Exploring Vanishing Chongqing

City on the Mountaintop

With the mighty Yangtze River cutting through this sprawling metropolis, those who write off Chongqing (重庆) as being just another China megacity will quickly be proven wrong. With skyscrapers built into the mountainside, Chongqing has some of the most unique landscapes in the entire world. With a metro going deep within the earth and towers built with several ground floors, Chongqing is a city that defies the laws of nature.

Due to the rugged terrain of Chongqing, and the density of the skyscrapers, you will find pedestrian bridges and even massive city parks constructed above the city streets. With staircases leading up dark urban alleys, with only the lights of the flashing neon signs illuminating the way, traveling to Chongqing is much like stepping into a futuristic dystopia like Bladerunner. Within the grit, you will find charm that will have you obsessed with exploring every corner and back alleys of this captivating city.

Planning on braving the snow up north? Read more on what to do during a layover in Harbin here!

Off The Beaten Path: Chongqing

Much like the rest of modern China, Chongqing has been smashed and molded into a new form unrecognizable to the city of the past. As the Culture Revolution did away with many of the city’s traditional culture. Destroying shrines and demolishing temples, the current government is finishing the job by tearing down all the remnants of old Chongqing and erecting a bigger glistening Chongqing on its foundations.

Despite the date with the wrecking ball, a country with thousands of years of history is not so easy to stamp out. You can still find remnants of old Chongqing off the beaten path. With stone deities and pagodas successfully hidden within a concrete labyrinth, you will feel as if you have stumbled across a secret garden in the middle of Chongqing.

Shangxinjie (上新街) is one of the last bastions of traditional culture and old-world grit that you can find in the city. What was once made up of cafes and restaurants passed down through the generations is slowly being chipped away at for megamalls and luxury condos. But for the time being, you can still explore the dodgy streets and ghastly alleyways which are sure to win over your heart.

Looking for a day trip from Hong Kong? Read about taking the ferry to Macau here!

Checking Off What To Do In Chongqing

Before you can begin to wander too far off of the beaten path you may want to first check off those big-ticket items in Chongqing. There are a handful of places within this city where you will find the tourists constantly huddled in masses for no reason other than the fact that the area is famous for being famous. One of these places is Jiefangbei 解放碑, otherwise known as Chongqing’s CBD. Here you will find slews of the same old shops you have found in every other city in China as well as mindless crowds which seem to drone around the square.

You will find the “famous” food street of Bayi (八一路) nearby the central square, but it’s not until you begin ducking down the meandering alleyways that you will finally discover the real soul of Chongqing. With lanterns waving overhead and skyscrapers crowding the sky above like a concrete cage, the beauty of this mountain city is found in the mundane bleak urban scenes.

Wuhan may not be the most famous city in China but it will surely win your heart! Read about what to do in Wuhan here!

The Pilgrimage to Hongya Dong

What was once an impregnable fortress built along the banks of the Yangtze River has been transformed into a whimsical massive gilded shopping center. From the outside, Hongyadong (洪崖洞) resembles a certain bathhouse from a Hayao Miyazaki movie. But once you enter its folds you will be bombarded with overpriced souvenirs and expensive teahouses.

Much like its rival, Jiufen 九份 in Taiwan, the photographs create an illusion of Hongya Cave which can never hold up to its reputation once visited in person. From a distance, you may be able to enjoy the waving red lanterns and the golden glow from the classically curved terracotta rooves. But once you dive into the waves of people, you will be swimming for dear life to make it out the other side as quickly as possible.

Not far from Chongqing you will find the off the beaten path city of Jianyou! Read more about traveling to Jiangyou here!

An Outdoor Art Gallery

Other than being lost in the bleak bowels of the city, the best way to take in the Chongqing skyline is by walking along the banks of the Yangtze River. On either side of the water, you could lose yourself walking for miles taking in the array of different towers and skyscrapers outreaching towards the heavens. Between strolling along the promenade and hopping rocks on the banks of the Changjiang (Yangtze River), wandering along the edge of the water is the perfect way to escape all the noise and crowds of the city.

One of the most outlandish and bizarre buildings in Chongqing is the International Financial Center. These twin towers look as if they have been dipped headfirst into a vat of gold. Standing tall, glimmering on the edge of the river, these skyscrapers almost seem out of place against the drab smog which hangs over Chongqing.

Thinking about heading to China’s far west? You can read all about Kashgar here!

Chongqing’s Art District

To kick off getting off the beaten path in Chongqing, you will first want to head to Huangjueping Railroad Fourth Village 黄桷坪铁路四村. In typical hipster fashion, these local creatives have taken refuge among the abandoned railway tracks in a suburb of Chongqing. Complete with rusting trains and overgrown tracks, you will find that trendy cafes and boutique shops are slowly moving their way into the brick ruins of this neighborhood.

As of now, Huangjueping still preserves a sense of adventure among the rails. But much like the 798 Art Zone in Beijing, it won’t be long until the original edgy vibe of the area will be overtaken with selfie-snapping tourists and commercial retail shops taking away the thrill of exploring the forgotten.

While in Wuhan you won’t want to miss one of it’s most famous temples. Read more on Guiyuan Temple here!

Authentic Chongqing

One of the things most associated with China is tea. As a tourist, you may find it difficult to have a romantic tea house experience Without shelling out an arm and a leg. Even if you do decide to splurge, you are essentially forking over hundreds if not thousands of yen for an atmosphere more fitting for Disney rather than an authentic look at Chinese culture. As much as the old ways have died out in the wake of progress, there is one place in Chongqing that has been forgotten by time.

Not far from the Chongqing Railroad Village you will stumble across the unassuming Transportation Tea House (交通茶馆). Tucked into what may seem to be just another abandoned dilapidated building, this tea house will surprise you as soon as you turn that corner down a day pathway and find yourself in the middle of a lively cafe.

With exposed brick, wooden tables, and dim lighting, this tea house is not trying to be trendy, but rather it is much the same as it was since it opened decades ago. With old men playing chess and traditional brews of tea, this is a place where you can get a truly candid look at China.

Wanting to find more scenes of romantic China? Read about traveling to Xingping in Guilin here!

Scratching The Surface

Much like many of the other megacities in China, there is much more to Chongqing than what meets the eye. For those quickly passing through This Mountain City may just seem like a smoggy neon blur that mixes in with the handful of other metropolises you sped through while crossing the country on a bullet train. But in reality, you could spend a lifetime in a city like Chonqing and barely make a dent in covering all the treasures hidden within its folds.

As cliche as it may sound, the real charm of Chongqing is not found in its tourist traps and massive city squares. But escaping the top ten things to do in Chongqing and blazing your own trail will have you come across some of the things that make China special. You will find spiritual refugees still hiding from the Culture Revolution, crumbling old neighborhoods cherishing their last moments of life before meeting the demolition crew, and a way of life that is slowly being erased by materialism and consumerism.