Jiaozi Park (交子公园): The Ring Bridge and the Twin Towers
Mentioned in 1 local noteWalk-in · free · 24h
The parks note files Jiaozi Park under free essentials, and it's the easiest one to claim: 47 hectares of lawns, water and boardwalk in the middle of the financial district, straight off the metro at Financial City station. The name honours the jiaozi — the world's first paper money, issued in Song-dynasty Chengdu — which is why the money district took it too.
Two structures make it a pilgrimage. The Ring (交子之环), an orange loop of a footbridge locals call the city's best-looking pedestrian crossing, minimal by day and glowing after dark. And the twin towers above the skyline, whose synchronized light show plays across both facades on evenings — animations, city slogans, occasionally pandas — doubled in the park's lake.
The essentials
| What | A 47-hectare financial-district park with the Ring footbridge and front-row seats to the twin towers' light show |
|---|---|
| Where | Jiaozi Park, High-tech Zone — along the Jinjiang river at Jiaozi Avenue |
| Getting there | Metro Line 1 or 18 to Financial City 金融城 station |
| Cost | Free — park, bridge and light show |
| Hours | Park 24h; light show plays after dark, typically from ~19:30–20:00 onward |
| Booking | None |
Why locals rate it
Because it's the after-work park — the one the city's office towers empty into. Runners take the river path, families take the lawns, and everyone with a camera takes the Ring at blue hour, when the orange arc lights up against the last of the sky and the towers start their show behind it. It's the free version of a skyline bar.
- Blue hour beats full dark — arrive 30 minutes before sunset so the Ring, the sky and the towers all still hold colour in the same frame.
- The light show is regular but not guaranteed nightly — schedules shift with season and events; if it's the whole reason you're coming, ask Kora to check that day.
- Line 18 makes this an airport trick — the express line runs from Tianfu International; a long layover buys you a lawn, a river and a light show.
Around it
Line 1 south takes you to Xinglong Lake, and Luhu CPI is in the same southern reach of the city. The full ranked list is on the Chengdu local map.
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