Dujiangyan · 50km northwest
Dujiangyan: the engineering that made Chengdu possible
In 256 BC the Shu governor Li Bing split a river without a dam. The plain stopped flooding, Chengdu became a city, and the works are still doing their job.
- Ticket
- CNY 80 adult · CNY 40 concession
- Hours
- 08:00–18:00 (Mar–Nov); to 17:30 in winter
- Joint ticket
- CNY 160 with Qingcheng Front Mountain, 2 days
- Getting there
- Intercity rail from Xipu to Lidui Park, then 10 min walk
Prices and hours checked 21 October 2026WaysChina — Chengdu day trips 2026 (prices, hours, rail)
What you actually go to see
The site is three works in sequence, and understanding them is most of the visit. The Fish Mouth splits the Min River into an inner and outer channel. The Flying Sand Weir releases floodwater. The Bottle-Neck Channel cuts a narrow gap through rock to feed the Chengdu plain. No dam, no reservoir, no concrete wall holding back a lake — the river is divided and metered by shape alone.
It has run since the third century BC, has been maintained continuously since, and still irrigates the plain that feeds Sichuan. That is the reason to come: not scenery, although the river gorge and the Anlan suspension bridge are handsome, but a piece of civil engineering that has outlived every empire that taxed it.
Tickets, hours and the train
- Adult ticket
- CNY 80
- Concession
- CNY 40 for students and children
- Joint ticket with Qingcheng Front Mountain
- CNY 160, valid two days
- Peak hours (approx. Mar–Nov)
- 08:00–18:00
- Winter hours
- 08:00–17:30
- Train
- Chengdu Xipu → Lidui Park, about 30 min, roughly CNY 10
- Station to gate
- 10 minutes on foot from Lidui Park station
- Time needed
- 4–5 hours including the walk between the three works
Checked 21 October 2026. Chengdu dropped advance booking for most scenic areas in 2024, so buying at the gate with a passport is usually the simplest route; holiday dates still warrant booking ahead.
The route through the site
- 1
Enter at Lidui Park
The rail station drops you ten minutes from this gate, which is why the train beats the bus. Buy at the window, keep your passport out.
- 2
Walk to the Fish Mouth first
The upstream split is the clearest piece of the design and the least crowded early. Everything downstream makes sense once you have seen it.
- 3
Cross the Anlan suspension bridge
The rope bridge over the inner channel connects the two banks and is the photograph everyone takes. It moves; that is the point.
- 4
Finish at the Bottle-Neck Channel
The narrow cut through rock is the most impressive single object on the site, and most tour groups run out of time before reaching it.
Combine it with Mount Qingcheng
Qingchengshan station is one stop further on the same line, and a joint ticket covering both costs CNY 160 for two days. Doing both in one day is possible but tight: Dujiangyan alone rewards four hours, and Qingcheng's Front Mountain another three.
If you only do one, do this. Qingcheng is prettier in autumn; Dujiangyan is more interesting in the rain, which is the weather you are more likely to get.
Questions people actually ask
How do you get from Chengdu to Dujiangyan?
Intercity train from Chengdu Xipu station to Lidui Park, about 30 minutes and around CNY 10, then ten minutes on foot to the main gate. Trains run roughly hourly.
How much is Dujiangyan entry?
CNY 80 for adults, CNY 40 concession. A joint ticket with Qingcheng Mountain's Front Mountain costs CNY 160 and is valid for two days.
Is Dujiangyan worth a day?
Yes — four to five hours is enough for the three works and the gorge walk, which makes it the most efficient day trip from Chengdu.
Can you visit Dujiangyan and Qingcheng Mountain in one day?
Physically yes, but you will rush both. Dujiangyan deserves four hours and Qingcheng's Front Mountain another three, so two half-days is the better split.