People’s Park, Chengdu (成都人民公园)

Park · Chengdu. A free city park where Chengdu people drink tea by the lake.

Source: https://chinafootnotes.com/places/chengdu-peoples-park · Data checked 2026-10-08 · Rendered for 2026-10-09 (Asia/Shanghai). Facts carry their status; "not found yet" means we searched and found no reliable source.

Why go

People's Park (人民公园), founded in 1911, is a central Chengdu park where residents sit in bamboo chairs, drink covered-bowl (gaiwan) tea, play cards and get their ears cleaned. The lakeside Heming Teahouse (鹤鸣茶社) is the main draw, with an old railway-protection memorial and a small history exhibition nearby. The park itself is free; tea and ear cleaning are paid extras.

What to do

• Sit down at Heming Teahouse. Order a gaiwan of tea at the lakeside Heming Teahouse and stay as long as you like; refills are free. Early tea is cheaper, and the stage acts are free for tea customers.
• See the railway-protection memorial. The brick-and-stone Xinhai Autumn Railway Protection Martyrs' Memorial (辛亥秋保路死事纪念碑) stands in the park, with a free history exhibition hall nearby.
• Watch the weekend matchmaking corner. Parents pin résumés of their unmarried children on lines of paper at a corner of the park. Visitors find it a funny glimpse of modern family life.
• Walk the lake and the old well. A short loop covers the artificial lake, a rockery with a lotus pond and the Shaocheng ancient well (少城古井), all listed on the park's own page.
• Try ear cleaning if you are curious. Ear cleaners (采耳) work at the teahouse tables. Agree the price first, as the park has said it is regulating prices.

• Don't miss: Heming Teahouse is inside People's Park, not a stand-alone teahouse. If you navigate by app, search 人民公园; a second Heming teahouse is reported elsewhere in the city.

• Best time: Weekday morning for a calm seat
• Skip if: If you want a quiet garden, this is a busy people-watching park; the lake is small and the teahouse is loud.

Practical details

• Hours: Open from early morning; lights off 22:00 (22:30 May–Sep)
• The operator's rules page gives only lighting times, not gate times: public lights run 20:00–22:30 (May–Sep) and 06:30–07:30 and 18:30–22:00 (Oct–Apr). Opening and closing times for the park gates are not published.
• Railway-protection history exhibition 09:00–17:00 and the orchid/bonsai garden 09:00–17:00 (Oct–Apr) or 08:30–17:30 (May–Sep) both close on Mondays; the exhibition stays open on public holidays.
• Heming Teahouse sells early tea 06:30–08:30; its manager says the teahouse keeps a light on for night tea after the park lights go off at 22:00 (manager's account, not an operator schedule).
• Visitor posts give the park's open hours as about 06:30–22:00, all day, or 08:00–22:00, and the tea seats and boats as 08:30–18:00; none comes from the operator, which publishes only lighting times.
• Admission: Free park; tea and extras cost extra
• The memorial and the railway-protection exhibition are free (operator rules page); tea, boating and ear cleaning are paid.
• Boat rental prices in visitor posts range from about ¥60 per hour (Oct 2025) to ¥80 for 40 minutes (Jul 2026); the operator publishes no boat price list.
• Booking: Open park; no ticket or reservation found
• No entry reservation is needed. The exhibition hall lists a phone line for visit bookings (028-89769668); the park's own contact number is 028-86132021.
• Last admission: No last entry; exhibition closes at 17:00
• Time to allow: 1.5–3 hr with tea
• Getting there: Line 2 · People’s Park · Exit A
• Metro Line 2 to People's Park (人民公园), Exit A, about 3 min walk
• Show a taxi driver: 成都市青羊区祠堂街9号 成都市人民公园
• The park page lists Lines 2 and 17 at People's Park station, Exit A; only Line 2 is confirmed here.
• A travel-agency guide names Exit B, saying the park's north gate is about 100 m away, and one Ctrip review mentions the east gate; the operator page names Exit A.
• Three 2026 Xiaohongshu authors name Exit B for the park (two say it opens near the North Gate, one near the South Gate) and another uses Exit J into the South Gate; the operator page names Exit A, so the listed exit is unchanged.
• Foreign visitors: No official foreign-visitor information found

