Making Chinese friends in Chengdu is best achieved by immersing yourself in the city's famously laid-back "slow living" culture through both social apps and local community hubs. To meet locals with shared interests, join specialized WeChat groups such as Chengdu Foodies, Cd-Expat Sports, or the general Chengdu Expat group, and use popular Chinese social apps like RedNote (Xiaohongshu) or language exchange platforms to find partners for live conversation. Engaging in traditional local activities is highly effective; visit People's Park to play mahjong or badminton, or spend time in tea houses like Heming where locals spend hours socializing. Additionally, attending events at international hubs like That's Mandarin—which hosts Mahjong nights and city-walking tours—or joining expat networks like InterNations and Meetup can bridge the gap between foreign and local communities. For those seeking active social scenes, the city’s vibrant nightlife in areas like Lan Kwai Fong, Jiuyanqiao Bar Street, or "foreign bars" like The Beer Nest provide low-pressure environments to strike up conversations and build meaningful connections.