Chengdu Expat Hangouts: Tongzilin Neighborhood | Chengdu Life & Chengdu Living

[@gianthanw715]

I have been live in Toronto for 15 years and I am planning to go back to Chengdu in July this year, all of my families live in Jinxiu garden Tongzi lin since 1998, even now the buildings are old but they love this area and still live there. Thanks for the video Austin, it makes me feel so much warm.

[@5gods]

Another great guide ! Thanks! Brought the city to life.

[@austinguidry2]

Thanks a lot! More on the way! :)

[@beetravels7984]

Finally. I'm so happy about this video. Continue giving us best videos Austin. 🙌

[@austinguidry2]

My pleasure!

[@Advtaiwan]

Interesting watch 桐梓林 , I think Sichuan chengdu seems like the funnest place to live in China .

[@syncmaster915n]

Loving these little bike tours of the city of yours. Keep'em coming 👍👍 !

[@jondraper9505]

Great vid. Good energy. Been to Chengdu once in 2009. Loved it. Want to go again. Keep on rocking in Austin.

[@timdijkman9251]

Thank you for this! I used to live in tongzilin nan lu while working in chengdu for about a year in 2011. Loved to see places i remember like Peter's! Ah, brings back so many great memories. Don't remember it being that expansive though. I shared a 100m2 appartment and we paid like 300 EUR per month in total for the appartment. Also great local food restaurants there for very attractive prices at the time!

[@GordoGambler]

I went to Tex-Mex 10 times in 2009 with my GF during my 3 week stay. 75 to 85 RMB for both, depending on if I had apple pie or stopped in the bakery on the way home. She lived behind the Zijing theatre, mentioned in my other post below. vvvv Half the time we biked and walked. Canadian $ got 7.2 that year I think. 8.2 in 2006. Barely 5.1 now. There was the million red brick street then. LOL. What a noise, so it was gone by 2015. I loved the Carrefour complex too, went to the KFC a lot my first time in 2006. Best 3 weeks of my life.

[@lingmartylifestyle9185]

My hubby and me stayed at Kempinski Chengdu, walking distance to Tongzilin. Very nice safe area for walking around. And a lot of luxury cars parked over there too.

[@GordoGambler]

I was at the Sunjoy and Ibis for 2 months.

[@chenjieyang4027]

i studied for 6 years in Yulin primary school, from 2003-2009. During that time, Tongzilin is really a place for rich residences, and i still remember that Zijin cinema is the first high standard cinema in that district (yulin, tongzilin, fangcao, almost everyone lived there will go Zijin cinema to watch a movie.) Big world is also a big shopping center there because Carrefour is only one big supermarket in that place at that time.

[@austinguidry2]

Interesting - didn't know that about the cinema! TZL is still a place for rich people, sure, though a lot of rich people are moving south to Gaoxin because there's more space and nicer/newer houses

[@chenjieyang4027]

@@austinguidry2 you are right, TZL is more like an old rich area comparing with Tianfu new district. Thank you to introduce my childhood place to foreigners. i really have a lot of unforgettable memories about there.

[@jadewang7287]

I grew up in this neighborhood too. But I went to Yindu Primary School.

[@bagratmailyan1439]

thanks! very informative video!

[@yeahshebadder]

Hi Austin! I’ve watched your videos on my journey to come to chengdu ! I am here I hope I can meet you !

[@jadewang7287]

Wow I grew up here. Brings back lots of memories

[@beebo369]

cool video! an idea for a similar video: show some relatively cool neighborhoods where the cost of living is low but they are still nice places to be

[@austinguidry2]

good idea!

[@AlexAbsolute]

Really need to come back and do a tour of these hangouts with you.

[@austinguidry2]

You're welcome back anytime :)

[@AlexAbsolute]

Austin In China as soon as I have time I’ll definitely be back. Last time was fun

[@teexiannibiru687]

GOOD INFO... GREATLY APPRECIATED

[@tjdog4046]

i miss tongzilin neighberhood, mom used to take me there all the time when i was a kid, and one of my piano teacher lives there i went there every once a week, how time pass fast, now the block looks sooooooooo different.

[@bruhsimiscool]

My guy alot has changed in 6 years

[@jwd2690]

Congratulations on your weight loss !

[@austinguidry2]

thanks!

[@j.flaner8506]

@@austinguidry2 You look great!

