At dusk, Hongyadong.
Lights come on, with stilt houses layered like a golden castle. Standing on Qiansimen Bridge, watching Hongyadong reflect in the Jialing River, you feel like you’re in Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away.” Tourists hold up phones taking photos, marveling at this city’s magic.
This is Chongqing’s most popular scene.
Chongqing is a city where getting lost is a joy.
Province Profile#
- Location: Southwest China, upper reaches of the Yangtze River
- Best Travel Season: March-May, September-November
- Highlights: Mountain city magic, hotpot jianghu, Bayu culture, brilliant night scenery
Must-Visit Attractions#
Hongyadong: Real-Life Spirited Away#
Hongyadong is Chongqing’s most representative attraction, a stilt house complex built against the mountain.
11-story building, layered and stacked, each floor with different scenery. Inside are snack streets, bar streets, and folk custom streets—wander and eat, and the afternoon passes.
Best Experience: Come to Hongyadong at dusk, wait for the lights to come on, and take a panoramic photo from Qiansimen Bridge.
Jiefangbei and Chaotianmen: The City’s Heart#
Jiefangbei is Chongqing’s landmark, the War of Resistance Victory Monument. Surrounded by a bustling commercial district, with malls, restaurants, and snack shops.
Chaotianmen is where the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers meet, with two rivers flowing together, distinct in color. Raffles City is Chongqing’s new landmark, shaped like a ship setting sail—you can climb to the top to overlook the two rivers.
Best Experience: Shop on Jiefangbei at night, eat snacks. Then walk to Chaotianmen, see the two rivers’ night scenery.
Liziba Light Rail: Passing Through Buildings#
Liziba Light Rail Station is Chongqing’s most magical existence, with Light Rail Line 2 passing through a residential building.
Standing on the viewing platform, watch the light rail train whistling by, entering the building—like a scene from a sci-fi movie. This is the ultimate expression of Chongqing’s “Mountain City” character.
Best Experience: Take Line 2, experience the light rail passing through a building.
Yangtze River Cableway: Aerial Bus#
The Yangtze River Cableway is Chongqing’s unique transportation, connecting Yuzhong District and Nan’an District.
Sitting in the cabin, with the rolling Yangtze River beneath your feet, buildings of varying heights on both banks. This was once Chongqing people’s daily routine, now a must-experience item for tourists.
Best Experience: Take the cableway at dusk, see the lights on both banks.
Special Experiences#
Ciqikou Ancient Town#
Ciqikou is Chongqing’s best-preserved ancient town, “A flagstone road, a thousand years of Ciqikou.”
Flagstone paths are lined with time-honored shops—Chen Mahua, Maoxuewang, Ancient Town Chicken Intestines… eat your way through. In teahouses, you can listen to Sichuan Opera face-changing, feel Bayu culture.
Wulong Three Natural Bridges#
Wulong Three Natural Bridges is a World Natural Heritage, filming location for “Transformers 4” and “Curse of the Golden Flower.”
Three natural stone bridges span the canyon, magnificent in momentum. Tianlong Bridge, Qinglong Bridge, and Heilong Bridge—each majestic and spectacular. At the bottom of the sinkhole is an ancient post station, as if traveling back to ancient times.
Dazu Rock Carvings#
Dazu Rock Carvings is a World Cultural Heritage, representative of China’s late grotto art.
The carvings were made during the Tang and Song dynasties, with exquisite Buddha statues and rich themes. Baodingshan carvings are the essence, with Thousand-Hand Guanyin and Huayan Three Sages—each a precious work of art.
Chongqing Hotpot#
In Chongqing, how can you not eat hotpot?
Old Hotpot is Chongqing people’s pride, with red oil boiling, numbing and spicy. Tripe, duck intestine, yellow throat, scorpion fish… dip in red oil, dip in garlic and sesame oil, one bite—numbing and spicy exploding on your tongue.
Recommended Shops: Peijie Old Hotpot, Zhu’s Fat Man Hotpot, Dongzi Old Hotpot… each has its own story.
Travel Tips#
- Transportation: Chongqing has an airport and multiple high-speed rail stations. The city’s rail transit is developed, but with many transfers—recommend using navigation.
- Accommodation: Recommend staying near Jiefangbei and Hongyadong, convenient transportation, beautiful night scenery.
- Note: Chongqing is a mountain city—lots of walking, wear comfortable shoes. Hotpot is very spicy—proceed within your ability.
Chongqing’s charm lies in its magic.
You think you’re on the first floor, but you’re actually on the top floor; you think you’re on the top floor, but there’s still higher. This city always has corners that surprise you.
Come to Chongqing and feel the charm of an 8D magical city.
Tomorrow, we head to Sichuan to see the fairyland of Jiuzhaigou and the leisure of Chengdu.