Anren Ancient Town is located in Anren Town, Dayi County, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, 39 kilometers away from downtown Chengdu and 8.5 kilometers away from Dayi County. It is a national 5A-level tourist attraction. With a long history of over 1,380 years, most of the existing old neighborhood buildings in the ancient town were built in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Due to its unique architectural style combining Chinese and Western features, it is known as a "fine work of Western Sichuan architectural culture". The planned area of the scenic spot is 4.1 square kilometers, with a core scenic area of 3 square kilometers, and it has a total of 300,000 square meters of well-preserved historical blocks, manor houses, and ancient building complexes.
History and Culture
Anren County was established in the third year of Wude in the Tang Dynasty (620 AD) and was incorporated into Dayi County in the 21st year of the Yuan Dynasty (1284 AD). The ancient town has witnessed historical changes and boasts rich cultural heritage. It is known as China's Museum Town, with numerous museums and a rich collection of artifacts. Among them, the Jianchuan Museum Cluster has more than 10 million collections, including 3,616 national first-class cultural relics. In addition, the ancient town retains traditional Western Sichuan folk culture. For example, the drama "Anren Today" tells legendary stories from the Anti-Japanese War period through a unique performance form, allowing visitors to experience history immersively.
Main Attractions
Anren Planning Exhibition Hall
With a total area of nearly 1,000 square meters, it focuses on displaying Anren's history, culture, tourism, and future development plans. It is a comprehensive exhibition hall and also serves as an index of Anren's tourism resources and a platform for local education.
Gongguan Old Street
Also known as the Republic of China Style Street, it covers an area of about 158,000 square meters. Composed of Shuren Street, Yumin Street, Hongxing Street, and Deren Alley, it has a total length of about 500 meters. There are 12 well-preserved mansions and more than 210 civilian houses. Visitors can tour 10 Republic of China mansions and Wei Minglun Literature Museum, etc.
Liu's Manor Museum
Built between 1928 and 1942, it consists of five mansions of Liu Wencai, a bureaucratic landlord in modern Sichuan, his brothers, and an ancestral home of the Liu family. Covering a total area of over 70,000 square meters with a construction area of more than 21,000 square meters and 545 houses, it is currently the largest, most magnificent, and Sino-Western combined modern landlord manor complex in China, and also a national key cultural relics protection unit.
Jianchuan Museum
Covering an area of 0.333 square kilometers, it was built by private entrepreneur Mr. Fan Jianchuan. Construction started in 2003 and it officially opened to the public in August 2005. The museum has more than 30 branch museums in four series: Anti-Japanese War, folk customs, red era, and earthquake relief. 32 venues have been completed and opened. It is currently the non-state-owned museum with the most private capital investment, the largest construction scale and exhibition area, and the richest collection content in China.
Nan'an Meicun (South Bank Beautiful Village)
Covering an area of 1.73 square kilometers, it takes the rural landscape of Western Sichuan forest clusters as the carrier and flowers as the theme. It boasts diverse business formats such as the Splendid Anren Wonder Garden, characteristic Hive Hotel, Meicun B&B cluster, and holiday camps. It is a one-stop rural resort integrating sightseeing, touring, leisure, entertainment and vacation.
Tianfu Street
Located at the west entrance of the ancient town, it is over 1,500 meters long with a permanent population of about 650 people. Built in the 1940s, it has Western Sichuan residential buildings such as small courtyards, Xiang Alley, and Chun Alley, as well as cultural attractions like the Fortune Culture Square.
Anren Academy
Located in the second phase of the Republic of China Style Street, it was founded in January 2015. It has nearly 30,000 books in its collection and is a branch of Sichuan Provincial Library. With an overall Western Sichuan style, it has a strong Republic of China atmosphere.
Dangdang Car
Running from the Tram Terminal (Liu's Manor) to Anren Bazimen, the 1.8-kilometer-long line features wooden doors, navy blue floors, leather seats, and portraits of women from the Republic of China. It connects scenic spots in the ancient town such as the Republic of China Style Street, Liu's Manor, Platform Coffee, and Anren Academy.
Anhui Li
Built in 2007 on the road connecting the old and new mansions, it has a traditional stone archway at the entrance. There is a small irrigation ditch in the street, and the shops on both sides mainly sell antiques.
Tour Route
You can first take the Dangdang Car to tour the Republic of China Style Street in the ancient town and admire the buildings combining Chinese and Western styles. Then, visit the Liu's Manor Museum to learn about the history of modern landlord manors. Next, head to the Jianchuan Museum to feel the profoundness of history. In the afternoon, you can go to Nan'an Meicun for a visit and enjoy the idyllic scenery. In the evening, taste special local foods in the ancient town and experience its nightlife.
Tour Suggestions
- Learn about the history and culture of the ancient town in advance to better visit the scenic spots.
- If time permits, you can stay overnight in the ancient town to experience its quiet nights and early mornings.
- When tasting special foods, you can try more local snacks and traditional dishes.
- Attend the drama performance "Anren Today" to experience the history and culture of the ancient town immersively.
Matters Needing Attention
- Anren Ancient Town is close to Huashuiwan and Xiling Snow Mountain. You can visit them if you have enough time.
- The ancient town and Liu's Manor have strong architectural and cultural characteristics of Western Sichuan. It is recommended to tour with a guide.
- The climate here is changeable. Please prepare rain gear in advance before traveling.
- Please pay attention to safety when taking the trams in the ancient town.
Transportation
- Self-driving: Starting from Chengdu East Railway Station, you can reach Anren Ancient Town via the Third Ring Road, Yongkang Road, Chengxinpu Avenue, Chengwenqiong Expressway (Shuangliu - Anren), and Da'an Road (Dayi - Anren); Starting from Shuangliu Airport, you can reach it via Lingang Road, Chengxinpu Avenue, Chengwenqiong Expressway (Shuangliu - Anren), and Da'an Road (Dayi - Anren); Starting from Tianfu International Airport, you can reach it via Konggang Avenue, Tianfu Airport Expressway, Chengdu Second Ring Expressway, Chengming Expressway, and Da'an Road (Dayi - Anren).
- Passenger buses: You can first go to Chengdu West Railway Station, then transfer to Dayi Station, and then transfer to buses No. 211, 213, or 215. Get on at Gaotie Da'an Road Intersection Station and get off at Anren Ancient Town Tourist Center Station. There are also intercity passenger buses from Chengdu to Anren. The departure time from Chengdu is 7:20 - 19:40, and from Anren is 5:40 - 18:10. The ticket price is 25 yuan per person.
Opening Hours
It is open 24 hours a day, but the recommended visiting time is generally 09:00 - 18:00.
Tickets
The scenic area is open for free, but internal projects require additional charges.