10 Steps to Loving Chong Qing
A-freak-of-nature kind of city
Built on mountains and hills, Chongqing is perhaps the earth’s least bike-friendly city. Walking in this city is a serious sport with with endless series of stairways, elevated walkways, bridges connecting buildings and more. Only in Chong Qing, you can you can enter a building from the 1st floor on one side and exit on the 13th floor on the other.
As a municipality* at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers in southwestern China, this megapolis of 49 million people is a centre of economy, finance, shipping, culture, education, and science and technology on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. It is also a transportation hub and collection and distribution centre for goods in Southwest China AND an important base for modern manufacturing. In short, this city is important as hell.
Note: Municipality is the highest level of classification for cities used by the PRC. As municipalities, Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing have the same rank as provinces and are under the direct administration of central government.
So here are some of the best spots to really get the essence of CQ
1. ‘Climb the Road’
At: The 18 Steps 十八梯 Shi Ba Ti
Instead of “walking on the roads”, the locals in Chongqing say “climbing the roads”. They have developed a special affection for the city’s steep steps, on which people sell herbal medicines, baked sweet potatoes, needles and threads, Chinese baked sesame cakes and other variety of breakfasts. These steps have grown to become intimate public spaces for this city. If you’re lucky, you might even find service providers such as ear cleaners and pedicurists on these very steps.
One of the most famous steps in CQ is the 18 Steps which is memorialized in many movies (the Cannes jury prizewinner Chongqing Blues, my personal favourite Better Days (as listed on my Chinese movie list), Happiness is Coming, etc). I did not have the chance to visit this site as it was undergoing a 2 year restoration when I was in the city, that was completed 2 months after my visit (argh!). Based on the latest update though, the project implemented mountainous architectural techniques by adopting the characteristics of folk houses in Bayu Area.
2. Enjoy the Silence
At: Great Hall of People 人民大礼堂 Ren Min Da Li Tang
As you are people-watching at The People’s Square, you might notice a large building which exterior resembles Beijing’s Temple of Heaven. I was initially unsure about spending our precious time inside, but boy I was glad I did.
Sure, the large hall had an important role in the history of the Communist Party with the involvement of Deng Xiao Ping. Even now, it is still used for political meetings and cultural events.
The reason I was glad to pay the ¥10 entrance fee though, is the striking interiors. The corridors encircle the hall as sunlight dapple through its beautiful original Chinese-detail-mullioned windows. Inside the circular hall, red velvet upholstered theatre-style seat are uniformly aligned, creating a dramatic composition for photography. It was evident that the proportion and details are exquisitely thought through and through.
3. Get to Know The World’s Most Controversial Museum
At: The Three Gorges Museum 重庆中国三峡博物馆 Chong Qing Zhong Guo San Xia Bo Wu Guan
On the opposite end of the People’s Square sits the museum that features China’s most controversial dam, which you can visit for free. The Three Gorges Dam is not only the world’s largest hydroelectric dam but also the world’s number one heaviest concrete structure.
Apparently, the amount of steel used to construct it could have built 60 different Eiffel Towers. While it provides flood control and A LOT of power (it is the world’s largest power station in terms of installed capacity since 2012), it has been subject to controversy due to its environmental impact and relocation program of 140 towns, 13 cities and 1,600 settlements.
Of course, the best way to see the dam is by seeing it with your own eyes, but if you don’t have an ample amount of time, the museum provides an extensive information of the dam planning and construction, historical artefacts and ancient art. The information revolving the most controversial part of the dam is a bit hazy, but overall is still a great interactive exhibit. The museum lobby also features a gift shop and several workshops that celebrate local culture.
4. Watch the View
At: E’ling Park 鹅岭公园 E Ling Gong Yuan
Once a private garden called Li Garden, E’Ling or Goose Neck garden was also the home of Liyaoting, the first president of the Chamber of Commerce. This is the highest spot on the peninsular which affords 36⁰⁰ views of the city on a clear day. I ran out of time before I could visit the park (there’s a lot to do in this city ok?) but there are supposedly fantastic views of the city high up on the bend of the river. This is also where you can watch Jialing and Yangtze rivers meet.
