Traces of Heaven by Paul Theroux (in Riding the Iron Rooster, 1988) — Theroux's account of crossing China by train in the 1980s includes time in Chengdu and Sichuan; its portrait of the province before the economic transformation is an invaluable before-and-after lens.
The River at the Centre of the World by Simon Winchester (1996) — Winchester travels the length of the Yangtze from Shanghai to Tibet, passing through Sichuan. An intelligent, enthusiastic account of a changing China.
Land of Fish and Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop (2016) — Dunlop is the most authoritative writer on Chinese food for Western audiences, and this volume covers Jiangnan cooking. Her earlier book Sichuan Cookery (2001) is the essential reference for the food that defines Chengdu.
Oracle Bones by Peter Hessler (2006) — Hessler spent years in China as a writer for the New Yorker; his account of the country's transformation in the 2000s includes considerable time in Sichuan and remains one of the best portraits of the country's modernisation.