Not found yet

• foreignVisitors: No operator source describes payment methods, English service or ID needs at the park or teahouse; the only payment evidence is one 2024 news anecdote of a foreign visitor paying by WeChat Pay at the teahouse. (searched: operator website, news, English travel blogs, reddit)
• hours.rules: The operator does not publish opening and closing times for the park gates; only lighting times and the exhibition and garden hours are given. A local portal lists about 06:30–22:00, which the operator does not confirm. Xiaohongshu posts from 2025–2026 give 06:30–22:00 or all day for the park and 08:30–18:00 for the teahouse, which conflict with each other. (searched: operator website, local portal, Xiaohongshu)

Traveler tips

• Early tea costs ¥3. From 06:30 to 08:30 Heming Teahouse sells a cup of tea for ¥3, and guests aged 80 or over drink free. Caveat: The ¥3 early-tea rule and the 80+ concession are the teahouse manager's statements (Sichuan Daily, Aug 2025); ADK. Jessica 3812 (May 2026) repeats the 06:30–08:30 window and unlimited refills. source
• A bowl of tea costs ¥18–58. A 2026 menu runs from about ¥18 for hand-made Maofeng to ¥50 for Mengding Huangya, and two posts quote ¥18 as the starting price. A 2024 visitor paid ¥58 a bowl to watch a long-spout-kettle tea-art show. Hot-water refills are included, so one bowl lasts all afternoon. Caveat: Prices come from posts by ADK. Jessica 3812 (May 2026), 泡芙吖 (Aug 2026, from ¥18), 成都叶子 (Aug 2026, ¥18–28), 行于山水间 (Oct 2025) and 张学华 (Aug 2024), and vary by tea and by whether a show table is chosen. Earlier posts put the cheapest cup lower (about ¥16 in Apr 2025 per 一只大阿福, ¥13–30 in Aug 2025 per 果果开心果), so the entry price has risen. The teahouse publishes no price list. (7 travelers) source
• Tea customers see shows free. Sichuan-opera face-changing, a storyteller explaining gaiwan tea culture and long-spout-kettle tea art run on the teahouse stage. They are free for anyone who has ordered tea; the nightly 20:00 show called Heming Legend and one-on-one kettle shows are the exceptions. Caveat: Show details are the manager's description (Aug 2025); the Oct 2026 Jinguan report only confirms that tea, ear cleaning and face-changing remain the main draws. source
• Ear cleaning: agree the price first (2026 quotes ¥25–40). Two posts from summer 2026 quote about ¥25–40 for a basic ear pick at the teahouse tables. A spring-2026 visitor was quoted ¥30 for three minutes plus a ¥10 per-person tool fee, then ¥110 for a six-minute wash. Agree the service and the total price before the worker starts, and choose a licensed stall. The park said in April 2026 that it will supervise ear-cleaning stalls, require clear prices and work toward unified pricing. Caveat: Individual quotes, not a price list: 泡芙吖 (Aug 2026) says ¥30–40, 成都叶子 (Aug 2026) says ¥25–40, and 大小姐橙然 (Jul 2026) advises a licensed stall without a price. The ¥30 plus ¥10 and ¥110 figures are HAPPYDD's account on a Chengdu forum (Apr 2026). A 2023 video by a foreign visitor, 四川儿子弗兰克 (Mar 2023), shows a ¥100 wash-plus-pick package, from before the change. The reply by the Chengdu Parks Bureau account (29 Apr 2026) states intent, not a published price list. (5 travelers) source
• You won't be the only foreigner. The teahouse says more than 100 foreign visitors come each day, and a Ctrip reviewer calls the park the place where the most foreign tour groups are seen in Chengdu. Foreign visitors film the live tea-roasting demonstration and some try it themselves. Caveat: The 100-a-day figure is the teahouse's own statement in a March 2026 news report; 点都不沉默 (Apr 2026) describes seeing many foreign groups in the afternoon. source
• Walk past the set-menu corner. A travel agency warns that the heritage-experience corner near the photo wall sells a set menu for about ¥178 for two; the à-la-carte tables are further on, staffed in blue. It also says a second Heming Teahouse exists in Culture Park across town, so navigate to 人民公园, not 文化公园. Caveat: Single agency page (China for Travelers, updated Aug 2026), not seen in any other source; treat the ¥178 figure as an unconfirmed price. source
• The memorial and exhibition are free. The Xinhai Autumn Railway Protection Martyrs' Memorial and the Sichuan Railway Protection Movement exhibition hall in the park are both free. The hall opens 09:00–17:00 and closes on Mondays except on public holidays. Caveat: Hours come from the operator's rules page, which is signed 2018. The exhibition hall lists a phone line for visit bookings (028-89769668). source
• Orchid and bonsai garden hours. The orchid-and-bonsai garden opens 09:00–17:00 from October to April and 08:30–17:30 from May to September. It rests on Mondays for maintenance. Caveat: Seasonal hours are from the operator's rules page (signed 2018), so check on site for any change. source
• Weekend matchmaking corner. On weekends parents hang paper résumés of their unmarried children on lines and in the trees beside the Xinhai Railway Protection memorial, blue sheets for men and pink or red for women. It is busiest on Saturday afternoons, and you can walk through without joining. Caveat: Described by Ctrip reviewers icqpup (Feb 2026), 点都不沉默 (Apr 2026) and 行于山水间 (Oct 2025), and by Xiaohongshu authors 泡芙吖 (Aug 2026) and 大小姐橙然 (Jul 2026), who both say Saturday afternoon is busiest; no official schedule was found. 泡芙吖 asks visitors not to photograph the parents casually, and 一只大阿福 (Apr 2025) warns of scammers and agents who charge a hidden fee. Colours vary by post (red or pink for women). (7 travelers) source