[@odette198466]

My first week in Chengdu, I ran into you at Pete's! ;-)

[@austinguidry2]

Oh, yeah! I remember! Outside, out front :)

[@wilfredbao9998]

I'm actually going to Chengdu next week, seems to be a good place to check out. Thx

[@austinguidry2]

My pleasure!

[@GordoGambler]

Real nice video. I fell in love with it there too. I was there 3 times, 2006, 2009, then 2 months in 2015. I had a GF living in a 7 story walk-up, half a block behind the ZiJing theatre. Kind of nice and shabby too.... The biggest change is the double deck ringroad and the cars went from cheap bicycles, Changa Suzukis and Buicks to luxury Maseratis, 4 door Porsche cars, etc. Riding a bike is like heaven there now, I rode far and wide. I also rode 3/4 of the way up from Saigon in 2014/5. A taxi bumped a rickshaw the third day I was there in 2006. My first hotel was by the Chunzi DT walkways. WOW. New World amusement center is decrepit world now, I just went in to play snooker. Built mid 1980s I think. NOTHING stays nice in Asia for very long, poor cement and plumbing goes downhill fast. The first visit, the new GF took me to 3 rich friends places, one was behind the rich international school, across from Zijing. Plus some day drives around to Temple parks. Amazing but sooo many steps. ooofff I kind of liked Tex-Mex and Topees Pancake House in a mall building, south of Carrefour. Plus I only like American fast food. They didn't have my Campbell's chicken soup the last trip. darn it. I only found 1 avg. hotel with bath tubs, the ageing Sunjoy. Click on my name, I have 2 videos of Chengdu, around ZiJing road and the other going from the Sunjoy Hotel to up Yulin and the Natooke bike store. Do you ride with them on Friday group rides?? Kind of fun with 40 or 50 others, half locals/ foreign. Not so fun with the nightime.

[@peanut0brain]

You rode a bicycle from Saigon Vietnam to chengdu?!

[@GordoGambler]

@@peanut0brain I took a bus the last 320 miles to Chengdu. And I had problems with malaria pills at the start from Saigon. Had a 180 mile bus ride to Hoi Anh, it was raining and there was muddy road construction anyway. I was OK after that.

[@choihkyd80220111]

Very cool !

[@chrissabre1761]

Ah ha , Aus-thin in China, cool keep it up.

[@chrissabre1761]

Carrefour , I thought it was 5 , 5 demands not one less :)

[@austinguidry2]

hahahaha nice

[@rahulbanerjee2477]

hey hi austin.raul here. i used to live in Masters Tongziling. U made such a nice video. this is so crisp. and i can feel u shed lot of weight,. U Should have covered the beer nest and other pubs around underneath of Masters.( near bank of china). good work bro. u made a expat video of mine and my family , did to post it. pls share if u did.

[@austinguidry2]

Hey, Rahul! Yeah, it's been a while! Unfortunately, the documentary project didn't work out in the way I was hoping it would due to, let's say 'unfortunate circumstances,' and it had to be shelved for a time when I've got more cash and time on hand. I got 4 or 5 interviews, but which wouldn't really do it justice :( Actually, Beer Nest has been sold - there's something else now. Can't remember what it is now, though. "The Office," which was in the video, is where Whatever Bar/Lazy Pug was. I didn't realize there was a lot of stuff missing - I thought I about covered it! I'll have to go check again!

[@wangfeiapollo]

Many Chinese, including me, already have more than one condo on our hands. I don't think the real estate price can hold; It will be deflated once the demand wean out. Right now, it is near a turning point.

[@weiao8237]

spent 1 night on the small plaza in front of Carrefour during 2008 earthquake time.

[@GordoGambler]

My GFs TV and stuff got tipped over.

[@jacksonxie6911]

Missing home now

[@emlyndewar]

Totally agree about Mike’s being overrated!

[@squidble]

Mike's Pizza is overrated? :( I loved that place, and the pies they dished out were the best that I could get in Chengdu. Do you remember Red Beard's? It's sad they are no longer there. :(

[@austinguidry2]

There's such a great selection of pizza restaurants in Chengdu now! It's amazing! Mike's is irrelevant, as far as I'm concerned.....nobody I know goes there on a regular basis anymore

[@austinguidry2]

And YES, Redbeard's was the best!!! It's shame what happened to it :(

[@squidble]

@@austinguidry2 Did something happen to them? I thought they just moved on/left China?

[@robw3782]

Hey Austin, what area would you recommend close by that is more affordable? for a 3br apartment what is considered reasonable?

