Stand on the wide Riverwalk between the two central bridges in the early morning and you will see groups moving through tai chi routines in slow unison, a flag corps practising nearby, and the pagoda on Fu Le Shan Park catching the first light across the water. Mianyang rewards the traveller who treats it as a place to walk, drink tea and watch a city go about its day rather than as a checklist of monuments.
It suits visitors who are already in Sichuan and want a stop that is quieter than Chengdu, and who are interested in riverside life, industrial history and the Qiang culture of the surrounding mountains. Note that Science City, the military research complex, is closed to foreigners who are not specifically cleared for entry, so plan around it rather than for it.
1. Riverwalk
The Riverwalk is a wide pedestrian boulevard running between the two central bridges, lined with fountains, statues and a view of Fu Le Shan Park across the river. Early in the morning you will see groups of tai chi followers going through their paces, and you may catch a band or flag corps practising in the adjacent Iron Ox Square. In summer there are beer gardens and outdoor teahouses, and year-round there are permanent tea and coffee houses on the first floor of the apartment and condo towers bordering the walk.
Come early for the tai chi and the cooler air, then stay for a tea house. It is the natural starting point for a day, since Iron Ox Square and Fu Le Shan Park are both within easy reach of it.
2. Fu Le Shan Park
Fu Le Shan Park sits just across the river from downtown, a short bike or cab ride from the city centre, and is open daily from sunrise to sunset. The mountaintop pagoda is visible from the Riverwalk and at night is lit with spotlights. The park has teahouses, walking trails, boat rides and a small amusement park for children, but its most interesting feature is the collection of historical landmarks: carved tablets, statues and monuments portraying the historic importance of the mountain, Mianyang and the area, including a large statue of the "Three Brothers," Zhang Fei, Liu Bei and Guan Yu, who met at Fu Le Shan.
Expect to walk and climb stairs if you want to see most of the park. There are open areas for a private picnic, or you can use the teahouses and mahjong courts instead.
3. People's Park
People's Park is a large park in the central city, on Linyuan Ludong Road in Fucheng District, and entry is free. It is the place to see how locals relax: tai chi, fan dancing, singing and music. There are also carnival-style games, roller coasters and other theme park rides for children, plus plenty of cafes where you can drink tea, play mahjong or hire a boat to paddle around the lake.
It works well as an unhurried half-day, and pairs naturally with the central-city sights rather than with the mountain trips out of town.
4. Tie Niu Square (Iron Ox Square)
Tie Niu Square, on Tie Niu Road in Fucheng District, is where locals come to drink tea and play mahjong, and it edges onto the river where many people come to picnic. Around the back of the square you will find locals selling antiques and small household goods.
Combine it with the Riverwalk, which runs alongside, and go in the morning if you want to catch the exercisers and musicians who gather in the adjacent square.
5. Yuejin Road Industrial History Block
Yuejin Road Industrial History Block, on Yuejin Road in Fucheng District, is a well-preserved street that tells the story of Mianyang's development as a science and technology city. The architecture dates from the 1950s to the 1980s, old factories have been turned into cafes, and informative plaques offer a glimpse into China's industrial past. It is free to walk and open around the clock.
Pair it with a stop at one of the converted factory cafes, and treat it as a slow wander rather than a scheduled visit.
6. Beichuan Qiangcheng Tourism Zone
The Beichuan Qiangcheng Tourism Zone lies in Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County in the northwestern part of the Sichuan Basin. It consists of the Beichuan Earthquake Ruins Area, Beichuan New County Town, the Beichuan Earthquake Memorial, the Beichuan Qiang Folklore Museum, Jina Qiang Walled City and the Vistas Visitor Center.
To get there, take a passenger bus from Mianyang Bus Terminal to Beichuan, which departs every ten minutes; if you arrive by train, Mianyang Railway Station is across the street from the bus terminal. By car from Chengdu or Deyang, follow the Chengmian Expressway to Mianyang South (Mujia) Toll Station, then Liaoning Avenue to the Visitor Center.
7. Jiuhuang Mountain Scenic Area
Jiuhuang Mountain Scenic Area, in Yongcheng Village, Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County, is a national 4A-level tourist attraction covering about 25 square kilometres. It features Qiang ethnic culture and preserves cultural relics and folk customs, and includes hunting grounds, caves, cableways, hot springs, resorts and folk culture parks, combining natural landscapes with cultural elements. It is open from 08:00 to 18:00, and the telephone number is +86 816 4732666.
