# Tianfu Square, Chengdu > Tianfu Square is Chengdu's central plaza: a white marble Mao statue in front of the Sichuan Science and Technology Museum, fountains and a giant Golden Sun Bird motif. It's free and open 24 hours. Allow 20–30 minutes, or about two hours with a museum. Metro: Tianfu Square, Lines 1 and 2, right underneath. Web page: https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/tianfu-square - City: [Chengdu](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu), China - YesGo score: 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 20 min - Entry: Free - With kids: Fine with kids - Admission: Free — it's an open public square - Hours: 24 hours - Metro: Tianfu Square (天府广场), Lines 1 and 2 — the interchange is under the square - Sichuan Science and Technology Museum: North side, behind the statue; free with a named booking, closed Mondays - Chengdu Museum: Across the road to the west; Tue–Thu and Sun 9:00–17:00, Fri–Sat to 20:30, closed Mondays, book online - Size: About 8.8 ha — the largest square in central Chengdu - District: Qingyang, where the city's main axes cross - Time needed: 20–30 min for the square; about 2 hours with a museum - Coordinates: 30.65988, 104.06333 - Facts checked: 04.11.2026 ## Key facts - **Free** — open to everyone, day and night (source: Travel China Guide; China Discovery) - **Lines 1 and 2** — Tianfu Square metro interchange sits right under the square (source: English and Chinese Wikipedia; Travel China Guide) - **Mao statue** — white marble, on the north side, facing south (source: English Wikipedia; ifeng.com; China Discovery) - **88,368 m²** — including the fountains and the sunken plaza (source: Chinese Wikipedia; Travel China Guide) - **Shu princes' palace** — a walled Ming-dynasty palace, the 'Imperial City', stood here (source: English and Chinese Wikipedia) - **1999** — the square was enlarged and named Tianfu (source: English and Chinese Wikipedia) - **Sun bird** — the central motif copies a gold foil found at the Jinsha site in 2001 (source: Travel China Guide; English Wikipedia) - **Yin and yang** — an S-curve splits the square: fountains west, sunken plaza east (source: Travel China Guide; English Wikipedia) - **2000s** — the old exhibition hall became the Science and Technology Museum (source: ifeng.com; English Wikipedia) - **2010** — the metro station opened on Line 1; Line 2 followed in 2012 (source: English Wikipedia) > **Treat it as a starting point, not a destination** Tianfu Square is **a transport hub and the city's centre point** more than a sight in itself. The square alone takes 20–30 minutes: the statue, the fountains, the sun-bird paving. It becomes a proper stop when you add the **Chengdu Museum** across the road or the Science and Technology Museum behind the statue, then walk east to [Chunxi Road](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/chunxi-road). Both museums close on Mondays. ## Is Tianfu Square worth visiting? Yes, briefly — and mostly because you'll pass through anyway. Tianfu Square (天府广场) sits where Chengdu's two main axes cross, in Qingyang District, and its metro interchange links Lines 1 and 2. It's a broad open space of about 8.8 hectares with fountains, lawns and a sunken plaza, ringed by museums, a library, a theatre and office towers. There's real history underfoot. In the Ming dynasty a walled **palace of the princes of Shu** stood here; locals called it the Imperial City, and the open ground in front Huangchengba. Under the Qing, the surviving compound hosted the imperial examinations. Nothing of it survives above ground: in the late 1960s a large exhibition hall went up on the site. The square was enlarged and given its current name in 1999. 'Tianfu', the 'land of abundance', is the old nickname for the fertile Sichuan plain around Chengdu. Its present look dates from 2007, when it was rebuilt together with the metro station below. Be realistic: next to [Wenshu Monastery](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/wenshu-monastery) or the lanes of [Kuanzhai Alley](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/kuanzhai-alley), it's stone, water and big buildings. Come for half an hour, get your bearings in the heart of the city, then move on. ## The Mao statue at Tianfu Square The white Mao Zedong statue stands on the north side of the square, in front of the Sichuan Science and Technology Museum, facing south down the main avenue. Carved in white marble, it shows Mao with his right arm raised. You can see it from almost anywhere on the square. It went up together with the exhibition hall in the late 1960s. Sources disagree on the size: Wikipedia and travel guides give 30 m, while Chinese press puts the figure at 12.26 m on a 7.1 m red granite plinth. Photos are fine. The best angle is from the southern edge by the fountains, where the statue and the museum line up on one axis. ## What to see on Tianfu Square - **The Golden Sun Bird** at the centre — a copy of the gold foil of birds circling the sun, unearthed at Chengdu's Jinsha site in 2001. From above you can see the whole square is laid out