How to Explore 'Living Fossil of Hakka Culture' — Chongqing Rongchang in 2 Days on Weekend [Photo/Video]

Chongqing. Rongchang, also known as: Changzhou, Tangcheng, Haitang Xiangguo, Pearl of Western Chongqing.

Rongchang: Prosperous through culture, thriving because of culture.

"A piece of pottery" "a bolt of cloth" "a fan"

The flourishing scene of Rongchang's culture

Gradually evolves into today's industrial rise.

Have you ever been to Rongchang? ... If not, you must go and see!

In this year's government work report, the concept of "expansion of the main urban area" was clearly defined.

"Rongchang" among the 12 districts in western Chongqing has been upgraded to the main urban area.

Rongchang District is a major gathering place for "Huguang, Guangdong, Yunnan, and Sichuan" immigrants, known as the "living fossil of Hakka culture." Led by the "migration culture of filling Sichuan," it has formed three national-level intangible cultural heritages: folding fans, pottery, and ramie cloth. It has produced famous figures such as "the incorruptible official" Yu Maojian, revolutionary pioneer Zhang Peijue, and Chinese painter Chen Zizhuang. Attractions include Wanling Ancient Town, antao Town, etc.

Chongqing Rongchang 2-Day Tour Itinerary

Day 01:

Verbena Base, Wanling Ancient Town, Yu Maojian Memorial Hall, Violin Museum, Ramie Cloth Town, Daoli Quzhu Homestay, Qingjiang Old Street

Day 02:

Ceramics Expo Center, Shufeng Ocarina, Rongchang Pottery Museum, Comprehensive Practice Base, Taobao Ancient Street, Antao Town

When visiting Rongchang, the first destination must be "Wanling Ancient Town."

But why first introduce "Verbena Base"?

Because they are really close to each other...

After arriving at the parking lot of Wanling Ancient Town, it's a 200-meter walk to get here.

It's perfect for taking photos; now (end of May) is the peak blooming season.

As autumn comes, although many flowers slowly wither, verbena still blooms. When I look into the distance, it's like the flower sea of "Provence, France." Here in Wanling Ancient Town, it covers more than 30 mu (about 2 hectares).

The key points here: it's free, and not crowded!

Purple flowers dotted and connected, like a purple ocean. A breeze blows, bringing a faint fragrance. Standing in the flower sea, every casual shot is a beautiful picture.

Photography tips: Try to go early in the morning or late in the evening. The verbena is as tall as a person.

If possible, bring a small ladder. For clothing, a pretty skirt is recommended.

Note: Don't step into the flower sea; there are dedicated paths.

Then, shooting across the other flower field gives the feeling of being in the sea of flowers.

In the early morning, the Laixi River is calm and windless, with layers of thin mist on the surface. The ancient city wall with red lanterns and the new-sprouting willow branches are reflected in the water. Several black-awning boats are quietly moored at the old dock.

On Da Rong Bridge, a few pedestrians in coarse blue shirts come from the opposite bank, carrying loads, baskets, or poles, hurriedly crossing this weathered stone bridge into the smoky rain alley filled with merchants.

"Smoky Rain Alley" is named because whenever it's foggy or rainy, the alley is filled with mist. It was rated as the most beautiful alley in Chongqing in 2011.

Passing through the narrow "Smoky Rain Alley" leads to Dazhai Sun and Moon Gate, arriving at the water dock.

On the Sun and Moon Pavilion on the ancient city wall, at both ends of Da Rong Bridge, and on small boats emerging from the morning mist, many tourists carrying backpacks from afar wait. This river, this bridge, the shore above and below, the misty willows and painted bridge, the scenery and bustle, all come into view.

The ancient town is surrounded by green mountains, with the Laixi River running diagonally through it. The city wall encloses the fortress, with four gates at east, west, north, and south. The solid wall protects the main street and three branch alleys. Mountains, water, and city complement each other, living in harmony.

