A Day in the “Cosmic Center” of Chengdu
Introduction
As a Chengdu native settled in Chongqing, I’ve traveled between Sichuan and Chongqing countless times over the years. Every time I return to Chengdu and invite friends out, I always say, “Let’s meet at IFS!” It’s not that there are no other places to go in Chengdu, but this huge commercial complex in IFS offers everything from dining and entertainment to shopping. It’s like a treasure trove where you can always discover something new, no matter how many times you visit.
The internet often uses the term “cosmic center” to describe the most popular commercial district in a region. As the capital of Sichuan and a leading city among the new first – tier cities, Chengdu is a key city radiating across the entire southwest of China. And the center of Chengdu is probably the IFS business district, which is what locals call the “cosmic center.”
Shopping in the Cosmic Center
If you want to find the mall with the most comprehensive collection of luxury brands in the southwest region, Chengdu IFS is the top choice. You can find all the brands you can think of here, and most of them are the first stores in the central and western regions or the southwest. That’s why it has become the “cosmic center.” Even friends from Chongqing have to take a long – distance bullet train to Chengdu IFS to get a new Chanel bag.
Look at the long queue in front of Louis Vuitton. It’s as if the grand scene of the Golden Week in Hong Kong in the past has reappeared.
Lesser – Known but Distinguished Brands
Apart from the well – known international luxury brands, there are also many brands with remarkable backgrounds that you may not be familiar with. For example, Loro Piana, an Italian top – tier luxury brand founded in 1924, has a history of nearly a hundred years. Brunello Cucinelli, known as the “King of Cashmere,” is worn by almost every Hollywood star. And there’s the French brand Carven, which I quite like.
In 1945, Madame Carven established the Carven fashion company on the Champs – Élysées. It quickly gained popularity and was once on par with Chanel, being favored by Parisian aristocrats and Hollywood stars. The costumes worn by the characters in Hitchcock’s movie Rear Window were designed by Madame Carven herself, and the 3 – million – yuan wedding dress worn by Liu Shishi on her wedding day was also from Carven. The Carven store in Chengdu IFS is the first in the southwest.
The First Gucci Beauty Store in China
The beauty brands in Chengdu IFS are diverse, ranging from high – end brands like Valmont to mass – market ones like Sephora. Surprisingly, the first Gucci Beauty store in China also chose to open here. On the opening day, the store must have been filled with girls from Chengdu.
Although Gucci Beauty entered the beauty industry only a few years ago, with the support of the brand’s strength and status, its products quickly became popular across the internet. Every time a new product is launched, it creates a small wave in the beauty industry. If you’re looking for the hot color – coded products that are out of stock online, you might be lucky here.
Lane Crawford: A Fashion Paradise
In Chengdu IFS, I spent most of my time at Lane Crawford. It brings together fashion brands from all over the world, like a super – large buyer’s store. There are many轻奢 (light luxury) and niche fashion brands that I love. Saying they are “niche” might not be quite right because they are already popular globally. No fashion blogger would dare to say they are fashionable without these items.
I even had an encounter with a panda inside Lane Crawford, and there was a popular By Far item hanging on the wall behind. The home – decor section also excited me. The display in one corner had a bit of the charm of the Pompidou Center.
I once wrote an article about niche brand luggage. After it was published, readers kept asking me where to buy them. Now I’ll answer again. All the brands mentioned in that article, such as By Far from Australia, Cult Gaia from Los Angeles, and my white bag Strathberry that you guys asked about so much, can be found at Lane Crawford in Chengdu IFS.
Art in Chengdu IFS
The World – Famous Panda
If you have to choose a center within this “cosmic center,” it must be the outdoor art installation, the giant panda created by sculptor Lawrence Argent. The artist named it “I AM HERE,” but the locals affectionately call it the “Wall – climbing Panda.”
This cute panda once appeared in New York’s Times Square and has become a must – visit spot for tourists from all over the world. There’s always a long queue of people waiting to take photos with it. Do you want to know the best place to take a photo with the panda without waiting in line? Keep reading.