around it. - **The fountains in the western half** — they don't run all day; guides mention an evening show with music and lights. - **The sunken plaza in the eastern half** — below street level, with entrances to the underground mall and the metro. - **The Mao statue and the Sichuan Science and Technology Museum** on the north side — the former exhibition hall still has its late-1960s facade. - **Chengdu Museum** — the modern building across the road to the west, covering the city's history and culture from ancient times. - **Sichuan Library and Sichuan Art Museum** — in the northwest corner, a couple of minutes' walk away. - **The Imperial City Mosque** — just west of the square, moved here when the square was widened in the late 1990s. ## Museums around the square: what's open when | | Inside | Entry | Closed | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Chengdu Museum | Chengdu's history and culture; kids' museum at weekends | Book online on the museum's site | Mondays (except holidays) | | Sichuan Science and Technology Museum | Hands-on science and technology halls | Free, named booking | Mondays | | Sichuan Art Museum | Temporary exhibitions | Check with the museum | Check with the museum | Chengdu Museum hours are from its official site: Tue–Thu and Sun 9:00–17:00, Fri–Sat 9:00–20:30, last entry 30 minutes before closing. Unofficial sources disagree on the Science and Technology Museum's opening time (9:00 or 9:20, closing 17:00), so it's marked checking. We found no reliable details for the Art Museum. ## How to get to Tianfu Square 1. Metro: **Tianfu Square** station (天府广场) is directly underneath, where Lines 1 and 2 meet. There are many exits — follow the signs for the statue, the museums or the sunken plaza. 2. From Chunxi Road: Line 2 west, one stop, 2–3 minutes. On foot it's about 1–1.5 km west, 15–20 minutes. 3. From Wenshu Monastery: Line 1 south, two stops (Wenshu Monastery → Luomashi → Tianfu Square), about 5 minutes. 4. From Tianfu Airport (TFU): Line 18 to Chengdu South Railway Station, then Line 1 north, six stops to Tianfu Square. About 1 hour 15 minutes in all. 5. From Shuangliu Airport (CTU): Line 10 to Taipingyuan, change to Line 3 north to Chunxi Road, then one stop west on Line 2. About 50 minutes. 6. By taxi or DiDi, show the name in characters — 天府广场 — as most drivers don't speak English. ## What's near Tianfu Square? The square is Chengdu's geographic centre: Renmin Road runs north and south from it, and the shopping districts lie to the east. Most of the central sights are 15–25 minutes on foot or one or two metro stops away. East: Chunxi Road, the pedestrian shopping street, is 15–20 minutes' walk, and **Taikoo Li**, the low-rise shopping quarter around Daci Temple, is about 2 km from the square. West: People's Park, with its open-air teahouses, is one stop on Line 2, and Kuanzhai Alley is beyond it. North on Line 1 is Wenshu Monastery. A good half-day order: Wenshu Monastery in the morning, the square and Chengdu Museum next, then walk to Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li in the afternoon. The square is lit up at night and easy to return to by metro. ## Paying in Chengdu The square costs nothing, but the metro, cafés and paid exhibitions around it do. China runs on Alipay and WeChat Pay: both let foreign visitors link a Visa or Mastercard issued outside Russia with their passport. Many places still don't take cards directly. On the Chengdu metro, unofficial guides say you can pay with a QR code in Alipay or WeChat or buy a single ticket from a machine. Carry some small yuan notes too — vendors must accept cash, though they may not have change. QR payments need mobile data. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Not planning the museums around the square for a Monday - [ ] Booked Chengdu Museum or the Science and Technology Museum online or via WeChat - [ ] Passport with me — bookings are in your name - [ ] Alipay or WeChat Pay set up, some cash in yuan - [ ] Square's name saved in characters for taxis: 天府广场 - [ ] If I want the evening fountains, I've kept the evening free without counting on an exact time ## Historic places in Chengdu: compare and choose Every historic place in Chengdu rated by YesGo. - [Tianfu Square](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/tianfu-square) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [Chunxi Road](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/chunxi-road) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Kuanzhai Alley](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/kuanzhai-alley) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Wenshu Monastery](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/wenshu-monastery) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Wuhou Shrine](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/wuhou-shrine) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ¥50; ages 6–18 ¥25 - [Du Fu Thatched Cottage](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/du-fu-thatched-cottage) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ¥50 - [Leshan Giant Buddha](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/leshan-giant-buddha) — YesGo score 30/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ¥80; river boat ¥70 extra - [Mount Qingcheng](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/mount-qingcheng) — YesGo score 16/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ¥80; cable car ¥35–60 extra ## Wenshu Monastery, Tianfu Square and Chunxi Road A temple in the morning, the square and a museum at midday, shopping streets by evening. Add it to your route and YesGo works out the timings and walks. 