First built in 1924 as a hub of commerce, now Chunxi Street has become a symbol of Chengdu's commercial civilization and a vivid city feature. The name 'Chunxi' came from a sentence in Dao De Jing, meaning flourishing commerce and crowded people. Both domestic and global brands from some 700 stores compete for the attention of the fashionable. A few years ago, the magazine New Weekly rated Chunxi Road No 3 in China's shopping streets, after only Hong Kong's Causeway Bay and Shanghai's Nanjing Road.
Chunxi Road is in downtown Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. It is a teeming city with over 11 million inhabitants, making it the fifth largest in the country. Today, Chengdu is eager to showcase not only its rich historical and cultural heritage, but also its burgeoning financial hub for southwest China. Though not as famous as Hong Kong, Chengdu, too, is a shopping paradise characterized by the ancient culture of Shu which presents visitors a truly local flavor.
Chengdu is by no means disappointing; for one may be spoiled by choices. It has a full spectrum of offerings, from the most traditional to the most up-to-date. As it is a famous cultural and historical city of China, different from department stores in general, shopping centers here also sell Chinese medicines, antiques, classic books, handcrafts etc. Just as spicy food is not the only delicious choice of gourmet, feminine beauty is not the only reason to explore and enjoy this city of myriad charms.
Going to Chengdu without visiting Chunxi Road is like going to Paris without visiting Champs Elysees, New York without 5th Avenue, or more locally, Beijng without Wangfujing. It boasts the most typical and prosperous commercial pedestrian street in Chengdu. Department stores, boutiques, modern cafes, a spacious square and pretty Chengdu girls will leave you pleasant memory about Chunxi Road.
Chunxi Road is in downtown Chengdu near Tianfu Square. It is the main shopping street and was built in 1924. The Street has been renewed and is nowadays a modern pedestrian center with department stores, shops, restaurants and fast food chains like Pizza hut and McDonalds. It is an excellent platform for Chengdu people to change their cultural & life style. At night, huge billboards show advertisements of famous brands. There is also a Chengdu Tourist Information Center.
Walking down its main shopping thoroughfare-Chunxi Street, with its myriad boutiques and department stores, one cannot help but find it vaguely familiar. Hong Kong's Causeway Bay shopping district immediately springs to mind.
With the adjustment of industrial development trends, the Chunxi Road commercial circle is divided into a 'masterpiece street,' 'personalized leisure street,' 'food street,' and a CBD with Zhongshan Plaza in the center. Nowadays, the Chunxi Road commercial circle has turned into a 'metropolitan elite commercial area.'
Shopaholics are spoilt for choice here, where they can shop non-stop along the main square that is closed to traffic. Here you can shop for a huge range of wares, with everything from souvenirs and street stall items to supermarket and department stores goods on offer. Shopping malls, department stores, supermarkets and especially small stands are widely scattered in the areas around Chunxi Road offering products. Fashion boutiques of local labels can be found offering the latest designs at affordable prices, alongside established brands like Italy's Fornarina and Hong Kong's Giordano.
Next to Chunxi Road is Yanshikou commercial circle. People's Department Store, Chengdu Department Emporium, and Renhe Spring Department Store and more are all concentrated here.
Local food specialties can be found at Hongqi Department Store, Shudu Avenue, Chengdu. You can buy Shu brocade, bamboo-woven crafts, preserved ham and alcoholic beverages such as Jiannanchun and Quanxing Da Qu. And also you can find many delicious snacks along the street, especially after 20:00 pm.
