Sheffield’s Chinese Twin: Why Steel City feels surprisingly similar to my hometown Chengdu

The longer I stayed in the city, the more similarities and bonds I discovered.

As an international student from China, Sheffield is the first city outside of China that I’ve ever lived in. I’ve been deeply surprised and impressed how similar Sheffield is to my home city - Chengdu, and I’ve been telling everyone I know about this.

Tiantian Meng on similarities between Sheffield and her home | Submitted

placeholder image — Tiantian Meng on similarities between Sheffield and her home | Submitted

One day, one of my course mates told me excitingly that he saw on Sheffield City Council's website that Chengdu was actually a twin city of Sheffield, with the relationship officially established by the two cities in 2010. My response was: "As they should be!"

When I’m introducing my city to Sheffielders, I always start with the weather. Yes, Chengdu is as melancholy as Sheffield. It’s always raining and cloudy for most of the winter. Renowned as the Land of Abundance, the city sits on a plain within the Sichuan Basin. The mountains surrounding the city keep the clouds from moving away, blocking out the sun. That’s also why Chengduers are known in China for their pale and tender skin, because of the lack of tanning.

Gongga Mountain in the dawn. | Ganzi local government

Whenever the sun is out in the winter, residents take their tents and grills out onto the grass simply celebrating the fact that the sun is out. I saw exactly the same excitement among Sheffielders on sunny days, in Crookes Valley Park and Weston Park.

The longer I stayed in the city, the more similarities and bonds I discovered.

Chengdu Sheffield United

Chengdu has arguably the best vibes for football watchers. Its city team Chengdu Rongcheng FC tops the Chinese Super League at the moment. Among the fan clubs stands out the Red Blades who take over the entire South Stand behind the goal - effectively Chengdu’s own Kop. They always say that watching a match as a Blades member is even more exhausting than playing a game, as they keep jumping, shouting, and chanting throughout the whole match nonstop.

The twin relationship actually has its roots in football. In 2006, Sheffield United acquired a 90% stake in Chengdu Five Bull FC, then a second-tier club. It was the first time a foreign football club had taken a controlling stake in a Chinese club. The team was first renamed Chengdu Sheffield United, and later Chengdu Blades FC.

Although Sheffield United eventually sold its stake in 2010, the Red Blades - the supporters’ group - survived. It’s now fully behind the new city club Chengdu Rongcheng FC, and thus the legacy of the Blades remains.

Public House Culture

Residents having their ears picked in a Chengdu tea house | Daderot

There’s a saying in China that goes: "The young should not enter Sichuan, and the old should never leave."

Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province, is uniquely famous for its chilled and laid-back lifestyle. While Sheffielders are proud of their pub culture, Chengduers have their own public houses - the tea houses.

Literally none of the traditional tea house goers are there just for the tea, as the tea is generally ordinary and cheap. Having ordered a cup of tea, they can then spend the whole afternoon sitting in the tea garden bai longmenzhening (a dialect expression meaning chatting and shooting the breeze) with friends, playing Mahjong, having their shoes polished and even enjoying the goosebump-inducing ear-picking service. The tea houses basically serve as a public place for them to get rid of tension from work and reunite with friends, or simply zone out.

If you love spending an afternoon in the pub, you’re most likely to enjoy the tea house culture as well - just sober.

Heading West to the Mountains

As a frequent hiker and climber, I couldn’t feel luckier to have lived in Sheffield with the Peak District just a few train stops away from the city centre. Back home in Chengdu, I’m blessed to have the same privilege.

Driving west from Chengdu for a few dozens miles, the endless flat plain suddenly gives way to mountains, with snowy peaks rising out of the blue like a wall in front of you, among them towering the Gongga.

A tea house in People's Park in Chengdu | Daderot

Gongga is one of the notoriously challenging mountains in the world. In 2003, South Yorkshire mountaineer Andy Cave, who began his climbing career in the Peak District, attempted Mount Grosvenor, a 6,376-metre satellite peak of Mount Gongga.

Since even Cave turned back on a satellite peak, I’d rather not try Gongga myself, nor would I recommend you to do so.

What else makes me proud

There are some other facts about Chengdu that I would like Sheffielders to know.

It’s unofficially known as the gay capital of China as the sense of nonchalance and inclusiveness among its residents has helped the city develop a thriving LGBTQ+ community. It’s been named as the happiest city in China for 17 years in a row. And of course, it’s also the home to Giant Pandas.

Its people share the same sense of community and pride with Sheffielders. You’ll love the city if you can stand the test of the spicy cuisines. As someone from Chengdu who has spent the past year living in Sheffield, I feel fiercely proud of both the city I come from and the city I have called home.

So, should Sheffield and Chengdu be twin cities? As they should be.