The ancient town sits on the bank of the Laixi River, next to a wetland park. The Laixi River is the mother river of Rongchang County, with clear water, lush green bamboos on both sides, and beautiful scenery.

There are no vehicles passing by, nor the glamour of the city. The local residents live leisurely in their ancestral houses.

The tea houses are also filled with local residents, mostly elderly people over sixty. They sip tea, chat, play mahjong, and lead a peaceful life free from worldly strife.

Shops are open, but whether you buy or not doesn't affect their love for mahjong. There are no shouts or invitations to enter; they just live there and happen to run a shop.

This kind of ancient town without noise feels really great. You can stand quietly before the pillars of the Zhao Ancestral Hall, marveling at the immortal legends of the royal descendants.

Explore the "Eighteen Ladders" architectural complex to witness history.

Further ahead is the Huguang Guild Hall, built in the ninth year of Jiaqing reign by immigrants from Huguang who gathered funds for fellow townsmen's gatherings. Here, in front of the statue of King Yu, you can appreciate the profoundness of migration culture.

Then there is the "Miss's Embroidery Tower" (also called Qinfang Pavilion), a two-story residential building.

It was the residence of a wealthy family surnamed He. The second-floor attic was specially built as an embroidery tower for their daughter.

The stilted building is also called "Wangfu Tower" (Husband-Watching Tower). In ancient times, when boatmen traveled far to deliver goods, their wives at home worried a lot due to the long distances and unpredictable risks. They often watched from the windows by the river, hence the name.

The ancient town is not big, but you can slowly savor its human life.

Upcoming opening: Wanling Holiday Hotel.

After climbing a slope of steps, we leave the ancient town. Turning right, there is a statue.

Here we must talk about "Yu Maojian." He was an incorruptible official, contemporary with the great incorruptible official Hai Rui, both officials during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. Yu Maojian entered officialdom more than thirty years earlier than Hai Rui.

During his tenure, he boldly abolished bad customs and established reward systems. Later, he served as the Grand Canal Governor, carefully planning to save the court over 100,000 taels of silver in canal repair costs, which he used to offset people's taxes.

After being promoted to Minister of Justice, he defied the powerful. In the 27th year of Jiajing, he jointly petitioned with Censor-in-Chief Xu Xuexi to plead for remonstrance official Xia Yan, offending the great traitor Prime Minister Yan Song, and was reprimanded and stripped of his salary by the court.

After returning to Rongchang, Yu Maojian established the Erya Academy, serving as a teacher and personally teaching. To encourage diligent study and pursuit of official titles, he set a rule for the academy: all hardworking students would be funded by the Yu family.

For poor students, tuition was waived. This rule was very encouraging; soon many children came to study at Erya Academy. Before the Ming Dynasty, schools were only one of the ways to supply candidates for imperial examinations. By the Ming Dynasty, attending school became the only path to the examinations.

Leaving Yu Maojian Memorial Hall, just outside the door is: the world's largest violin museum.

It exhibits over 500 antique violins and parts from around the world.

Total building area about 8,000 square meters.

The "Wanling Violin Museum" invested 590 million yuan.

The museum is divided into areas: Violin History Corridor, King Violin Zone, Concert Hall, Leisure Experience Zone, He Xirui Exhibition Hall, Grading Center, etc.

The collected items are world treasures, including violins made by representative families such as Amati, Stradivari, Guarneri, and Steiner, with extremely high antique collection value. Especially the "Swan" violin made by Stradivari at the age of 93.

The collection is hailed as "unprecedented and unrepeatable" by the greatest and most prolific Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari, dating back over 300 years.

The Wanling Violin Museum also collects over 30 precious antique pianos, allowing the "King of Violins" and the "Queen of Pianos" to meet in Rongchang.

Note: Open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Closed on Mondays.

Ramie Cloth Town is an AAA-level "intangible cultural heritage tourism scenic spot" integrating ramie cloth exhibition, production, display and sales, and experiential tourism. Located on Changzhou Street, Rongchang, it consists of 24 Ming and Qing style courtyard complexes. With grey tiles, ancient courtyards, covered bridges, and artistic dreams, the horizontal and vertical paths are lifelike.

