Chengdu, located at China’s southwestern Sichuan province, is famous for its delicious food, urban planning, and of course, the pandas. I had been dreaming of going to Chengdu for a very long time. When I heard about the study abroad program in Chengdu, I immediately made the decision- I’m going. What was unique about me going to Chengdu? I’m an international student at MSU, and I took advantage of this opportunity to study abroad in my home country, China. Though Chengdu is in China, it is very different from the city I am from, and this program provided me with a great opportunity to have a closer look at Chengdu, learning about its culture and history, and I made many new friends there.

One of the reasons I chose to study abroad in Chengdu is that it has the biggest panda base in the world. I had never seen pandas before. One part of our program was to visit the huge Chengdu Panda Base, and we spent the whole morning there. Many foreign visitors go to Chengdu just for the Panda Base.

Besides pandas, the other thing that Chengdu is famous for is Sichuan cuisine - I’m a foodie and I would like to try different kinds of food. Sichuan cuisine is my favorite one, and I always dreamed of trying authentic Sichuan cuisine in Chengdu. Lucky for me, my roommate in Chengdu studied in there since middle school. He took me to try a lot of delicious native food. My favorite one is “long chao shou” which is also called dragon wonton soup. It has a kind of dumpling that contains different ingredients like pork, shrimp or some vegetables. You can also choose one of their special-made sauces (spicy or sour) and add it into the broth yourself. The food was amazing but not expensive. I got to meet his friends and explore the night life, a big part of Chengdu. There was street food everywhere and we could even get food at 1:00 a.m. after getting back from Karaoke.  

The night life is crazy in Chengdu, but there is also another side of Chengdu. People’s lifestyle is very laid back. The tea culture is very strong in Chengdu, and people usually just need to pay for a cup of tea to sit in the Tea House and spend the rest of their day. When I went to the Tea House in the park, there were always plenty of people sitting around tables, chatting, and playing poker or “Majiang”- a Chinese game. Everyone looked so relaxed and happy.

Studying abroad in Chengdu is unforgettable. I had so much great experience there. Besides Chengdu, we also had a chance to go to other cities in Sichuan. Although I’m from China, the culture, the people and the food, are so different from my hometown. While taking the classes, I learned so much about Sichuan culture that I didn’t know before. I really appreciate this opportunity, and I’m sure I will get back again!

Haoran Liu is a junior at MSU, majoring in Supply Chain Management. He holds positions with the Akers Residence Hall, the Office of International Students and Scholars, and the Office of China Programs. He attended the “China Summer School: Identity, Culture, and Society” program with 30 students from a variety of majors for 20 days in July 2019.