4. Hang at the ‘Hanging Building’
At: Hong Ya Dong 洪崖洞
You can spend hours strolling through shops and discovering exquisite dining options in this modern landmark of Chongqing. It’s a major tourist site with old streets, delicious food, restaurants and Bayu traditional culture performance. Some people have mentioned that the 4th and 10th floors are the highlights but we lost track of what floors we were in, as soon as we meandered around these incredible structures. Visiting a restaurant is a special treat, especially at night when the bright lights come on and offer a beautiful view of the Jialing River.
Leaning well against the cliffs of Chongqing and blending well into the hilly landscape, Hongyadong’s traditional look is built in the style of the traditional architecture of diao jiao lou 吊脚楼, a dwelling popular among several ethnic minority communities throughout southern China. The name diao jiao lou (lit: hanging feet building) refers to the building’s stilted appearance. The typically two to three-storey dwelling is a masterpiece of ingenious carpentry, as oftentimes they are made using no nails or rivets. The structure and stability of the building depend on groove joints, which hold the wooden beams and columns together perfectly.
Their stilted design means they can be built on mountainsides or across bodies of water, so they were often used to colonise previously uninhabitable areas of China — including Chongqing with its rivers and mountainous terrains. Since the upper floors are particularly high up, they receive more natural light than the ground floor. In the past, this allowed inhabitants to easily work on their craftwork inside and nowadays because they are naturally well-lit, many diao jiao lou do not have electrical lighting on their upper floors. These upper floors also act as a vantage point, so farmers have a broad view from which to survey their land.
The history of this architectural style stretches back over 500 years and they are widespread throughout Yunnan, Guangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Hubei, and Sichuan province but differ in appearance depending on the ethnic group who built them. The Miao, Dong, Zhuang, Yao, Tujia, Bouyei, and Shui ethnic minorities have all incorporated diao jiao lou into their architecture and villages.
4. Trace History
At: Ci Qi Kou 磁器口
The name Ci Qi Kou can be traced back to porcelain production during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Formerly a busy port located at the lower reaches of the Jialing River, a thousand years after its foundation the town remains a symbol and microcosm of old Chongqing, with most of the architectures on the streets built in Ming or Qing architectural style and the roads paved with stone plates.
Nowadays, it is more of a tourist entertainment district with delicate specialty stores, snack stores and old-style teahouses. The main street is radically touristic but you can easily lose yourself in the smaller narrow lanes, peeking into homes and tiny storefronts. We ended up walking further and further upward until we passed residential areas and ended up in a landscaped garden which looked out to a vista of the city below.
For more cultural experiences, you can also watch the folk performances, like Sichuan Opera or Sichuan Qingyin. Otherwise, the Compound of Zhong’s (late Qing dynasty compound built over 120 years ago, by a eunuch named Zhong Yunting 钟云亭, who served on the staff of the notorious Empress Dowager Cixi), Bayu Dwellings Collection, Bao Lun Buddhist Temple or Han Lin academy (school operated during the Qing Dynasty), should show you a glimpse of old Chong Qing.
5. Watch Art (and Hipsters)
At: Er Chang Wen Chuang 二厂文创园
This is a creative industry park in Chongqing’s Yuzhong District, full of trendy cafes, bars and shops. It was originally a currency printing location for the Chinese Central Bank. As a meeting point of interesting technological and cultural visual style, it has now become a favourite of young locals looking for something unique and innovative.
Take the public transport here. The art district is close to Metro Line 1’s Eling Station and Light Rail Line 2’s Liziba Station (the walk from Liziba was very uphill). I don’t recommend driving/taxiing because there is bound to be traffic.
More Arts at Chongqing
Other Chongqing art outcroppings that I didn’t get to visit were:
Huangjueping Art District
In this former home to the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, some 800 students, painters and workers commissioned to set this street awash with colour. This 1.2km of psychedelic street can is now called Huang Jue Ping graffiti street 黄桷坪涂鸦街 Huang Jue Ping tu ya jie. The old campus of the art institute is home to two art museums and a glass-fronted gallery near the entrance.
Sichuan Fine Arts Institute
Its new location is now in Shanpingba District in 2011. Muse over three floors of art pieces in the Chongqing Art Museum or venture further in to the Tank Loft Contemporary Art Centre — art in the unlikely home of former military storehouses beside a military tank after which the place is named.