• Boats and fish food prices. The small lake rents boats for families. A 2025 reviewer paid about ¥60 an hour for an electric boat; posts from July 2026 and August 2025 quote ¥80 for 40 minutes for a boat taking two adults and one or two children. Go before noon to avoid a queue and the sun; bags of fish food for the koi cost ¥3. _Caveat: Prices differ by post: 行于山水间 (Oct 2025) says about ¥60 per hour for an electric boat; 大小姐橙然 (Jul 2026) says ¥80 for 40 minutes with a ¥100 deposit, ¥1 per extra minute and operation 08:30–18:00; 果果开心果 (Aug 2025) says ¥80 for 40 minutes for a hand-rowed boat, two adults and one child; 蘸可乐__ (Sep 2025) advises boating before noon. There is no operator price list, so confirm at the dock._ (4 travelers) source
• Holiday weeks bring 50,000 a day. In national holiday weeks the park can receive more than 50,000 visitors a day, and teahouse seats are scarce. The park uses crowd control, so choose a weekday or arrive early. Caveat: Based on the park's own count for the autumn 2026 holiday week (53,000 on the busiest day, reported 6 Oct 2026); normal weekday crowds were not described. source
• Line 2 People's Park station: Exit A, or B for the North Gate. The park lists Metro Line 2 to People's Park station (人民公园站), Exit A, plus about ten bus lines; one 2026 post puts Exit A about 200 m on foot from the park. Most 2026 visitor posts leave by Exit B instead, and several say it comes out about 2 minutes from the North Gate (北门), nearest Heming Teahouse. Others who left by Exit B or Exit J reached the South Gate (南门), so follow the signs for 人民公园 and check which gate you reach. Caveat: The 200 m figure is a single visitor's (ADK. Jessica 3812, May 2026). A travel-agency guide cites Exit B for the north gate. Three 2026 authors name Exit B (泡芙吖 Aug, 大小姐橙然 Jul, 成都叶子 Aug) but not the same gate: 大小姐橙然 and 成都叶子 say the North Gate about 2 minutes away, 泡芙吖 says the South Gate. 卡比卡比 (Jul 2026) uses Exit J and enters at the South Gate; 果果开心果 (Aug 2025) says the North Gate is nearest the teahouse when arriving by taxi; Emily gu (Oct 2025) uses Exit B and the west gate. The park's own page names Exit A. (7 travelers) source
• Evening tea after 22:00. After the park lights go off at 22:00, the teahouse keeps a light on for night-tea guests, who sit and chat late. Check your ride home in advance if you stay that late. Caveat: The manager's statement (Aug 2025) and not an operator schedule; the park's own lighting times are 22:00 or 22:30. source
• Autumn chrysanthemum show. The annual show fills the memorial plaza, the central flowerbed and the park entrances with themed chrysanthemum displays. Dates are announced each year, usually for late October to late November, and entry arrangements may be announced late, so check before planning around it. Caveat: Dates change every year. The 2025 edition ran 23 Oct–20 Nov (Sichuan News Net); this year's schedule is in the dated update. source
• Pay at the teahouse by QR code. A 2024 news report followed an Australian visitor at Heming Teahouse who used WeChat Pay to buy snacks and asked where to scan. Carry a payment app with a linked card, and cash as a backup. Caveat: One anecdote from a 2024 news report about a single visitor; the teahouse's current payment options are not published. source
• Sit back and watch the park. A local describes People's Park as the place where Chengdu residents settle into bamboo chairs with a pot of tea and even get their ears cleaned. A visitor loved strolling the park and sometimes joined the exercise groups when invited. (2 travelers) source
• Seat yourself and arrive early. At Heming Teahouse there is no queue number: walk in, sit at any free table and a waiter will come to you; if it is full, wait for a seat to free up. Lakeside tables go first, so arrive between about 08:00 and 10:00, especially at weekends, when tables are shared. Outside snacks such as seeds and nuts are allowed, and Zhong Dumplings (钟水饺) next door sells dumplings and sweet noodles to eat with your tea. Caveat: Arrival times differ by author: before 08:00–09:00 (牛油果的日常, Sep 2025; 成都叶子, Aug 2026), before 10:00 (泡芙吖, Aug 2026). 泡芙吖 found no free seat on a Saturday afternoon and 一只大阿福 (Apr 2025) called it crowded and loud; 一只大阿福 rates the teahouse's six-compartment snack set as poor value, and AAA幸运🐟🐟 (Apr 2025) says no queue number is needed and outside snacks are allowed. Whether Zhong Dumplings takeaway may be eaten at the teahouse tables was asked by a commenter and not answered. (7 travelers) source
• Gate hours are not posted. The operator publishes only lighting times for People's Park (人民公园), not the gate times. Visitor guides say the grounds open from about 06:30 to 22:00 or stay open all day.. Some guides list the tea seats and boats as 08:30–18:00. _Caveat: Posts disagree and there is no operator schedule for the gates: 蘸可乐__ (Sep 2025) gives 06:30–22:00, 一只大阿福 (Apr 2025) and 大小姐橙然 (Jul 2026) say open all day, AAA幸运🐟🐟 (Apr 2025) gives 08:00–22:00, and 泡芙吖 (Aug 2026) gives 08:30–18:00 for the teahouse, which an anonymous reply called wrong. Check the gate signs on site or call 028-86132021._ (5 travelers) source
• Visit the No. 1 air-raid shelter. Chengdu No. 1 air-raid shelter (成都一号防空洞) is a wartime shelter relocated under the rockery in the south-east corner of the park and now used as a small memorial exhibition. Inside it is narrow, and wall panels on the left tell the story of the war years. It opens 09:00–17:30 and closes on Mondays. Caveat: The opening hours are one author's (一只大阿福, Apr 2025, more than 12 months old); 牛油果的日常 (Sep 2025) describes the inside as narrow with panels on the left. This is a different venue from the railway-protection exhibition hall (09:00–17:00, closed Mondays), and no admission fee or operator hours were found. (2 travelers) source

