A cultural travel guide to the world
A Chengdu yuanyang pot: half spicy red mala broth, half clear broth (2019)

Home / China / Sichuan / Chengdu / Food

Chengdu Hot Pot

四川麻辣火锅 Sichuan hot pot · Chengdu, Sichuan, China

Photo: Breaknet2025 · CC BY 4.0

A bubbling red broth with Sichuan peppercorns and chilies working together—the numbing-spicy hotpot that people in Sichuan and Chongqing gather around.

Know before you go

  • Travelers not used to spicy food should not push themselves to order extra-hot
  • choose mild or a yin-yang pot
  • do not eat raw meat or offal before it is fully cooked

This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.

Culture

Culture & customs

Background

Mala hot pot originated in the Sichuan and Chongqing region; the broth is usually made with beef tallow, chili, Sichuan pepper, scallion, ginger and many spices, leaving the tongue slightly numb with a fiery taste, and in Sichuanese it is usually simply called "huoguo." As for its origin, a common account is that dockworkers along the Yangtze and Jialing rivers cooked cheap beef offal in beef tallow with chili and Sichuan pepper, and the dish gradually entered restaurants; accounts of the exact period vary. Chili only reached Sichuan from the coast after the Ming dynasty, so claims by some restaurants that hot pot dates back to the Song or Yuan dynasty are not credible. Chengdu hot pot restaurants mostly offer yuanyang (split) pots, half red spicy broth and half clear broth or a non-spicy broth such as tomato or mushroom.

Local customs

  • Diners choose their own meat and vegetable ingredients to cook in the pot
  • common choices include beef, beef tripe, duck intestines, aorta (huanghou), blood tofu and assorted vegetables and soy products
  • the oil dip is based on sesame oil with minced garlic, and you can add coriander and chopped scallions yourself. Beef tripe and duck intestines should be dipped briefly, "up seven times, down eight times", to cook them just through.

Religion & beliefs

  • The traditional red-broth base uses beef tallow and is not vegetarian
  • the dishes include pork, beef, lamb and offal, so if you need halal food, look for a hot pot restaurant with a halal sign
  • vegetarians can choose a clear broth and ask whether bone stock is used. The clear side of a yin-yang pot is also often made with bone stock.

Etiquette & taboos

Etiquette & taboos

Rules that apply here

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersChengdu

Chengdu Panda Base: No feeding, no flash, no climbing barriers

Do

  • Keep quiet while watching the animals
  • Turn off your camera flash
  • In walk-through areas, stay at least 3 metres from red pandas and other free-roaming animals
  • Check the base's website for that day's opening arrangements before you go

Don’t

  • Don't feed the animals, throw things into enclosures or spit
  • Don't shout to get the pandas' attention
  • Don't sit or stand on railings, and never climb over barriers
  • Don't smoke or use open flames anywhere in the park

These are the base's written rules, and staff will stop anyone who breaks them. Some enclosures close temporarily for animal rest rotations, weather or maintenance; check the base's announcements.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Official site: Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, visitor notice

Essential restrictionsSafetyCountry-wide guidance · China

China: At Qingming tomb-sweeping, no burning paper or open flames in wooded areas

Do

  • Check whether the cemetery requires a reservation before you go
  • Stay quiet while laying flowers, bowing and observing silence
  • Consider flowers, tree planting or online memorials instead of burning paper
  • Dress soberly for tomb-sweeping
  • Take offering wrappers and rubbish with you when you leave

Don’t

  • Don't burn paper, incense or candles, or set off firecrackers, in woods or grassland
  • Don't talk loudly or joke around in the cemetery
  • Don't block cemetery paths for long to take photos

During fire-prevention periods, burning paper, incense and candles is strictly banned in forest and grassland fire zones, and anyone who starts a wildfire may be held legally liable. Whether and where a cemetery allows burning is set by its own rules on site.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Xinhua: Two departments deploy safety measures for the Qingming holiday

Essential restrictionsPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · China

China: Go through security before the metro, and park shared bikes in marked zones

