That sociability can be felt in Sichuan’s famed food traditions. UNESCO named Chengdu a City of Gastronomy for its tongue-numbing hotpot and street food like dandan noodles and dumplings. Go out at 10pm, and you’ll find the night in Chengdu is still young: friends are gathered in hotpot restaurants; queues into bars extend along the streets.

The social, easy local lifestyle of Chengdu is best demonstrated by White Night in Zhai Alley, a street of old structures housing trendy shops and restaurants. White Night is a teahouse, bar and culture salon all rolled into one, where hipsters gather for book talks, film screenings and more. Everyone remembers the day in 1986 when esteemed poet Bei Dao came to visit. White Night programme director Tan Jing recalls the poet silently listening to recitations of his verses. ‘Afterwards, he said it was the first time he had a real sense of how much Chengdu people loved literature,’ says Tan. ‘And they remain so after three decades. It’s an inclusive and laid-back city suitable for deep reflective thinking and living.’