Insider guides

I came by plane, but I was so tired I can’t remember the airport. I do remember it was crowded. I have this vivid memory of waiting to cross the street, and suddenly there were 40 people on either side of me. I’d been to Tokyo, but this was surreal.

Chengdu is a big place for “mala” – the tonguenumbing Sichuan peppercorn and chilli pepper sauce. I’d never heard of it, so when I was sitting in a hotpot restaurant and my mouth went numb, I thought I was going to die. Now Sichuan food is my favourite Chinese food, particularly hotpot.

Mount Emei was my favourite place. It looks like Chinese scroll paintings of green mountains and fog. Those paintings weren’t imagined or stylized, this is simply what beautiful Chinese mountains look like. The mountain is a bus ride from the city, and you can hike, explore temples, sleepover and watch the sunrise through the mountains.

I never did this. Why didn’t I do this? Chongqing is the nearest city, but I went hiking instead.

It’s bustling and lively and there are people everywhere. And in the style of other major Chinese cities, there are more restaurants on a given street than you know what to do with. It was great.

Pandas! There are pandas everywhere. Particularly red pandas. I heard them referred to as lesser pandas a couple of times, but they are so cute. They’re like a cartoon. They are in every zoo I’ve been to in China. There’s also the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding, where you can pay to hold a baby giant panda. There is so much panda gear there, it is crazy. Hats, chopsticks, ear muffs, boots, candles, panda china... everything panda.

A subway has been added that was supposed to help with crowds and traffic. And a brand new airport terminal is scheduled to open in October.

Air China flies direct from Hong Kong to Chengdu and Dalian.

The airport was very convenient and not far from the city. As for my impression of the city, Dalian seemed quite clean compared to the big cities in China because it’s not as developed. But that means the air quality is among the best.

I liked jogging along Tiger Beach. There’s a 12-kilometre hillside road above the sea – clean air and gorgeous scenery. I would go on weekends, particularly in the spring and autumn. Not winter though – it can get really cold, like minus 10 degrees Celsius.

The Dalian marathon. Each year more than 1,000 people participate. It tours, so it takes place in a different Chinese city each time. I did it in 2.5 hours.

It is similar to Qingdao. I've been an expat in China for three years, in Qingdao, Tianjin and Dalian. The climate and living environment are similar in Qingdao and Dalian. People say they are the best cities in China to live. They're both famous for seafood. They’re both very clean. And their environments are both very nice.