Chengdu has tons of these little electric scooter rickshaws with room for 2 passengers

The main lane in a "slum-like" informal looking community north off Caobao Lu west of Guilin Lu: it's very dense, full of people and shops, food stands and small eating places, fruit and vegetable stands - the architecture is not the usual longtang/lilong format and this amount of retail in a lane is very atypical for Shanghai

The exterior hallway of an older apartment building in a lane/compound off Jianguo Xi Lu

Main road through one of the many temporary relocation housing districts in Dujiangyan City, outside of Chengdu - Dujiangyan City was the closest city to the epicentre of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and was severely affected, although this isn't very obvious in some districts of the city - much of the population is still in the temporary housing awaiting the finishing of the permanent replacement housing

Kuan Lane and Zhai Lane (together the district is referred to in english as "China Lane"), are 2 streets of restored traditional courtyard houses in Chengdu, some houses are still being renovated and it is more of a tourist-oriented district with the courtyard houses now occupied by teahouses, restaurants, bars and boutiques

Fruit stand in Chengdu's airport

View of part of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, originally created on the Min River around 250 BC during the Warring States Period, the (modernized and slightly altered) system still irrigates over 5,300 km² of the Chengdu Plain and made the plain one of China's most fertile agricultural areas - the system works by dividing the Min River into 2 parts and redirects most of the flow through a giant rock cutting in the side of a mountain to discharge into the Chengdu Plain

A beautiful bus shelter in traditional style, along the road from Dujiangyan to Chengdu

Hanging out in the street in Chengdu.... a city known for its relaxed lifestyle

View of the Howard Johnson Resort Conference Center outside of Dujiangyan, 60 or so km northwest of Chengdu - view is from the hotel, these are the "villa" district of the development, some of which are rentable