Tickets are ¥180 for the front mountain and ¥280 for the back mountain. Because the site is large and spread out, decide in advance which part you are visiting.
8. DouChuan mountain
DouChuan mountain, also known as Chuan mountain, is in Wudu Town on the east bank of the Fuling River, 20 km north of Jiangyou City. From the foot to the top is about 5 km, with a winding path through verdant forest and fine scenery. According to legend, in the Tang Dynasty a chief book of Changming named DouChuan lived here, which gave the mountain its name. When Li Bai was a teenager he travelled to this mountain and wrote the line "Woodcutter and ploughman, in and out of the painting screen," which Yu Youren later engraved on a stone monument in the mountain. It is a national 4A-level tourist attraction, a national geological park, an important part of Jianmen Shudao National Scenic Spot, and a famous Danxia landform scenic spot in Sichuan Province.
From Mianyang, take a train or bus to Jiangyou first, then transfer to a bus from Jiangyou to Doushan Mountain. By car, take the Chengmian Expressway and turn onto the Mianguang Expressway to Mianyang North Exit, then follow the signs to the scenic spot.
9. Wanglang National Nature Reserve
Wanglang National Nature Reserve in Pingwu County is open all day and is one of the best ecological areas in the country, sitting in the interlocking mountainous regions of the Himalayas. It is a habitat for giant pandas as well as golden monkeys, bull antelopes, rhesus monkeys, red pandas and water deer, along with antelopes, purple gazelles, bobcats, hares and weasels. Nationally protected birds here include geese, blue-tailed pheasants and jade-banded sea eagles. The entrance fee is ¥50, and the best time to travel is year-round, with more rainfall in May and July.
There are regular direct shuttles to Pingwu County from Mianyang Bus Terminal and Pingzheng Bus Station, with a drive of three and a half to four hours; the Mianyang to Pingwu shuttle runs every half hour from 06:20 to 17:00. From Pingwu you can change buses to Baima and take a taxi, or rent a car and go directly to the reserve.
10. Science City
Science City is a "city within a city" and the home of China's largest weapons research and development operation and the site of the building of the first Chinese atomic bomb. The CAEP, the physics research agency of the military and government, is based here. If you are allowed to enter, it is fascinating to see the completely modern, clean city strategically located in the mountains next to greater Mianyang.
Science City is closed to foreigners who are not specifically cleared for entry. The city is not gated and signs at its boundaries are not always present, but it is set off to the northeast and away from the most popular bus lines, so you are unlikely to stumble upon it by accident.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start on the Riverwalk between the two central bridges while the tai chi groups are out, then walk the short distance to Tie Niu Square to see the tea and mahjong crowd and the riverside picnickers. Cross the river to Fu Le Shan Park and climb to the pagoda for the views and the carved tablets and statues, including the Three Brothers.
Afternoon: Return to the centre and spend the afternoon in People's Park, watching the fan dancing and singing, drinking tea, and taking a boat out on the lake if you want to. If you would rather have an indoor-feeling wander, substitute Yuejin Road Industrial History Block and take a coffee in one of the converted factory buildings.
Evening: Go back to the Riverwalk for a summer beer garden or a year-round tea or coffee house along the walk, and look across the water at the floodlit pagoda on Fu Le Shan Park.
Can I visit Science City?
Science City is closed to foreigners who are not specifically cleared for entry. The area is not gated and boundary signs are not always present, but it is set off to the northeast and away from the main bus lines.
How do I reach Beichuan Qiangcheng Tourism Zone?
Take the passenger bus from Mianyang Bus Terminal to Beichuan, which departs every ten minutes. If you arrive by train, Mianyang Railway Station is across the street from Mianyang Bus Terminal. Drivers coming from Chengdu or Deyang take the Chengmian Expressway to Mianyang South (Mujia) Toll Station and then Liaoning Avenue to the Visitor Center.
When is the best time to visit Wanglang National Nature Reserve?
The reserve is worth visiting year-round, though there is more rainfall in May and July. The entrance fee is ¥50.
How much does Jiuhuang Mountain Scenic Area cost, and when is it open?
It is open from 08:00 to 18:00. Tickets are ¥180 for the front mountain and ¥280 for the back mountain.
Decide how many days you want for the city and how many for the mountains, then start planning your route around the Riverwalk and the buses out of Mianyang Bus Terminal.