Sources

• 成都市人民公园管理处 (published 2018-10-01)
• 成都市人民公园管理处
• 成都市林园局（麻辣社区官方回复） (published 2026-04-29)
• 中国政府采购网 (published 2026-06-16)
• 成都市公安局交通管理局（网易号转载） (published 2026-09-30)
• 成都地铁运营有限公司（微博，新浪转载） (published 2026-10-01)
• 锦观新闻（搜狐转载） (published 2026-10-06)
• 四川在线（四川日报） (published 2025-08-14)
• 四川在线 (published 2026-03-19)
• 四川文化旅游网（四川新闻网） (published 2025-10-16)
• 成都本地宝
• 携程
• HAPPYDD (published 2026-04-21)
• 点都不沉默 (published 2026-04-18)
• 行于山水间 (published 2025-10-18)
• icqpup (published 2026-02-13)
• 美篇 张学华 (published 2024-08-19)
• ADK. Jessica 3812 (published 2026-05-26)
• China for Travelers (published 2026-08-11)
• ScreenWide7111 (published 2026-03-12)
• LopsidedGiraffe (published 2026-06-07)
• 成都市人民公园管理处
• 人民网四川频道 (published 2024-08-19)
• 一只大阿福 (published 2025-04-28)
• 蘸可乐__ (published 2025-09-10)
• 妮妮诗画生活 (published 2026-09-08)
• 泡芙吖～ (published 2026-08-15)
• 大小姐橙然 (published 2026-07-14)
• 成都叶子 (published 2026-08-30)
• 四川儿子弗兰克 (published 2023-03-12)
• AAA幸运🐟🐟 (published 2025-04-05)
• 🥑牛油果的日常 (published 2025-09-26)
• 卡比卡比 (published 2026-07-05)
• 果果开心果🍊 (published 2025-08-29)
• Emily gu (published 2025-10-08)

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