1. [Wenshu Monastery](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/wenshu-monastery) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free 2. [Kuanzhai Alley](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/kuanzhai-alley) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free 3. [Tianfu Square](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/tianfu-square) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free 4. [Chunxi Road](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/chunxi-road) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free ## Don't confuse Tianfu Square isn't Tianfu New Area (the new district to the south) or Tianfu International Airport (TFU), an hour out of the centre. 'Tianfu' turns up in dozens of Chengdu names, from parks to business parks, so in taxis and map apps look for 天府广场. ## Tips - Come in the evening: the square is lit, locals come out to stroll, and the heat eases off. - For the classic shot, stand at the southern edge: fountains, statue and museum line up on one axis. - The sun-bird pattern only reads as a whole from above — from upper floors nearby or in aerial photos. - Chengdu summers are hot and humid and the square has almost no shade — duck into the museums or the underground mall at midday. - Meeting someone at Tianfu Square station? Name the exit letter — there are more than eight. - Don't cross the city just for the square: it works best as part of a day with a museum and Chunxi Road. ## Questions ### Is Tianfu Square free? Yes. It's an open public square with no gates or ticket office, accessible 24 hours a day. ### Is Tianfu Square worth visiting? For 20–30 minutes, yes — especially if you pair it with Chengdu Museum or the Science and Technology Museum and walk on to Chunxi Road. It isn't worth a special trip on its own. ### Which metro station is Tianfu Square? Tianfu Square (天府广场), the interchange of Lines 1 and 2, directly under the square. ### How tall is the Mao statue in Chengdu? Sources differ: Wikipedia and travel guides say 30 m, Chinese press gives 12.26 m for the figure on a 7.1 m plinth. It's white marble. ### How long do you need at Tianfu Square? 20–30 minutes for the square; about two hours if you add one of the museums. ### Is there a fountain show at Tianfu Square? There are fountains in the western half, and guides mention an evening show with music and lights, but we found no official schedule — don't plan your night around a set time. ### How far is Tianfu Square from Chunxi Road? About 1–1.5 km east, a 15–20 minute walk, or one stop on Line 2 to Chunxi Road station. ### Can you visit the Sichuan Science and Technology Museum? Yes. Unofficial sources say entry is free with a named booking via the museum's WeChat; it's closed on Mondays. ### What is there to do near Tianfu Square? Chengdu Museum across the road, People's Park, Kuanzhai Alley, Wenshu Monastery, Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li. ## How we checked The English core comes from English search results and 'People also ask' for Tianfu Square: worth visiting, how long, the Mao statue, metro line, fountain show, distance to Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li. The area (88,368 m²) is from Chinese Wikipedia and Travel China Guide. Statue height conflicts: 30 m in English Wikipedia and China Discovery, 12.26 m figure plus 7.1 m plinth per ifeng.com — we give both. Wikipedia dates the statue to 1968, ifeng.com dates the hall to October 1969, so we say 'late 1960s'. The science museum's 2006 opening appears only in ifeng.com, hence '2000s'. Chengdu Museum hours are official; the Science and Technology Museum's free entry, hours and booking are unofficial and marked checking. No official fountain-show schedule was found (one guide says 19:30–20:30), so no time is given. Walking distances are rounded from guides and hotel listings. ## Sources - English and Chinese Wikipedia: Tianfu Square, Tianfu Square station, Chengdu Metro Line 1, Mao Zedong Statue (Chengdu); Wikidata Q10939558 - Travel China Guide and China Discovery — layout, admission, transport, museums around the square - ifeng.com — the exhibition hall, the statue and its conversion into the science museum - Chengdu Museum official website — hours, closing day, booking - dahepiao.com and Chinese media — Sichuan Science and Technology Museum (unofficial) - Travel guides on paying in China (unofficial) --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. 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