Jinli Ancient Street (锦里)

Open neighbourhood · Chengdu. Free lantern-lit street of rebuilt Qing-style shopfronts beside Wuhou Shrine.

Source: https://chinafootnotes.com/places/jinli-street · 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

Jinli Ancient Street (锦里古街) is a pedestrian street about 600 m long, rebuilt in late-Qing Sichuan style, right beside Wuhou Shrine. The first section opened in 2004 and the waterside second section in 2009. Snack stalls, craft shops, teahouses and small stages line the route, and red lanterns come on at dusk. It is free to enter and run by the Wuhou Shrine Museum; expect a busy commercial street, not a surviving old quarter.

What to do

• Walk the main street at lantern time. Street lights come on at 19:00 in summer and 18:00 in winter. Time your walk for the first hour of lights.
• Try the street snacks. Sandapao (三大炮), sugar-coated rice balls, guokui flatbread and egg pancakes (蛋烘糕) are the staples. Prices at the stalls run about ¥5–15 each.
• Catch a face-changing show. A small theatre on the street runs Sichuan opera face-changing in rounds you can join midway, with a cup of lidded-bowl tea included.
• Cross to the waterside section. The second section, waterside Jinli (水岸锦里), opened in 2009 and adds ponds, covered walkways and teahouse pavilions beyond the main street.
• Watch the craft demonstrations. The operator lists demonstration points for Sichuan opera, Shu embroidery, brocade weaving and porcelain-bamboo weaving, plus sugar-blowing and clay-figure stalls.

• Don't miss: Jinli is outside the Wuhou Shrine ticket. You can walk into the street without any ticket.
• Don't miss: Ask the price before you buy, especially for goods sold by weight.

• Best time: Dusk, from about 17:30
• Skip if: You want a quiet, original old quarter: Jinli is a rebuilt commercial street and is crowded after dark.

Practical details

• Hours: Open all year · shops 09:00–22:00
• The operator lists 08:00–22:30 as the practical visiting window and 09:00–22:00 for shop opening hours; street lighting switches on at 19:00 in summer and 18:00 in winter, and may change in bad weather.
• During large festivals such as the Temple Fair, Jinli is folded into the event area and operated as a one-way loop; follow that day's announcement.
• Admission: Free to walk in
• The street charges no entry; shops, stages and teahouses set their own prices. Wuhou Shrine next door sells its own ticket.
• During the Temple Fair the street is folded into the ticketed fair area (fair ticket needed until the evening; free again from 21:30 in 2026), with a one-way loop.
• Booking: No reservation for the street
• Does not cover Wuhou Shrine, which needs a real-name ticket, or the Temple Fair.
• 龙猪包 (Jul 2026) also writes that the street needs no reservation; he is the only recent Xiaohongshu author who says so, and the operator page remains the basis.
• Last admission: No last entry for the street
• Time to allow: 1–2 hr
• Getting there: Metro Line 10 Wuhou Shrine (Jinli), Exit A2
• Metro Line 10 to Wuhou Shrine (Jinli) (武侯祠（锦里）), Exit A2, about 5 min walk
• Metro Line 3/5 to Gaoshengqiao (高升桥), Exit A, about 12 min walk
• Show a taxi driver: 锦里古街，武侯区武侯祠大街231号附1号
• Jinli's own page names Line 3 and Wuhouci station for the same Exit A2; the shrine's page and the traffic police place the station on Line 10, with Lines 3 and 5 at Gaoshengqiao (Exit A).
• Buses 1, 57, 82 and 334 stop at Wuhou Shrine. The museum's underground car park (Wuhou Shrine–Jinli) has 865 spaces according to the operator.
• Visitors name Exit A2 for Jinli (冬天吃火锅, 成都女摄小懒姐姐). For Gaoshengqiao on Lines 3 and 5 two posts give Exit D (蜀间漫行, 欧转转), while the shrine's own page says Exit A; use the operator's letter.
• Foreign visitors: No ID or booking; payment differs by stall

Not found yet

• foreignVisitors.payment: The operator does not publish payment methods for the street's shops and venues. (searched: operator website, web search (Chinese), web search (English), reddit, Xiaohongshu)
• foreignVisitors.english: No source documents English signage or English-speaking guides on the street itself; the operator's visitor rules are published in English on the shrine's site. (searched: operator website, operator English site, English personal blogs, reddit, Xiaohongshu)

