Slow living, spicy flavors in Chengdu resonate with Korean travelers

CHENGDU, China — For a growing number of Koreans, Chengdu is less a dot on a map than a promise: That fans of Sichuan hotpot and mala already obsessed back home can come here to sweat over pepper-slick dishes one day, then rediscover the forgotten pleasure of doing absolutely nothing by simply sitting under a park-side tree.

China’s fourth-largest metropolitan area, home to more than 21 million residents, has long been known domestically as a “land of abundance” — a basin ringed by mountains, blessed with fertile soil and, more recently, branded as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.

Chengdu has emerged as Koreans’ next favorite Chinese getaway not only because it’s cheaper, but because it offers exactly what many feel is missing in their busy lives: intensely flavorful food and spaces to slow down.

On the plate: 24 flavors, penchant for spices Chengdu has a popular saying about the region’s love of heat: “Sichuan people are afraid food won’t be spicy enough.” In everyday life, dishes are not just hot; they are engineered to make the body sweat and cool down in Sichuan’s ...