Do

  • Cooperate with the security check at the entrance and put bags through the scanner
  • On the platform, wait beside the doors and let passengers off first
  • Register with your real name in the app before riding a shared bike
  • Park in a marked bay or an app-designated spot, and make sure the lock clicks shut
  • If the brakes or lock don't work, switch bikes and report it in the app

Don’t

  • Don't linger in the doorway or force your way through closing doors
  • Don't leave bikes in traffic lanes, fire lanes or on tactile paving
  • Don't let children under 12 ride shared bikes

If you refuse the security check you will not be let into the station. Badly parked bikes are removed, and riders may face action under local rules and the operator's terms.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: People's Daily Online: Beijing issues standards for shared bike technology, services, parking

Essential restrictionsPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · China

China: No smoking anywhere on high-speed trains, and no phone calls in quiet carriages

Do

  • Sit in the carriage and seat shown on your ticket
  • Put large luggage in the racks at the carriage ends or overhead
  • Use headphones for videos and music
  • In a quiet carriage, step outside to make or take calls
  • Before getting off, check around your seat and take your rubbish and belongings

Don’t

  • Don't smoke anywhere on the train, including toilets and vestibules
  • Don't take someone else's seat
  • Don't choose a quiet carriage when travelling with babies or toddlers (12306 advises against it)

Smoking on a bullet train can set off smoke alarms and slow or even stop the train. Smokers are fined by the police and, according to reports, may also be barred from buying bullet-train tickets; official rules prevail. If someone breaks the quiet-carriage rules, tell the train staff.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Travel China Guide: Smoking on Chinese trains

Essential restrictionsSafetyCountry-wide guidance · China

China: Stay on open sections of the Great Wall and never carve the bricks

Do

  • Walk only on open sections and marked routes
  • On steep stretches, stop and steady yourself before taking photos, and watch your step
  • Wear non-slip shoes, carry enough water, and turn back if you are tired
  • Carry your rubbish down or put it in a bin
  • Check opening arrangements before you go; official announcements prevail

Don’t

  • Don't carve, write on or prise loose the bricks
  • Don't climb over fences or onto closed, crumbling walls and watchtowers
  • Don't run or push on steep sections

Carving the Great Wall counts as damaging a cultural relic: one visitor who carved his name at Badaling was given administrative detention and a fine by the police and was blacklisted by the scenic area. Closed sections are not maintained and can be dangerous.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: China News Service: Man detained for five days and fined 200 yuan for carving on the Badaling Great Wall

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · China

China: book popular sights in advance, under your real name, through official channels

Do

  • Check the booking rules on the site's official website, mini program or account before you go
  • Enter every companion's ID details in advance and pick an entry time slot
  • Children, seniors and others with free or reduced tickets also book as required and show ID
  • Book early for holidays and summer; popular dates often fill quickly

Don’t

  • Don't trust third parties offering to grab tickets or sell 'insider' tickets
  • Don't assume a free ticket means no booking is needed
  • Don't count on buying tickets at the gate on peak days

Once a popular date is fully booked, you may be turned away. China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism requires sites to keep in-person ticket windows and to accommodate seniors and others, but on-site quotas are limited; booking windows, release times and visitor caps are subject to official announcements.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: China Daily: Ministry of Culture and Tourism requires all scenic areas to keep ticket windows

Essential restrictionsEntryCountry-wide guidance · China

China: set up mobile payment before you go; hotels and tickets are booked under your passport

Do

  • Link a foreign bank card to Alipay or WeChat Pay before departure
  • Carry some cash in yuan for small stalls, remote areas or payment glitches
  • Expect real-name checks at hotels, for train tickets and popular sights; use your passport
  • Make sure the name and number on bookings match your passport exactly
  • If a station gate cannot read your passport, use the staffed lane

Don’t

  • Don't wait until you arrive to set up payment; verification can take time
  • Don't assume cash alone or a bank card alone will work everywhere
  • Don't book with details that differ from your passport

Without a working payment method, or with mismatched ID details, you may be unable to check in, buy tickets or enter sights. Payment limits, fees and platform rules are subject to official announcements.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Gov.cn: Payment services for foreign visitors to China