[@austinguidry2]

for a 3br, the rent would be anywhere from 3000-10000, depending on where you are and how nice of an apartment you wanted. If I needed a 3 br, I'd try to keep it between 3-5k, myself

[@suyang2057]

You are teaching in Sichuan University? I saw you when the North gate was under construction.

[@austinguidry2]

I am! :)

[@jiaweiwu4804]

longtime never follow your post. Seems you did a lot workout with a healthy diet.

[@jeffstowe4860]

Yep. Been there done that..glad to be back in Arkansas, USA. Although the "expat bubble" was very comfy, my conscience couldn't handle the fact of hundreds of thousands of Chinese are persecuted, imprisoned in concentration camps, and many killed and their organs harvested for profit. I finally woke up.

[@TennisGvy]

Are the foreigners there still English teachers primarily or do they work at MNCs?

[@austinguidry2]

It's a mix, but I'd say the majority of foreigners there in TZL are English. The MNC workers tend to be a little more spread out....some live at Raffles, some in TZL, some in the high-tech zone, some in the northwest...it's all over

[@Hali88]

I'm curious, what is 'expensive' in Chengdu? In Kunming, 3000 per month for a 2 bedroom place is relatively 'expensive'

[@andrewcampbell8938]

Hali 5K and up would be normal for Tongzilin. For 3K in Chengdu you can get a really nice place close to the centre. So IMO not sure Tongzilin is worth it.

[@austinguidry2]

Agreed - TZL isn't worth it. 5k and up is for a good, roomy 2-bedroom place. 3500 for a spot in the Manhattan building, which is about the best value there.

[@Elurin]

@@austinguidry2 I was lucky when I found my 2 bedroom apartment in the Xiaojiacun area, a little southeast from the North Railway station. In 2015, I was paying ~2500 a month. Wouldn't want to live in TZL. Went there a number of times to the Carrefour there on a day off. EDIT - my bad memory - I remember it being close to 500 cad which equals to 2500 per month, which is pretty good for a big 2 bedroom apartment.

[@frankliu9320]

Austin, you lose a lot weight since last time I watched your video, are you OK? health wise, wish you well, like to visit Chengdu when travel to China.

[@IanInChengdu]

The building behind Peters is a dump. All the cool kids live in Yulin. Iron Pig okay 😭

[@austinguidry2]

Yeah, agreed about that building. As far as IP goes, IP really took a dive in terms of flavor, freshness, and service in the past year. Home Plate's so much better, honestly (except the sauces, but meh - I don't usually get in on the sauces). It's more expensive, but I feel like I get a better value for my money. Plus, a better bar. But I think we can agree on saying fuck Tim's - what an awful place haha

[@sciencepowerpoints]

Hey Austin, Thanks for the videos. I am hoping to move and teach in China soon. Have you seen ben and jerrys ice cream for sale from places which have imported food?

[@austinguidry2]

Yes, I've seen it on occasion at Sabrina's and at the supermarket under Raffles City here in Chengdu. I think Ole has it sometimes as well. It's not easy to find, but it's not impossible, either. I bet you can Taobao it if it becomes an emergency

[@sciencepowerpoints]

Thanks for the information. I received an offer 16,000 RMB to teach primary level science /20 hours teaching a week/ Working 7.30-1.30pm 5 days a week/free accomadation/3 meals a dal. What do you think about this offer? Do you think its a good offer or are much better jobs on offer that you know of? I have nearly two years teaching experience from Thailand

[@taochentc]

I left chengdu 20 years ago. I can not recognize any of this. 😶

[@austinguidry2]

Yeah, I bet! It's really changed even in the 4 or so years since I've lived here. CD's basically unrecognizable from 2011 when I first traveled here

[@typhooonn]

all I heard is expensive, repeatedly. Damn Chengdu is expensive.

[@paulchen117]

That is why I never live near or hangout in expat areas. You are going to pay for the scenes and the privilege.

[@tsongz2962]

瘦了

[@lynch-mf7ul]

瘦了这么多

[@FoodforThought12345678dsds]

Please beware of the Nobler in Chengdu!

[@caughtinprovidence7197]

台湾要饭猪 闭嘴啦

[@FoodforThought12345678dsds]

@@caughtinprovidence7197 You sound so polite

[@bearcd5313]

@@FoodforThought12345678dsds 台湾穷B！

[@FoodforThought12345678dsds]

@@bearcd5313 Obviously a henchman of the Nobler!

[@FoodforThought12345678dsds]

@@bearcd5313 Please stop your evil alliance with the Nobler