People's Park Chengdu — Heming Teahouse, Bamboo Chairs & the City's Slow Pace 2026

Q: Is People's Park in Chengdu free to enter?

Yes. People's Park (Renmin Park) is free to enter on normal days. A small admission of around ¥8–12 applies only during flower shows and major festivals. The only other costs are tea at the Heming Teahouse (from around ¥16 a cup, with unlimited hot-water refills), an ear-cleaning treatment (roughly ¥30–100), and renting a rowing boat on the lake.

Q: What is the marriage market at People's Park?

相亲角 (xiāngqīn jiǎo), or the matchmaking corner, is an open area where parents post sheets advertising their single adult children — listing age, height, education, income and Chinese zodiac sign — to find them a partner. It is a candid window into modern Chinese family and marriage culture, and it is busiest on weekend afternoons. It is free to walk through; just photograph discreetly, as many people are there in earnest.

Q: How do you get to People's Park, and which metro line is it on?

Take Chengdu Metro Line 2 or Line 17 to People's Park station (人民公园), which sits right at the northwest corner of the park — it is a few minutes' walk from the exit to the gate. If you are travelling on Line 4, change lines at an interchange or get off near Luomashi (骡马市) and walk over. From the park it is about a 15-minute walk to Kuanzhai Alley.

What it is

Why everyone makes time for People's Park

Picture a weekday afternoon: you are in a low bamboo chair under a leafy tree by the lake. A server sets down a gaiwan tea set — a lidded bowl, a saucer, a second bowl — and pours hot water from a long-spouted copper kettle with practised accuracy. Around you, locals are playing mahjong, chatting, dozing, while an ear-cleaning specialist drifts between tables, the tuning fork in his hand ringing softly to announce himself. None of this is staged for tourists. It is simply how Chengdu has spent its afternoons for a hundred years.

This is People's Park (Renmin Park / 人民公园) — Chengdu's first public park, opened in 1911, right in the centre of the city in Qingyang District. Inside you will find the century-old Heming Teahouse (鹤鸣茶社), a boating lake, a bonsai garden, an orchid garden, and the Monument to the Martyrs of the Railway Protection Movement, which marks one of the sparks that fed China's 1911 revolution.

What sets the park apart from Chengdu's other sights is simple: it is the real window into the city's famous slow pace. Not pandas, not a restored old street — just the unhurried daily rhythm that earned Chengdu its reputation as the most relaxed city in China. And it is free.

People's Park, Chengdu — rows of bamboo chairs and wooden tables of the Heming Teahouse under trees by the lake, with people sipping tea at an unhurried pace — The Heming Teahouse in People's Park — bamboo chairs under the trees by the lake, the defining image of Chengdu's slow pace

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Entry

Free

Small charge (~¥8–12) only during flower shows

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Best time

Morning or afternoon

Quiet early; lively on weekend afternoons

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Metro

People's Park (人民公园)

Lines 2 / 17 · exit at the park gate

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Gaiwan tea

From ~¥16 (~฿80)

Unlimited hot-water refills, sit all day

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Time needed

1.5–2 hours

For tea, people-watching and a lake loop

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Ear cleaning (采耳)

~¥30–100 (~฿150–500)

Traditional service while you sip tea

What not to miss

5 things that capture the heart of People's Park

From the lakeside teahouse to the marriage corner that fills up every weekend.

1

Heming Teahouse (鹤鸣茶社)

Founded 1923 · Chengdu's oldest operating teahouse

The heart of the park. Thousands of bamboo chairs spread out under the trees beside the lake. Order a gaiwan of tea (from ~¥16, typically ¥20–30) and you can stay the entire afternoon — servers keep coming round to top up the hot water from long copper kettles. Jasmine is the classic pour. This is where you can most clearly watch Chengdu's pace in action.
2

Ear cleaning (采耳 Cǎi ěr)

A Sichuan teahouse tradition · ~¥30–100

A traditional service you will struggle to find elsewhere. The specialist uses tiny tools — feather brushes, picks and a vibrating tuning fork that rings as they walk — to clean your ears while you sit with your tea. It sounds odd, but locals swear it is deeply relaxing, and it is one of the sights first-time visitors most often stop to watch in disbelief.
3

The marriage market (相亲角)

Matchmaking corner · busiest on weekend afternoons

An open area where parents post sheets advertising their single adult children — age, height, education, income, zodiac sign — to find them a partner. It is a genuine, fascinating window into modern Chinese family life. Free to walk through; just photograph discreetly, because plenty of the people there are doing this in earnest.
4

Monument to the Railway Protection Movement

辛亥秋保路死事纪念碑 · built 1913

A tall obelisk near the park's main gate, raised to honour the 1911 Railway Protection Movement — the Sichuan protests against the Qing government handing rail rights to foreign powers. That unrest became one of the sparks of the Xinhai Revolution that toppled the Qing dynasty. It is a quiet piece of history that many visitors pass without realising its weight.
5

The lake and rowing boats

An easy add-on · boat hire at the going rate

The central lake rents out rowing boats — a good change of pace if you are with family or have had enough of sitting still. Shaded paths circle the water, passing the bonsai and orchid gardens, and in October and November the park's chrysanthemum show is especially worth catching.

