water, but also has a powerful sand and gravel removal function. It is the key to ensuring that the Chengdu Plain is free from floods.

As a flood discharge channel of the water conservancy project, when the water volume in the inner river exceeds the flow limit of Bao Ping Kou, Fei Sha Yan automatically releases the excess water from the secondary overflow; when encountering a major flood, it automatically collapses, throwing the sand and gravel brought from upstream into the outer river, returning a large amount of river water to the Minjiang River, ensuring the smooth flow of the inner river.

Sixth stop, Yu Zui

Continuing forward, there is the Yu Zui Water Dividing Weir, named after its fish-mouth shape. It is the largest, oldest, only remaining, and still in use water conservancy project in the world that features damless water diversion.

Seventh stop, An Lan Rope Bridge

Spanning the turbulent Minjiang River is a wooden rope bridge connecting Yu Zui and Qin Yan Lou, named An Lan Rope Bridge, also known as the Husband and Wife Bridge.

The swaying An Lan Rope Bridge is also known as the “First Bridge of Love in the World”, because it carries the love story of “He Gong and He Mu’s life and death together”.

Today, An Lan Rope Bridge is one of the most characteristic landmarks of the Dujiangyan Scenic Area. Many couples or husbands and wives travel from afar to Dujiangyan just to walk hand in hand over the Husband and Wife Bridge, seeking the happiness of “sweet love and a happy marriage”.

Eighth stop, Er Wang Temple

Crossing the An Lan Rope Bridge, you reach Er Wang Temple. Er Wang Temple is a temple dedicated to Li Bing for his work on water conservancy. The buildings are built against the mountain, and when viewed from a distance, the halls and pavilions are hidden in the greenery, known as the “Jade Terrace Fairyland”.

The builders mostly came from the Sichuan folk, so the architectural style has a strong Sichuan folk residence flavor. As you ascend the steps, you will find yourself going up the stairs and walking through corridors, with each step offering a different view.

The foot of the temple has east and west mountain gates. Near the east mountain gate, there is a screen wall with a diagram of the Dujiangyan irrigation district during the late Qing Dynasty painted on it, reflecting the irrigation channels of Dujiangyan at that time. It is a valuable historical material for understanding the irrigation area of Dujiangyan during the Qing Dynasty.

Er Wang Temple consists of a main hall and a second hall, housing statues of Erlang Shen and Li Bing and his wife, respectively. Historically, Li Bing had no son, and out of love for him, the people fabricated Erlang Shen as his son and worshiped him in the main hall.

There are also bronze statues of the loyal Heavenly Dog in front of the hall. The simple and loyal image is deeply loved by tourists, and its entire body has been polished to a shine by being touched.

Ninth stop, Song Mao Ancient Road (Yu Lei Guan)

Song Mao Ancient Road, also known as the Guan Song Tea Horse Ancient Road. It starts from West Street in the south and ends at Songpan County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in the north. As you walk up the road, don’t forget to look back at the Dujiangyan water conservancy project, you will have a different experience!

Tenth stop, City God Temple

After “passing through the gate” of Song Mao Ancient Road, you may encounter another surprise—the City God Temple. The City God Temple was built in the early years of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, and the entire hall is hidden among verdant trees.

The design of the temple is unique, taking advantage of the mountain and using the terrain. Its structure is extremely strict and ingenious, making it quite spectacular. Its architectural complex is considered a model work in the architecture textbook of Tsinghua University.

The City God Temple has 12 main halls, 6 side halls, 5 archways, and covers an area of approximately 3,000 square meters. Inside the main hall are statues of the Bull Head, Horse Face, Constable, Judge, and Little Devils. These well-preserved ancient City God Temple building forms and colored sculptures add a sense of mystery to the temple.

Eleventh stop, Confucian Temple

Dujiangyan Confucian Temple faces the Minjiang River in the front, the Yu Lei Mountain in the back, the Wen Bi Mountain on the left, and the Large and Small Drum Pings on the right. With its red walls and black tiles, towering ancient trees, it is a temple where Confucius and Confucian sages have been worshipped throughout history. It is also an ancient academy and Confucian scholar’s office. It is mainly composed of the Ling Xing Gate, Pan Pool, Grand Hall of Completion, and Kui Xing Pavilion.

The first thing to catch the eye is undoubtedly the touch of vermilion at the entrance—the “impenetrable palace wall”. Just standing there in a simple white robe, you will feel the atmosphere of antiquity and mystery.

Twelfth stop, Guanxian Ancient City

Guanxian Ancient City has mountains, water, city, forest, weir, and bridges intertwining with bustling streets and exquisite buildings, creating beautiful scenery and presenting the “Along the River During Qingming Festival” urban landscape of Guanxian Ancient City, attracting many tourists to visit.

The magnificent corridor-style ancient bridge—Nan Qiao, the ancient and quaint West Street, the artistic and retro Wen Miao Street, the foodie paradise Wu Gui Bridge… all are super fun and super worth visiting!

Twelfth stop, Blue Tears

The “Blue Tears” at Tianfu Yuan Corridor Bridge are a must-see during the holidays! Many tourists come to Dujiangyan specifically to take photos and check in here!

Tianfu Yuan Corridor Bridge is located next to Guanxian Ancient City, parallel to Nan Qiao, spanning the Minjiang River. The two bridges are about 360 meters apart, making them a great place to check in at night.

Thirteenth stop, Giant Panda

Near Guanxian Ancient City, there is a popular check-in spot in Yang Tian Wo Square—the selfie panda. This super super super big panda, with its inherent cuteness, has become a sensation on social media since it was established in Dujiangyan, and many celebrities have come here to check in!

Food Recommendations

When traveling, half is about eating and half is about playing. Local delicacies are best found in Guanxian Ancient City, where there are many old-fashioned shops and they are relatively concentrated.

Encounter Dujiangyan

The West Street has many home-style dishes, the South Street has many halal foods, Happiness Road has many snacks, and the North Street and Yangliu River have many old-fashioned shops. Local delicacies such as Clock Duck, Zhao’s Noodle, and Onion Onion Roll can all be found here.

Waiting for you to discover: Clock Duck | Youtou | Zhao’s Noodle | Wen Ge’s Onion Onion Roll | Lao Ma’s Hotpot Noodles | Xin Fan Beef Bean Curd | Ye Po Po’s Soy Milk Mo Mo | Li’s Buns | Hui Xiang Yuan | Lao Hao Luo Ji Sweet Noodles

In addition, Longtanwan Food Street, Zhongshan North Road Food Street, Sichuan West River View Food Street… as well as the delicious food scattered in every corner, are equally tempting. Especially sitting on the side of the street, blowing the evening breeze, taking a bite of delicious food, and a sip of beer, that kind of enjoyment of the city’s fireworks is truly therapeutic and wonderful.

Accommodation Recommendations

After a day of playing and eating, accommodation is another aspect that everyone pays attention to. Don’t worry, Dujiangyan will offer you an excellent accommodation experience, and it’s right next to the scenic area, with a convenience level of 5 stars!

Waiting for you to stay: Yixi Hotel | Sichuan Tourism Investment · Jin Hong Guo Yan Hotel | Dujiangyan Minjiang New Hao Hotel | Bailun International Hotel | Jiang Shang · Slow Time Homestay | Hua Xiang Li She | Yun Fu Li Yun Su