Things to do in Qianwei County

No. 4 of Global Traveller-Picked Attractions in Leshan

Jiayang Narrow-Gauge Train

Jiayang Little Steam Train is a classic narrow-gauge train running near Jiayang Coal Mine in Qianwei County, Sichuan Province. The gauge of the small train is nearly half the gauge of a national standard train. It takes about 2 hours to round-trip along the line. It is the only narrow-gauge steam train in the world that is operated regularly. While sitting on a small train, the rocking and swaying as the train starts and stops is clearly evident, you can truly sense its age. During flower season, you can see a large terrace fields of blooming flowers along the way. The Jiayang Train is an excellent choice for experiencing railway culture.

No. 3 of Night Attractions in Leshan

Luocheng Ancient Town

The architectural layout of Luocheng in Qianwei County is extremely unique. Luocheng Ancient Town is situated on a hilltop, with its streets and houses resembling a sailing ship. The origin of this small town is quite interesting. Legend has it that during the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, a scholar from another place arrived here and saw the local people suffering from a lack of water, making life very inconvenient. He could not help but recite a few lines: "Luocheng dry wharf, clothes and hats will not last long. To have water become a river, Luocheng must be built into a boat. If a boat travels in water, there must be water." The locals actually believed that remodeling the architecture was a good way to solve the water shortage problem, so they donated money to build it, and the result is this rare town, unique in the world. This boat-shaped ancient town is over 2,000 m long and approx. 650 m wide. The main street runs north-south, narrower at both ends and spacious in the middle. The street surface undulates, just like a deck amidst waves; the theater stage in the middle of the street towers high, like a raised sail. And the Luocheng Ancient Town-Lingguan Temple at the end of the street resembles the cabin of a ship. On both sides of the street, there is a row of shaded corridors, each approx. 200 m long and approx. 6 m wide, resembling a ship's canopy, also known as "Boat Hall Street." This surviving old street still retains some of the cultural features of old Sichuan from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

No. 4 of Night Attractions in Leshan

Jiayang Suoluo Lake Scenic Area

Jiayang's Suoluo Lake was created after the construction of a hydropower dam on the Mabian River. The lake features a broad surface and very clear water. You can take a tour boat onto Suoluo Lake and enjoy the scenery with green hills on both banks, a perfect scenic vista of lake and mountain. When you reach the Suoluo Ravine, you will find the ravine covered in lush suoluo trees (spinulose tree fern), which sway gently in the breeze. The Jiayang Suoluo Lake Tourism Scenic Area is like a virgin old-growth forest, quiet and beautiful.

No. 9 of Best Things to Do in Sichuan

Leshan Giant Buddha

The Leshan Giant Buddha, also known as the Lingyun Giant Buddha, is situated on the cliff of Qiluan Peak on Lingyun Mountain at the confluence of the Min River, Qingyi River, and Dadu River in Leshan, Sichuan. It is a colossal seated stone statue of Maitreya carved during the Tang Dynasty, standing approx. 70 m tall, with a single instep spacious enough to accommodate over a hundred people. Legend has it that the turbulent waters at the confluence once frequently capsized passing boats. To calm the currents, the monk Haitong of Lingyun Temple initiated the carving of the Buddha. Over several generations, craftsmen continued the construction, which took approx. ninety years to complete. On the cliff to the right of the Buddha, an inscription from the Tang Dynasty titled "Jiazhou Lingyun Temple Great Maitreya Stone Statue" remains to this day, revealing its original name—the Great Maitreya Stone Statue of Jiazhou Lingyun Temple. The common route to visit the giant Buddha is to first arrive at Lingyun Temple beside the Buddha's head, then descend along the winding Jiuzhaigou plank road built against the cliff. View the Buddha's spiral hair buns and robe folds up close, and reach the platform at the Buddha's feet to look up at the full figure. Only then can one truly appreciate the grandeur of "a mountain being a Buddha, and a Buddha being a mountain." Lingyun Temple has continuous incense offerings, and many travelers also join their palms here to pray for blessings. For a different perspective, take a boat cruise or view from the riverside of Leshan ancient city: the continuous mountain outlines of Wuyou Mountain, Lingyun Mountain, and Guicheng Mountain resemble a giant reclining Buddha facing upward, with the grand Buddha seated precisely at its chest—creating the marvel of "Buddha within Buddha." The river view also captures the grand Buddha's full profile alongside the scenery of three rivers, making it especially effortless for travelers with limited stamina or those seeking panoramic shots.

Huangcunjing Mine

Huangcun Well is an extension of the No. 1 Mine of Jiayang Coal Mine, which has mined tens of millions of tons of coal. The coal mined by Huangcun Well has high calorific value and excellent quality, so it has won the titles of "National Advanced Collective of Coal Industry" and "Sichuan Province Safety Basic Demonstration Mine".

Qingxi Ancient City (Qingxi Ancient Town)

Jiayang National Mine Park

Jiayang National Mining Park is a special space area that displays the human mining heritage landscape as the main body, reflects the historical connotation of mining development, has research value and educational function, and can be used for people to visit, scientific research and popularize scientific knowledge. Put on the tooling, put on the helmet, carry the miner's lamp and self-rescuer, and under the guidance of the miners' guides, carry out their mine exploration tour.