Here are some recommended spots to check in: Ramie Cloth R&D Center, Jiahe Ramie Cloth, Yiqiu Tang Ramie Cloth Workshop, Yimeng Covered Bridge.

People describe Rongchang ramie cloth as "light as cicada wings, flat as a mirror; thin as rice paper, finer than silk gauze."

Wandering through Ramie Cloth Town, experience cultural heritage, enjoy riverside scenery, and taste local delicacies.

You may not have been here, but you must have eaten "Rongchang braised goose," with Qingjiang's white geese being especially famous.

Qingjiang Old Street is located at the border of Luxian County and Rongchang. It takes about 50 minutes by car from Wanling Ancient Town.

The buildings on Qingjiang Old Street date from the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era. The shops still retain the "substitute sales point" style that could be seen before the reform and opening up, i.e., a large window opens to the street, with various widths, and shelves displaying daily necessities inside.

On Qingjiang Old Street, there are about a dozen such shops, so a short stop lets you imagine the bustling scene of shopping in the old days.

Here I recommend a restaurant: "Huang Zongshen Douchi Fish Restaurant." Their family has been making Qingjiang fish for generations. Using their secret fermented bean paste, they can make four different flavors—absolutely delicious.

On Qingjiang River Island in Qingjiang, there is a homestay close to nature, dreaming in the rice fields: Daoli Quzhu Homestay.

During this period, in the rice field park, villagers are busy planting five types of colored rice and 2-meter-tall "giant rice." The fields have rest platforms named after the 24 solar terms. Here you can not only get close to nature but also learn about traditional farming culture.

On the river island, there are leisure activities such as camping, biking tours, and loquat picking. Right now, it's the season for picking loquats; the branches are full of soft, juicy, sweet fruit.

This weekend, pack your mood and head for the idyllic countryside life you dream of!

Open the door to see mountains, step out to see water...

After enjoying the beautiful scenery of Qingjiang, we set off the next day to the Ceramics Expo Center.

Built to 4A-level scenic spot standards, it includes five exhibition halls: "Weimei Cultural Ceramics Hall," "Modern Technological Ceramics Hall," "Architectural Ceramics Museum," "Silk Road National Ceramics Hall," and "Party Building"—a typical integration of culture and tourism.

The "Belt and Road" Ceramics Expo Center collects over 100 ceramic artifacts from the Paleolithic to modern times, gathering fine products from the "Five Famous Kilns" and "Four Famous Ceramics," and ceramics from dozens of countries including Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, with over 2,000 pieces in total.

The paintings on these walls are all made of ceramics... Isn't that impressive?

It also creates a platform for ceramic cultural exchange, technological innovation, and market transactions.

The Four Famous Ceramics of China: Guangxi Qinzhou Nixing Ceramics, Yunnan Jianshui Purple Pottery, Chongqing Rongchang Pottery, Jiangsu Yixing Purple Sand Pottery. Here is the "Rongchang Pottery Museum" (formerly called Antao Pottery Museum).

The Rongchang Pottery Museum has the theme "Inheritance • Development • Innovation." It includes exhibition halls such as Antao historical artifacts, production scenes, pottery development, fine pottery displays, leisure cultural corridor, pottery making experience, master studios, R&D center, pottery processing and firing, etc.

The museum collects nearly 10,000 Antao artifacts and fine pieces from since the Han Dynasty, with over 1,000 on permanent display, truly and comprehensively reflecting the skill inheritance and development achievements of Antao.

Antao enjoys the reputation of "thin as paper, bright as a mirror, sound as a chime."

Antao combines the lines and elegance of northern pottery with the grandeur and rich colors of central plains pottery, used for decorative pottery on temple roofs and walls (carved dragons, phoenixes, flying fish and beasts)—the highlight of Antao pottery art.