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · China

China: Queue, don't smoke where banned, and never carve on heritage sites

Do

  • Wait your turn in line, and follow staff directions when it's crowded
  • On buses and the metro, let passengers off first and offer seats to those in need
  • Book popular sights and museums in advance, under your real name, through official channels
  • Sort your rubbish into the right bins
  • Use serving chopsticks and spoons, and order only what you can eat

Don’t

  • Don't cut in line or walk side by side blocking the way
  • Don't smoke where it is banned; many cities ban smoking in indoor public places and on public transport
  • Don't carve or write on historic buildings or ancient trees, or climb on or touch relics
  • Don't use flash or tripods in exhibition halls
  • Don't talk loudly or play music out loud in public places

Staff will stop you from queue-jumping, smoking where banned or marking relics, and smoking in no-smoking areas or damaging relics can also lead to fines under the law. Fine amounts, booking methods and opening hours are as officially announced.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Palace Museum official site: Visit

Local customsRestaurants & barsChengdu

Chengdu teahouses: sip covered-bowl tea slowly, and ask the server to keep your seat if you step out

Do

  • The covered bowl has a lid, bowl and saucer; use the lid to push floating leaves aside before sipping
  • Stay seated while the server refills from the kettle, and lean back as the spout passes
  • If you step out, tell the server to 'keep it'; traditionally people pushed the bowl to the table's centre
  • Ask the price first for ear cleaning, massage and similar services
  • Ask the staff for a recommendation; jasmine tea is the most common

Don’t

  • Don't stand up into the kettle's path during a refill
  • Don't bang the table or cups, or clatter the lid against the bowl

Nothing happens if you don't know these customs, but knowing them helps you settle in. Habits differ between teahouses; if unsure, just ask the server.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Chuanguan News (Sichuan Daily): Sichuan has the most teahouses

Don’t DON'T

  • Travelers not used to spicy food should not push themselves to order extra-hot
  • choose mild or a yin-yang pot
  • do not eat raw meat or offal before it is fully cooked
  • do not rummage in the shared pot with your own chopsticks
  • those allergic to sesame should avoid the sesame-oil dip and use a dry dip or broth dip instead.

Locals appreciate DO

  • Chengdu people appreciate eating slowly together around the pot and chatting as you go
  • serving food to others at the table and ordering a yuanyang (split) pot for friends who don't eat spicy food
  • and ordering the right amount for the number of people without leaving a table of leftovers is seen as knowing what you're doing. Finishing hot pot with a bowl of bingfen (ice jelly) or liang gao (cold rice cake) to soothe the heat is a Chengdu habit.

Plan your visit

Practical info

Travel tips

  • Hot pot restaurants are everywhere in Chengdu's urban area
  • dinner and late-night meals are the liveliest, popular places require taking a number and queuing at weekends, and a meal typically lasts one and a half to two hours. Spice levels are usually mild, medium and extra hot
  • for your first time, mild or a yuanyang pot is recommended. Dietary notes: the red broth is oily and very spicy, so take care if you have a sensitive stomach
  • offal and animal blood such as tripe, duck intestines and blood tofu are common
  • the sesame oil dip contains sesame
  • hot pot is often paired with beer, so drink in moderation. Combine with evening outings to Kuanzhai Alley, Jinli and Chunxi Road. The broth and ingredients are priced separately. Prices, opening hours and the day's availability are subject to each restaurant
  • popular places often have queues at peak mealtimes, so going off-peak is more relaxed.

Photos

Photos

A Chengdu yuanyang pot: half spicy red mala broth, half clear broth (2019)
A Chengdu yuanyang pot: half spicy red mala broth, half clear broth (2019)
Breaknet2025 · CC BY 4.0
A Chengdu-style split pot, with pickled cabbage broth on the left and mala broth on the right; taken at a Sichuan hot pot restaurant in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, not in Chengdu
A Chengdu-style split pot, with pickled cabbage broth on the left and mala broth on the right; taken at a Sichuan hot pot restaurant in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, not in Chengdu
Jpatokal · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sources & verification notes

Chinese Wikipedia: Mala Hotpot

Wikipedia (English): Chongqing hot pot (including the section on its Sichuan origins)

Wikipedia (Japanese): Mala hot pot

How do you like this place?