🏙️ City Delta: Chengdu

TL;DR: Metro + Alipay still primary. Book panda slots early. Assume ma-la spice unless you specify. Rainy days are common — indoor backup plan.

Prerequisites: Landing Protocol · Money Runtime · Food allergies

Problem

Shanghai timing habits undershoot Chengdu tourism queues and overestimate “mild” Sichuan food. Foreigner-ready hotels cluster in certain districts.

📋 The Runbook

1. Gateways

• Airport (CTU area) and high-speed rail stations can be far from your hotel — match district to first activity.
• Official taxi / DiDi only; same black-cab rule as other cities.

First-night corridor (Chengdu)

• Default first night: Chunxi Road / Taikoo Li / wide business hotels near metro (passport-ready desks).
• From CTU / rail: DiDi or metro with luggage buffer — do not schedule a tight dinner after landing.
• Next morning: Only then day-trip to panda bases if tickets are already held.

2. Metro & pay

• Transit QR via Alipay/WeChat (enable correct city).
• Core tourist lines get crowded at weekends — leave luggage buffer.

3. Food delta

• Default heat is higher than Shanghai benbang.
• Phrases: 不要太辣 / 微辣 / 不辣.
• Peanut oil and numbing peppercorn show up often — allergy cards matter (phrase tool).

4. Tourism peaks

• Panda bases and holiday weeks: tickets sell out — book official channels early (see Holiday survival mindset).
• Hotpot evenings: cashless is fine; still keep small cash buffer.

5. Hotels

• Confirm 可接待外宾 for small boutique/homestay (Stay beyond hotel).
• CBD / Chunxi / wide business hotels usually scan passports smoothly.

6. First 24h checklist

• Hotel Chinese address
• Transit QR tested
• Spice / allergy card ready
• Cash ¥500+
• Next-day tickets already held

🚨 Fallback (Plan B)

💡 TechDad’s Tips

• Tea-house social invitations near tourist nodes: same scam awareness as Safety & scams.
• Delivery apps work well on storm days (App stack).
• Pair with GZ/SZ or Beijing deltas if multi-city looping.

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