No. 19 of Family-friendly Attractions in Sichuan

Oriental Buddha Capital

Situated between the peaks of the scenic area of Leshan Giant Buddha, Oriental Buddha is an antique stone Buddha theme park. The site was built in May 1994, integrating religious art, carving art, and garden art. It uses natural mountain extensions to form spectacular Buddhist scroll promenades. If the material is carved in stone or bronze, it fully embodies the styles of Chinese Buddhism and Southeast Asian Buddhist art. It is magnificent and uniquely spectacular.

2026 Global 100 - Best Things to Do

Mount Emei

Mount Emei is one of the four famous mountains of Chinese Buddhism, and it is also the temple of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. There are numerous Buddhist monasteries in the mountains that combine to give this place a holy and serene atmosphere. The scenery in the mountains are beautiful. The four seasons each have their own characteristics. If you are lucky, you can see the sunrise and sea of clouds. Do note that the monkeys in Mount Emei are notoriously naughty. They are not afraid of people, and even take the initiative to ask tourists for food.

2026 Global 100 - Best Things to Do

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is home to many adorable giant pandas, and you can observe these charming national treasures up close. Located in the northern suburbs of Chengdu, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is approx. 10 km from the city center, and its construction fully simulates the wild living environment of giant pandas, with lakes, streams, bamboo forests, lawns, and more. The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding has many "panda villas", which are enclosed leisure areas for pandas. Each features an outdoor yard and an indoor rest room. When the weather is cool, the giant pandas play in the yard, and visitors can watch the adorable pandas through the railings; when the weather is hot, the giant pandas hide in the air-conditioned rest rooms, and visitors can only watch them through the glass. You can also see pandas in the new area of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, and they are our hero pandas. The pandas' home is bigger, and their activity range is wider. Seeing pandas is the main draw, but there is plenty more to do and see. A must-visit is our landmark building — the internet-famous Panda Tower. As a new landmark of Chengdu, it stands at the highest point of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. The tower is 69.8 m tall with 11 floors. Its exterior resembles a giant bamboo shoot, while the interior is shaped like a blooming hibiscus flower. Inside, 81 platforms are distributed throughout, allowing visitors to enjoy the views of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding from multiple angles. There is also the Art Museum (New Building) located in the dense forest area of the new district, which uses emerging exhibition methods such as multi-sensory interaction, lighting installations, interactive installations, and thermal sensing to create immersive exhibition scenes for visitors. The new area of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding plans to set up science popularization display boards and interactive facilities with rich content and diverse forms in four major zones, so that visitors can learn about giant pandas while watching them and enhance their interactive experience. On festivals related to animal and environmental protection, themed science popularization activities will also be carried out for visitors of different age groups, such as interactive lectures, family-friendly science popularization, mystery exploration games, and other activities that combine education with entertainment. When you're tired from playing, you can also go enjoy a musical — "Panda": it vividly presents to the audience the scene of magical animals, with the giant panda as their representative, coexisting harmoniously, sharing nature, and loving life on the beautiful and fertile land of Chengdu, Sichuan. Through the form of a musical, it reflects the livable landscape of Chengdu, Sichuan, and the simple and leisurely life of the local people. In terms of total area, it has increased from the original 1,035 mu to 3,570 mu, expanding by 2.5 times. During the expansion, the original topography and landforms were fully followed and preserved, and the multi-level landscape belts of mountain valleys formed by mountain gullies and streams were utilized to create 11 giant panda venues, multiple science popularization venues, and visitor pedestrian streets and other sightseeing locations. After the expansion project is completed, it can accommodate no fewer than 180 giant pandas and companion animals such as red pandas and golden snub-nosed monkeys. As of now, multiple giant pandas and red pandas have moved into the "new homes" in the expansion area, and rare animals such as golden snub-nosed monkeys will also be waiting to welcome everyone in the future. In terms of design, the new area is equipped with ample visitor facilities in accordance with 5A attraction standards. It not only provides basic facilities such as sightseeing vehicles and tourist restrooms, but also equips the hill commercial street, the exit commercial street, and scattered commercial complexes in various zones with a large number of tourism service facilities. The planned business formats include dining, souvenir sales, postal services, cinemas, theaters, and experiential education, among others, and the quantity is sufficient to meet visitor demand. After nearly a year of operation, in response to the practical issues of the new area's large size and uneven distribution of supporting facilities, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding has added multiple beverage vending machines, direct drinking water dispensers, and shared convenience facilities throughout the new area to improve the visitor experience. Next, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding will further supplement and improve visitor rest facilities, inquiry service facilities, and guide and navigation facilities to meet visitor needs. The expanded Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding will help Chengdu build a demonstration site of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, improve conditions for giant panda research and conservation, protect biodiversity, fully demonstrate the brand value, cultural value, and economic value of giant pandas, and build the cultural tourism brand of "Sanxingdui, Jiuzhaigou, and Giant Pandas: A Leisurely Journey Through Sichuan." New businesses and projects such as the Panda Art Museum, IMAX Theater, and Panda Theater are now open, meeting visitors' needs for dining, entertainment, sightseeing, shopping, and leisure while they watch giant pandas.