What to do here

Sit, sip, people-watch — and absorb the Chengdu pace

🍵 How to do the Heming Teahouse properly

Walk in, find an empty bamboo chair near the lake, sit down and wait for a server to take your order. Tea comes in a gaiwan — a lidded bowl with a saucer, known as the "Three Treasures" set. Jasmine is the most popular choice. Prices start at about ¥16 and average ¥20–30 a cup (~฿100–150), refills included.

How to drink it: use the lid to brush the floating tea leaves aside, then sip from the rim of the bowl without lifting the lid off completely. Servers will keep refilling the hot water without being asked, and you can stay as long as you like — locals sit out the whole afternoon, and so should you.

Tip: Hungry after all that tea? Chengdu's snacks and Sichuan classics are next door — see our Chengdu food guide →

👂 Try the ear cleaning (if you dare)

As you sit with your tea, ear-cleaning specialists drift past, the tuning fork in hand ringing to announce them. Wave one over if you are curious. Using small feather brushes and picks, they clean your ears gently while you stay in your chair. It costs roughly ¥30–100 depending on the package — a local experience that is hard to find anywhere else. And if you are not brave enough, watching someone else go through it is half the fun.

💕 Walk the marriage market (weekends only)

If you come on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, do not miss the marriage market (相亲角) — an open area where hundreds of parents post profiles of their single children in search of a match. Some clip the details to an open umbrella; others sit and wait for someone to ask. It is a portrait of modern Chinese society that is by turns sweet, intriguing and thought-provoking. Free to see — just be respectful of the people who are there in earnest.

Getting there

How to reach People's Park

The park sits right in the city centre, and the easiest way in is the metro — the station is at the corner of the park.

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Metro Lines 2 / 17

People's Park station (人民公园)

The station sits at the northwest corner of the park — a few minutes from exit to gate. The simplest option.

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Metro Line 4 (transfer)

Change lines / near Luomashi (骡马市)

Line 4 does not stop at the park directly — change lines, or alight near Luomashi and walk. Check the route in your app first.

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Taxi / DiDi

Handy in a small group

Central location; some rush-hour traffic. Tell the driver "Renmin Gongyuan" (人民公园).

Pairing it up: People's Park is only a 15-minute walk (about 800 m) from Kuanzhai Alley (the Wide and Narrow Alleys) — an easy half-day together. Have early tea at the park while it is quiet, then walk over to Kuanzhai for snacks and a wander mid-morning, or do it in reverse. Both sit in the same Qingyang District.

Where to stay

Hotels in central Chengdu

Central neighbourhoods around People's Park and Kuanzhai Alley — easy to explore on foot.

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Frequently asked

FAQ · People's Park practical

Is People's Park in Chengdu free to enter?

Yes. People's Park (Renmin Park) is free to enter on normal days. A small admission of around ¥8–12 applies only during flower shows and major festivals. The only other costs are tea at the Heming Teahouse (from around ¥16 a cup, with unlimited hot-water refills), an ear-cleaning treatment (roughly ¥30–100), and renting a rowing boat on the lake.

How much does tea cost at the Heming Teahouse?

A cup of tea served in a gaiwan (a lidded bowl) starts at about ¥16, with most cups in the ¥20–30 range (~฿100–150). The price includes unlimited hot-water refills, so you can sit for the whole afternoon. Jasmine tea is the most popular choice. During the early morning-tea window (6.30–8.30 am) local pensioners pay just ¥3 — a long-standing local custom. Prices can change, so check before you go.

What is ear cleaning at People's Park, and how much does it cost?

Ear cleaning (采耳, cǎi ěr) is a traditional Sichuan teahouse service. A specialist uses small tools — feather brushes, picks and a vibrating tuning fork — to clean your ears while you sip tea. It costs roughly ¥30–100 depending on the package. It surprises many first-time visitors and is one of the most distinctively Chengdu experiences you can have.

What is the marriage market at People's Park?

相亲角 (xiāngqīn jiǎo), or the matchmaking corner, is an open area where parents post sheets advertising their single adult children — listing age, height, education, income and Chinese zodiac sign — to find them a partner. It is a candid window into modern Chinese family and marriage culture, and it is busiest on weekend afternoons. It is free to walk through; just photograph discreetly, as many people are there in earnest.

How do you get to People's Park, and which metro line is it on?

Take Chengdu Metro Line 2 or Line 17 to People's Park station (人民公园), which sits right at the northwest corner of the park — a few minutes' walk from the exit to the gate. If you are travelling on Line 4, change lines at an interchange or get off near Luomashi (骡马市) and walk over. From the park it is about a 15-minute walk to Kuanzhai Alley.

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