Sichuan Museum (四川博物院, Sìchuān Bówùyuàn)

The largest museum in western China, and free, which makes it an easy win on a wet Chengdu afternoon. Ten galleries across three floors cover the province from prehistory to the twentieth century, in a modern building beside the Huanhuaxi Park wetlands.

Two collections justify the trip. The first is the Han dynasty stone and pottery gallery, full of moulded tomb bricks showing salt mining, harvests, banquets and acrobats — small, domestic scenes of ordinary life around 2,000 years ago that are far more affecting than another case of ritual bronzes. The second is the Tibetan Buddhist art collection, one of the best outside Tibet itself: thangka paintings, gilt bronze deities, ritual instruments and monastic sculpture, reflecting Sichuan's long border with the Tibetan plateau.

Also strong: a large gallery of paintings by Zhang Daqian (张大千, Zhāng Dàqiān), the twentieth-century master who copied the Dunhuang cave murals, plus Shu brocade textiles and a Sichuan opera costume section that pairs nicely if you're seeing a face-changing show.

English labelling is present but thinner than at Jinsha, so the free audio guide via the mini-program is worth the setup. Bag storage lockers are free at the entrance and there's a decent café on the ground floor.

The honest verdict: it's a good regional museum rather than a world-beater, and the building is large enough that fatigue sets in around ninety minutes. But at ¥0 it's the best-value indoor stop in the city, and it fills the gap between Chengdu's outdoor sights without costing anything.