The ancient towns around Chengdu are severely underrated, with a retro charm that's great for photography

The ancient towns around Chengdu are numerous, and many of them you wouldn't visit more than once. But Anren Ancient Town is one that I've revisited multiple times after my first visit. I love the grey and white bricks and tiles in the ancient town, the clanging trams, and the courtyards in the mansions filled with pomelos. I can't help but raise my camera and snap away. Below is a guide to visiting and photographing Anren. 👉How to enjoy Anren Ancient Town: ✅Stroll through the old streets: Along a century-old street built next to the mansions, you can see oil-paper umbrellas and tie-dyed fabrics. Walking down the street in a cheongsam and holding an oil-paper umbrella, you'll be fully immersed in the Republican-era atmosphere, and every shot is beautiful~ ✅Visit exhibitions: If you love exhibitions, you must come to Anren Ancient Town. There are limited-time oil painting exhibitions, photography exhibitions in August... ✅Ride the tram: A feature of Anren, it has the first tram in the southwest 🚃. Ride the tram from the old street all the way to Liu's Manor and experience the beauty of Anren~ ✅Watch plays: The most surprising thing about Anren is the free plays I watched for a day. From stage dramas to puppet shows, each one is wonderfully presented. Sitting under the pomelo trees and immersively watching the plays, they're so good you won't want to leave 😭 📷How to photograph Anren Ancient Town: 1⃣️The pomelo garden in the mansions, with pomelo trees forming a grove and laden with fruit. Standing under the pomelo trees, any shot you take is picture-perfect~ 2⃣️The oil-paper umbrellas on the old streets, Anren's signature must be these umbrellas. Walking under them is like being in a painting~ 3⃣️The Republican-era buildings of Anren, including Anren Academy, Anren Old Mansions, and the Republican-era style street, all full of retro charm and great for photography! 👉Sightseeing around Anren: ✔️Jianchuan Museum ✔️Coffee Museum ✔️Liu's Manor