The Coolest Shopping Mall in China is... a Temple?
How do you build a sprawling, open-air luxury shopping district right next to a thousand-year-old Buddhist temple? If you're in Chengdu, you do it with so much style, grace, and respect for history that it becomes the undisputed social heart of the city. Taikoo Li is a masterclass in urban design. It rejects the generic shopping mall formula in favor of a network of pedestrian lanes and squares, built with traditional grey bricks and sloping Sichuan-style roofs, but with massive, modern glass storefronts.
The result is a space that feels both ancient and utterly contemporary. You can wander from an Apple store to a trendy cafe, from a high-fashion boutique to an incredible basement bookstore. But the centerpiece is the ancient Daci Temple itself. It isn't walled off; it's seamlessly integrated into the complex. You can step out of a bustling square and, in a few paces, be standing in the temple's serene, incense-filled courtyard, listening to the gentle chanting of monks.
Insider Tip:
The quintessential Taikoo Li experience is in the transition. Spend half an hour exploring the quiet, spiritual grounds of the Daci Temple. Then, step directly out into the fashionable, buzzing lanes of the mall. That feeling of stepping between two worlds is the perfect summary of Chengdu's unique, relaxed charm.