Huaren Contemporary Art Museum
The privately-owned museum was built in 1995 as a showcase for the works of well-known contemporary artists in China. The sprawling 3,200 square feet interior houses a substantial collection of paintings, sculptures, photography and installation art. On Saturdays, enjoy free admission to the main gallery.
Jinse Gallery
A beautifully laid-out gallery in wealthy Yubei District, Jinse Gallery seems poised to capitalize on Chongqing’s growing upper-class. Its 1,000 square foot interior mainly houses contemporary Chinese art alongside foreign art pieces in several exhibition rooms.
5. Shop Jie Fang Bei urban street 解放碑步行街
This shopping mall and pedestrian street is Chongqing’s equivalent of Shanghai’s Nanjing Lu. Located close to the People’s Square, visit some of the shops with incredibly cool fit-outs and whacky architecture (like the rest of CQ) for example the Qianye Art gallery, the Apple store with a glass helix staircase and the massive Xinhua Bookstore Group mixed-use project designed by Aedas (it encompasses a sky cultural plaza, retails, apartments, offices and a boutique hotel).
6. Experience the Jaw Dropping Transport System
The integration of mountainous terrain and urban construction creates a special landscape here. See how the architects and city planners have gotten ‘creative’ in making transportation and residential projects coexist in this ‘Mountain’ City.
7. Go Outside of Chongqing — Wulong
Apart from a skyline of layer upon layer of buildings on mountains, Chong Qing also boasts some one-of-a-kind natural landscape.
While most people know Wulong from Michael Bay’s Transformers: Age of Extinction, I am more familiar with the Zhang Yimou’s portrayal of the site in Curse of Golden Flowers starring Gong Li and Jay Chou. This place was so beautifully captured in the movie that I had thought it was CGI, until I saw it on Instagram. Read my ever-reliable guide on how to see the uncanny nature workmanship of karst scenery in Wulong.
8. Or the Song Gai Ancient Town
This is where you can find remains of old architectures built in Ming and Qing dynasties. The winding stone street reveals old Chong Qing’s unique dock culture. Or perhaps check out the ancient hydraulic systems like Chengong weir built in Ming Dynasty and Wenzhong dam of Yangtze river. I didn’t have the chance to visit the site but was told that the area can be quite packed with local tourists.
9. Travel ‘In-Style’ with Yang Tze River Cruise
If time is a luxury you have, you could physically see the dam and at the same time, enjoy the scenery of the Yangtze through a river tour. Options include a 3-day leisurely ride with a boat or a 1-day a hydrofoil ride.
Most of these boats and hydrofoils are old and basic, so consider upgrading above the minimum price to have the best chance for a scenic seat near a north side window (since the boat is travelling from west to east, the north site sits on the left). In economy class, most of the travellers are commuters who are more interested in TV than the beautiful scenery surrounding.
Bring your own food; the hydrofoil lunch is not a good value. The popular ending point of the Yangtze trip near the dam is Li Chang. The Li Chang dock is about a 40-minute bus journey away from any hotel close to the bus station’s proximity. A bus trip back to Chong Qing (there are no direct trains) takes 10 hours and costs about half of what the Three Gorges one day trip costs. Since the road from Li Chang to Chongqing is dramatic, alternating between tunnels and high bridges over deep valleys, the bus ride back can be almost as interesting as the boat ride along the Three Gorges lakeshore.
10. Trek the Jin Fo Shan mountain
Situated in the upper reach of the Yangtze River in the Nanchuan District of Chongqing, Jinfo Mountain is the highest peak of the Dalou Mountains. Known to locals as Jinfo Shan, or Golden Buddha Mountain in Mandarin, it boasts a rich variety of wildlife and vegetation that is hard to find anywhere else in the world.
Trek through massive stone walls covered with thick moss and vegetation. The stone forest, previously underwater millions of years ago, was the result of a tectonic movement pushing the terrain from the ocean and evolving under the climate.
Also features skiing slopes in winter.
This post is part of the Life in China series.1. Chongqing Express
How to soak in this city’s urban madness2. Magnificent Karst of Wulong
So magnificent I thought it was CGI3. China Through Films
Cinematic trips into the voyage of the breathtaking world of traditional and contemporary China, and whatever lies in between.I hope they will help you begin to understand this mind-boggling country.