The Artistic Courtyard
Where is the “Wall – climbing Panda” going? It’s climbing into a large courtyard, the sculpture courtyard full of artistic flavor. Chengdu IFS specially invited 10 well – known domestic and international artists, including Lawrence Argent, Zhou Chunya, and He Duoling, to design 12 sculptures for the courtyard. You can see them all here. A high – quality commercial space is not just about eating, drinking, and having fun. It uses art to interpret the relationship between the city and humans and breaks the gap between business and life. Art is always at the highest level of human spiritual life.
Zhou Chunya, a Chongqing artist, is famous for his “Green Dog” series. Three paintings of green dogs from this series were sold for a sky – high price of 20 million yuan. There’s also a large green dog sculpture created by Zhou Chunya in the sculpture courtyard of Chengdu IFS.
Every evening when the sun starts to lose its intensity, the sculpture courtyard becomes lively. It’s one of the destinations for citizens to relax and have fun. Especially this year when the “night economy” is booming, the sculpture courtyard has transformed into a night aerial market. After dinner, people start to gather here. When the lights come on, the vendors selling special small items hang up colored lights, and the bustling crowd shuttles through, just like a midsummer carnival!
The Art Party for Kids
Every year, Chengdu IFS holds special events for different periods. This summer, it prepared a cross – border art party called “Childish New Attraction” for kids, which is colorful and full of childlike fun. Even I, an old girl at heart, went to join in the fun.
Dining in Chengdu IFS
PizzaExpress
The best spot to take a photo with the panda, as mentioned before, is the outdoor seating area of this restaurant. Don’t think it’s just a gimmick. I’ve tasted the food, and it’s of high quality. I recommend all kinds of pizzas, Neapolitan seafood rice, and “Sicilian Sunrise,” a salad that contains burrata cheese, which is not easy to find.
Tomacado Floral Kitchen
This restaurant will definitely catch the eyes of all those who love aesthetics. Surrounded by flowers, it’s both a flower shop and a restaurant. With the flower decorations and the Mediterranean – style arcades, the atmosphere is extremely romantic. Even though it wasn’t mealtime, I couldn’t resist going in to order a drink and sit down. I recommend their must – try “Blue Butterfly,” a magical color – changing drink. When you pour lemon water into it, the liquid in the bottle turns from blue to purple – pink.
FENDI CAFFE
I heard that Chengdu IFS once held a pop – up store of the Parisian Café de Flore, but unfortunately, I missed it because I wasn’t in Chengdu at that time. However, Chengdu IFS never fails to surprise. There are always such special pop – up stores. This time, I came across FENDI CAFFE. Who knows which wonderful pop – up store you’ll encounter when you go. The round – table position facing the FENDI store is quite nice.
Excellent Services and Tourist Benefits
In addition to the services that a large – scale mall should have, Chengdu IFS has some praise – worthy services. It’s a pet – friendly mall, allowing pets inside and providing pet strollers. There are very few malls in China that have defibrillators, and Chengdu IFS is one of them. It also offers free face – recognition lockers, where you can store your heavy belongings just by scanning your face.
From now until December 31st, tourists can get a ONE – DAY PASS tourist gift package with their travel tickets/orders with Chengdu as the destination and enjoy the exclusive shopping privilege plan of the “One – Day VIP Leisure Card” in Chengdu IFS. The package includes free direct access to popular scenic spots, exclusive discounts from 40 brands, discounts on popular restaurants, all – day unlimited parking, and tax – refund services for foreigners and those from Hong Kong and Macau.
During dinner, I had another pleasant surprise. I randomly walked into a Shanghai – style restaurant called “Xiao Nan Guo” with a friend and finally got to taste the crab powder that I’ve been longing for. You know, there aren’t many restaurants that make crab powder in the southwest region, and even fewer make it authentically.
When I walked out of the mall at night, I found that the small round lights on the trees around had been turned on, shining brightly. It was so beautiful, as if the glory of the “cosmic center” would never end. I wonder what kind of surprises IFS will bring me the next time I return to Chengdu.
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