Wuhou District · beside Wuhou Shrine
Jinli Street, timed to the lanterns
A 550-metre reconstructed commercial street with a Three Kingdoms theme, attached to Wuhou Shrine. Free, no ticket, no reservation — and a different place once the red lanterns come on.
Prices and hours checked 21 October 2026China Xian Tour — Jinli Ancient Street guide
What Jinli is, and what it is not
Jinli is often described as an ancient street. It is not ancient: it is a reconstruction from the 2000s that borrows the look of a Qing-era Sichuan commercial street, built on the plot beside Wuhou Shrine and themed around Three Kingdoms culture. Once you accept that, it works — the scale is right, the timber and tile are convincing, and the food stalls, teahouses and craft shops are arranged in a way that invites wandering.
The street runs about 550 metres, which is shorter than the crowds suggest. On a normal evening you will walk it in twenty minutes and then go back along it more slowly, which is the correct way to do it.
The practical bits
- Entry
- Free — no ticket, no reservation
- Street hours
- Open all day
- Shops
- Mostly 09:00–10:00 to about 22:00
- Lanterns
- Lit shortly after sunset — the reason to come late
- Metro
- Line 10 Wuhouci (Jinli) Exit A2, ~3 min; Line 3 or 5 Gaoshengqiao Exit A, ~10 min
- Combined with
- Wuhou Shrine, whose ticket office is a few minutes away
Checked 21 October 2026. Jinli has no gate and no closing time; individual shops set their own hours, and bars stay open later than the snack stalls.
What to eat while you are there
- 01
Sichuan snacks, not a banquet
Expect skewers, dumplings in chilli oil, cold noodles, sticky rice sweets and sugar-figure blowing. Portions are small and priced for tourists; treat it as grazing, not dinner.
- 02
Find a teahouse and stop moving
The courtyards set back from the main lane are quieter and are where the street makes sense: a pot of tea, a bamboo chair, other people's conversations.
- 03
Watch a face-changing show, if one is running
Bian lian performances run in small theatres around the street. They are short, tourist-facing and genuinely entertaining; buy at the door rather than from a tout.
When to go, precisely
Late afternoon into early evening is the sweet spot: arrive around 17:00, walk the street while it is still light, eat something, then let the lanterns come on before you leave. Most tour groups are heading back to their hotels by then, and the light is better in both directions.
Avoid the street entirely on national holidays and the first days of Spring Festival. The lanes are narrow, there is no alternative route through them, and the crowd becomes the whole experience.
Questions people actually ask
Is Jinli Street free?
Yes. There is no ticket and no reservation. Some individual shops, shows and activities charge separately.
What time is Jinli Street open?
The street itself never closes. Most shops open between 09:00 and 10:00 and close around 22:00, with bars running later.
Is Jinli better than Kuanzhai Alley?
They are different: Jinli is denser, more commercial and better at night; Kuanzhai is wider, more architectural and better in the morning. One night in Jinli and one morning in Kuanzhai is the honest answer.
How do you get to Jinli Street by metro?
Take Line 10 to Wuhouci (Jinli) station — the station is named for both — and leave by Exit A2; the street is a three-minute walk. Gaoshengqiao, on Lines 3 and 5, is the older ten-minute route.