Traveler tips

• Walk in free at any time; shops open 09:00–22:00. Jinli needs no ticket and no reservation. The operator lists 08:00–22:30 as the visiting window and 09:00–22:00 for shop opening hours. The Wuhou Shrine ticket is separate and covers the shrine only. Caveat: 龙猪包 (Jul 2026) writes that the street is free and needs no reservation; 成都女摄小懒姐姐 (Jun 2026), 王满猪 (Sep 2026) and 欧转转 (Sep 2026) also call it free. 欧转转 warns that touts at the shrine sell a 'combined ticket' that is not needed, because the street is free and the shrine ticket is separate. (4 travelers) source
• Lanterns come on at 19:00 in summer, 18:00 in winter; eat before. Street lighting switches on at 19:00 in summer and 18:00 in winter. Arrive a little before dark and walk the street while it is still light. The street is busiest once the lanterns are lit, so eat at about 17:30 to avoid the longest food queues, then walk again after dark. After about 21:00 the crowd thins out. Caveat: The operator says the times may change in bad weather. 王满猪 (Sep 2026) writes that the lights come on at 18:00, earlier than the operator's summer time, so arrive by 18:00 if you want the whole switch-on. mishkajudoshka (Aug 2026) found the street already very crowded at dusk. 你。我。他 (Oct 2025) describes long food lines after dusk. 龙猪包 (Jul 2026) says the crowd drops sharply after 21:00 and that 16:00–21:00 is the best window for lit-up photos. All are single visits. (4 travelers) source
• Visit the shrine first, then Jinli at dusk. Wuhou Shrine closes earlier than the street. Visit the shrine in the afternoon (standard last entry 17:00), then walk out to Jinli for the lantern hour. Caveat: The shrine's Chinese ticket page gives 17:00 as the last entry, while its English page says no entry after 18:00, so aim to be in well before 17:00. One blogger (你。我。他, Oct 2025) went to Jinli for lunch after the shrine. source
• Ask the price first, especially for goods sold by weight. The operator's English visitor rules tell visitors to confirm the price before buying, especially for things priced by weight (the 'gram' or 'liang') and for specialist services. Ask, then pay. source
• Street snacks run about ¥5–15 each. Late-2025 prices at the stalls: sandapao (三大炮) ¥15, tangyou guozi (糖油果子) ¥5, junshun guokui (军屯锅魁) ¥10 and egg pancake (蛋烘糕) ¥12. Bobo chicken (钵钵鸡) was ¥3 a skewer inside the street against about ¥1 outside. Caveat: LeoTrails visited in late 2025 (post updated Mar 2026) and 你。我。他 in autumn 2025; prices are from single visits and stalls set their own; 你。我。他 gave the bobo chicken prices from memory. 蜀间漫行 (Sep 2025) quotes ¥10 for three sandapao, ¥5 for a tangyou guozi and ¥8 for a beef shaobing, which differs from LeoTrails's ¥15 for sandapao; an anonymous reply (Dec 2025) says the shaobing then cost ¥15. 姜饼人 (Apr 2026) paid ¥9.9 for matcha ice cream at the rear gate. momo (Apr 2025) paid ¥3 a skewer at a bobo chicken stall, which matches the ¥3 inside-street price above. (5 travelers) source
• A small theatre shows face-changing for about ¥28 with tea. One theatre on the street shows Sichuan opera face-changing, with a seat at about ¥28 including a cup of lidded-bowl tea. Walk in at any time, watch the rest of a round and stay for the next one. Caveat: 你。我。他 (Oct 2025) paid cash because the venue took WeChat Pay but not Alipay; the name and price are from one autumn 2025 visit. source
• In the crush, stay at the edge and guard valuables. At peak times stay at the edge of the crowd and avoid walking against the flow. If caught in a dense crowd, move slowly with it, do not stop or crouch, and keep your arms in front of your chest. Keep valuables secure and watch your step on stairs and uneven paving. source
• Turn down touts and unlicensed guides. Soliciting customers and touting are banned in the street and at its entrance, and unlicensed guiding is banned at the shrine. If someone offers an unofficial guided tour, refuse. Caveat: The bans come from the operator's rules. 欧转转 (Sep 2026) also warns against touts at the shrine entrance who push souvenirs and 'combined tickets'. source
• Metro Line 10 Exit A2 is the closest. Take Metro Line 10 to Wuhou Shrine (Jinli) station and leave by Exit A2; the shrine is about three minutes' walk from it. From Lines 3 or 5, get off at Gaoshengqiao, use Exit A and walk about ten minutes. Caveat: Jinli's own site gives the line as Line 3 at Wuhouci station Exit A2; the shrine's page and the traffic police both place the station on Line 10. 冬天吃火锅 (Jul 2026) and 成都女摄小懒姐姐 (Jun 2026) both name Exit A2 for Jinli, and 冬天吃火锅 says it is a short walk. 欧转转 (Sep 2026) writes Exit A1 for the shrine and 王满猪 (Sep 2026) writes only 'Exit A'. 欧转转 and 蜀间漫行 (Sep 2025) give Gaoshengqiao Exit D for Lines 3 and 5, not Exit A. (4 travelers) source
• During the Temple Fair, Jinli runs one way. During the Chengdu Temple Fair at Spring Festival, Jinli is folded into the fair and run as a one-way loop with its main gate as the exit. Entry then needs a fair ticket (real-name; passports accepted) until the evening, when Jinli opens free again (21:30 in 2026). Walk in from the shrine side instead of the main gate. Caveat: Fair dates, ticket prices and the free-entry time are set each year; check the operator's announcement for the year you visit. source
• From Wuhou Shrine you can walk straight into Jinli by its rear gate. At the back of Wuhou Shrine (武侯祠), past the Red Wall Lane (红墙夹道) and the Huiling tomb, a rear gate leads straight into Jinli, so you do not have to leave by the shrine's front gate. There is also a shrine entrance inside the street. The shrine ticket is separate from the free street. Caveat: 王满猪 (Sep 2026) calls the exit the north gate and ends his route at Jinli's main gate (正大门), where the intangible-heritage hall is; 欧转转 (Sep 2026) calls it the west gate; 冬天吃火锅 (Jul 2026) mentions the shrine entrance inside Jinli. Whether you can pass through the shrine's rear gate from the street without a shrine ticket is not stated. (3 travelers) source
• Do not follow strangers to a 'free tea tasting'. Two women stopped a visitor, took the souvenir from their hands, said the way ahead was blocked and led them to a tea seller. The 'free' tasting turned out to be paid. Walk on without handing anything over, and ask the price before you sit down or sip. Caveat: This is a single account (卓立立了, Nov 2025) from a resident who tagged the local tourism account. Anonymous replies say they met the same pull toward a tea stall, so it may be repeated, but no other named author describes it. source
• Come for the lanterns, not the food. Jinli is a modern, shop-lined street beside the shrine. Visitors describe it as crowded, heavily commercial and expensive for food, and say it looks best after the lanterns are lit. Take photos, buy little and eat elsewhere. Caveat: These are opinions: 华夏拾光者 (May 2026) found it crowded, expensive and with little local food; 姜饼人 (Apr 2026) found the commercial feel heavy; momo (Apr 2025) found two stall snacks poor. 龙猪包 (Jul 2026) disagrees and recommends the street-side skewers away from the shop rows. MoronLaoShi (Reddit, Jul 2026, a Chengdu resident) rates Jinli's snacks above Kuanzhai Alley's; (5 travelers) source
• Do not ride a shared bike to the gate. The road outside Jinli's entrance has a long stretch where shared bikes cannot be parked, so you may walk a long way to leave one. Arrive by metro or on foot instead. Caveat: This is one post from Apr 2025 (momo); parking zones may have changed since. source

