Chengdu is indubitably ranked the happiest city to live in by native Chinese people. When you think of Chengdu, what kind of things do you imagine? Pandas? Sichuan-style cuisine? The politician Zhuge Liang? Those might be some things that first come to the minds of many. But actually, it is a bit tricky to describe Chengdu with words.
Chengdu has many positive aspects to the city -- so many that it would be impossible to list them all. But we’ll try: the food is delicious, there are many famous locals and sights to see, it boasts abundant beauty and refreshing drinking water, has a lovely climate, the citizens are friendly, it’s easy to live in, you can’t only make a living here, but you can enjoy living here, too. Plus, the cost of living is inexpensive and it is a very open-minded city.
People often say that Chengdu is practically the same as the Chongqing area, but there are in fact many differences. Those who live in Chongqing are often thought of being short-tempered, while in contrast the people of Chengdu are quite patient. Chongqing has been the heart of big business in China for a long time, and the presence of businesses and industries in Chongqing is strong. However, Chengdu is a basin and has the history of being the capital of China long ago. The atmosphere is calm and peaceful, and the people have a great sense for leisure and culture.
You could research Chengdu online for hours and still never discover it all, so for now, we’re going to summarize some key points about the place of Japanese cuisine in Chengdu.
While Chengdu as a whole has surmountable spending power, the city itself is defined by the orderly and polite citizens who live within it. Additionally, it has a thriving, developing food culture, and there is a significant interest in Japanese cuisine in particular.
Between 2014 to 2016, Chengdu experienced a Japanese culinary boom in which the number of Japanese dining establishments increased by 250% in just two years. In the first six months of 2018, the number of restaurants that registered with the major Chinese gourmet website “DianPing” exceeded 1,000. Compared to the larger cities in the coastal regions of China, Chengdu is more so comprised of taverns, ramen shops, and sushi restaurants, while the number of chain restaurants is comparable with other cities in China. Of course, when it comes to Japanese cuisine, the price range for a meal varies from restaurant to restaurant. Chengdu has everything from first-class restaurants to something more reasonable, but one thing that stands out is Chengdu’s popular style of sushi restaurants. The restaurants themselves are smaller and easy to find a seat in. Also, in the past five years the number of Japanese food and beverage companies opening stores in Chengdu has increased, with the gyuudon restaurant Sukiya and the tonkatsu restaurant Wako being prime example of those garnering popularity with the locals.
1.【Geographic/Demographic Information】
Area: 14,312 sq. km (7-times the size of Tokyo)
★The city itself is 615.8 sq. km, and is known as the “Country of Heaven” for its bountiful agriculture
Population: ~16 million (with about 400 permanent residents who are Japanese)
Language: Mandarin, other
Religion: Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Catholicism
Currency: 1CNY = ~16JPY (09/2018 exchange rate)
Travel by Plane: Five hours from Tokyo
- 【Cost of Living】
☆Price of goods is cheaper than Japan
≪Food≫
・Eating local cuisine, about 60～150CNY for three meals a day
・For Japanese, Korean, and Western meals, about 80～200CNY per meal
≪Housing≫
・Rent is cheaper in larger cities in China
・The type of housing varies, but rent runs for anywhere between 800～2,500CNY
If you’re looking for somewhere larger or in a convenient area: 2,000～3,000CNY
≪Utilities≫
・Electricity: one month in the summer: about 100～200CNY
In the winter: 100CNY
・Water: 50CNY or less
・Gas: 100CNY
≪Transportation≫
・Taxi: for the first 2km: 8CNY (varies depending on the area）
・The bus and subway are also cheaper than Japan, about 4CNY
While we do not currently have any job postings open in Chengdu, we think it is a blossoming city worth knowing about.