Sichuan Cuisine Museum: Have Fun with Chuancais in Chengdu - Trippest's Chengdu Travel Guide

Cuddly pandas come into your mind when someone first reminds you of Chengdu. The second thing you think of should be Sichuan cuisine. You may be surprised but plenty of Chinese dishes you will have eaten in China or other countries are Sichuan dishes, such as kung pao chicken, mapo tofu, and spicy hot pot. Sichuan Cuisine Museum in Chengdu is a place where you can get hands-on with Chuancais (Sichuan cuisine). Trying to cook a local dish on your own is a special and unforgettable highlight of your China trip. In this article, we will tell you why Sichuan Cuisine Museum is so interesting and a must-visit place.

Highlights in Sichuan Cuisine Museum

• Snacks: egg pancake, northern Sichuan pea jelly, and stone-milled bean curd pudding
• Classic Collection Hall: Thousands of food culture relics reveal the cooking stories behind Chinese history.
• Gardens: special Sichuan architectural style
• Raw materials display: see many green ingredients and other vegetables there
• Kitchen God Ancestral Hall: cherish food and worship the Kitchen God
• Old Restaurant Alley: Explore the most famous and classic restaurants in Sichuan.
• Tools display: wind blower, sugar mill, and hit machine
• Culinary arts: enjoy a fire demonstration and cook a dish
• Banquet and entertainment: enjoy tea, fresh fruit juice, and a cocktail
• Leisure and tea: bamboo chairs, tea table, and mahjong

Top Things to Do in Sichuan Cuisine Museum

This is a special museum where you can eat and discover the local food culture. Don’t hesitate to do the following things if you visit this fun museum in Chengdu.

1. The Only Museum You Can “Eat” in China

How can you eat a museum? It seems ridiculous. Fry, boil, and steam — you can “eat” Sichuan Cuisine Museum in any way you want to. Where to eat? Interactive Demonstration Hall is a nice cooking classroom with bright lights and clean tools. Your teacher will demonstrate how to cook a Sichuan dish in front of you and you can copy him/her to cook it step by step. Don’t be afraid of the language barrier as these teachers can speak fluent English and you can ask any questions during the class. Every step is important for a nice dish so you should try to learn carefully to enjoy eating the dish you have cooked on your own. After the class, you will be given a “Master Chef” certificate and have photos taken as a memento. Learning to cook is an interesting way to understand the local food culture, and you can cook for your family members after you get back home.

2. The World’s Only Thematic Museum of Cuisines

Sichuan cuisine is one of the Eight Cuisines of China, with spicy, fresh, and pungent features. The most famous Sichuan dishes include mapo bean curd, shredded meat in chili sauce, kung pao chicken, fish fillets in hot chili oil, pig lungs in chili sauce, diced chicken sautéed with green peppers, and stir-fried boiled pork slices in hot sauce. Sichuan Cuisine Museum is the best place for you to understand the Sichuan food culture, history, types, and cooking skills. Reading, exploring, eating, and cooking make your visit colorful and interesting.

3. Taste All Kinds of Sichuan Snacks

After visiting the museum, you may want to eat real local food. Next, realize this wish in the “snack area”. This section is perhaps the most popular place in Sichuan Cuisine Museum. Dozens of types of salty or sweet snacks, hot soup, and hot tea are offered in this area.

4. Visit the Kitchen God Ancestral Hall

When it comes to the ancestors of Chinese chefs, you can’t forget the Kitchen God (in Chinese legend). The Kitchen God Ancestral Hall in Sichuan Cuisine Museum is the largest one in the world. Respect the Kitchen God and cherish every meal you have. Local people believe that worshiping the Kitchen God can help you improve your cooking skills. A lively cooking show is performed by the front door of the Kitchen God Ancestral Hall. Tourists are surprised by the amazing cutting skills, which have been practiced for over 10 years.

Travel Tips

• Location: 8 Ronghua North Street, Gucheng Village, Pixian County; about 28 kilometers from downtown Chengdu
• Opening hours: from 9am to 9pm
• Visiting duration: about half a day
• Entrance fee: 60 yuan
• Best time: all year round
• The most popular activity: cooking class

How to Get There

• By metro: Take metro line 2 and get off at Xipu Station, and then transfer to bus P22. Get off at the stop near Sichuan Cuisine Museum.
• By bus:

1. Take bus 705 from Chengdu Jinshan Bus Station and get off at Pidu Bus Station. Then take bus P23 to the stop near Sichuan Cuisine Museum.
2. Take bus 727 from Jiulidi Bus Station to Gucheng Station, and then walk for about 500 meters to reach the museum.
3. Take bus 720 from Chadianzi Bus Station to Pidu Bus Station, and then take bus P23 to the stop near Sichuan Cuisine Museum.

• By taxi: It costs about 100 yuan and takes 70 minutes to get from downtown Chengdu to this museum.

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