Tianfu New Area, south of the historic centre, is Chengdu's showcase for 21st-century urban ambition — wide boulevards, glass towers, the New Century Global Center, and the new Tianfu International Airport. It feels like a different city from the old Chengdu of teahouses and temple courtyards. The contrast is instructive: this is where the government wants Chengdu to go, the old neighbourhoods are where it has been. Both are worth seeing.