Sources

• 成都锦里（成都武侯祠博物馆锦里管理办公室）
• 成都锦里（成都武侯祠博物馆锦里管理办公室）
• 成都锦里（成都武侯祠博物馆锦里管理办公室） (published 2025-11-17)
• 成都锦里（成都武侯祠博物馆锦里管理办公室） (published 2026-02-07)
• Chengdu Wuhou Shrine Museum
• 成都武侯祠博物馆
• 成都武侯祠博物馆
• 成都武侯祠博物馆
• 成都武侯祠博物馆 (published 2026-09-23)
• 凤凰网大风号（转载成都交警一分局出行指南） (published 2026-09-30)
• 凤凰网大风号 (published 2026-10-07)
• 你。我。他（ziyino 博客） (published 2025-10-10)
• LeoTrails (published 2025-11-29)
• Trip.com Moments (published 2026-08-10)
• Trip.com Moments (published 2026-08-15)
• Trip.com Moments (published 2026-08-27)
• MoronLaoShi (published 2026-07-28)
• 龙猪包 (published 2026-07-09)
• 姜饼人 (published 2026-04-26)
• 冬天吃火锅 (published 2026-07-28)
• 成都女摄小懒姐姐 (published 2026-06-26)
• 王满猪 (published 2026-09-16)
• 欧转转 (published 2026-09-12)
• momo (published 2025-04-24)
• 蜀间漫行 (published 2025-09-21)
• 华夏拾光者 (published 2026-05-12)
• 卓立立了 (published 2025-11-03)

More places

• Pair with: Wuhou Shrine, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
• More in In the city: Wuhou Shrine, Jinsha Site Museum