Antao is divided into two categories by body fineness: "coarse pottery" and "fine pottery."

Coarse pottery mostly includes everyday items like jars, vats, urns, basins, and pots.

Rongchang pottery production techniques were listed in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Catalog in May 2011. There are currently 6 municipal-level representative inheritors, 62 district-level representative inheritors, 8 Chongqing municipal-level arts and crafts masters, 38 district-level arts and crafts artists, and 9 district-level folk arts and crafts artists.

Opening hours: daily 9:00–17:00. Free admission.

Speaking of pottery, besides making art and containers, do you know it can also be used to make musical instruments?

This "Shufeng Ocarina" is located by the small river on Anfu Street.

Ocarina is a wind instrument made from clay, handcrafted and fired, shaped like a submarine with a whistle mouthpiece. The studio technician said that Rongchang pottery clay has excellent density and fineness, making the ocarina body full and the tone mellow.

The addition of ocarina to Rongchang's pottery product line injects new vitality into cultural tourism integration.

We can also go to the studio to learn creation and make our favorite ocarina products.

On weekends, you can come here to create a handmade clay instrument.

Let "her" voice echo leisurely in the wind.

Meanwhile, there are also pure handicraft production of ceramic art pieces.

There are also training classrooms that can be used for Rongchang pottery teaching.

Location: From the Rongchang Pottery Museum, turn left at the traffic light; 300 meters and you're there.

After visiting "Shufeng Ocarina," turn left for 300 meters to reach "Rongchang National Demonstration Comprehensive Practice Base."

This overall project plans to cover 300 mu (about 20 hectares), with the first phase of nearly 100 mu developed, total building area of over 27,000 square meters.

Here, the brand dissemination of local Rongchang culture and intangible cultural heritage is integrated with education, allowing more children to get in touch with intangible heritage, gradually develop interest, and eventually guide them to careers related to intangible heritage.

The base has hired international intangible cultural heritage education experts to jointly create distinctive youth intangible heritage social practice courses. Currently, 66 courses have been developed, forming a curriculum system with intangible heritage culture at its core, such as the three national-level intangible heritage courses: Rongchang pottery, Rongchang ramie cloth, and Rongchang folding fans.

Rongchang Anfu—a place that gathers Rongchang pottery culture.

Here you can experience pottery craft, tea culture...

"Anfu market, five li long, pottery kilns, liquor workshops, clay pots lined up, liquor drops fragrant in alleys..." This century-old ballad depicts the thriving scene of Rongchang Anfu's pottery industry.

Taobao Ancient Street is the bustling street of that time. To authentically restore its ancient charm, Taobao Ancient Street used the technique of "restoring the old as old," reproducing the architectural style of Bayu. Strolling along the 400-meter-long ancient street, seeking the ancient charm of pottery, sitting with pottery masters to discuss pottery—what a leisurely joy!

Here, you can personally experience the process of making Rongchang pottery, and also listen to pottery masters explain the craft.

Upon arriving in Rongchang, you certainly can't miss a visit to Antao Town. The huge ceramic pickled vegetable jar building at the entrance marks the town's entrance, and it's also our last check-in point to conclude the trip.

Needless to say, Rongchang's cuisine is naturally... goose.

This time we had a "whole goose feast." Oh, and don't miss "pig ears" and "pulling noodles" (Pugai noodles)—this is the originator in Rongchang.

1. Sanhui Goose Mansion: good environment, good taste.

2. Xiao Xue Braised Goose (based on inquiries with three locals and one Chongqing urbanite, the highest comprehensive rating).

3. Huang Er Chicken Soup Pugai Noodles (next to Xiao Xue Braised Goose). The noodles are very chewy, plus pea and minced pork sauce—simply amazing.

Transportation:

1. High-speed rail: Chongqing North Station / Chengdu East Station → Rongchang North Station → Ramie Cloth Town → Wanling Ancient Town → Antao Town (local transport is convenient).

2. Bus: Chongqing to Rongchang: Bus services from Chongqing Caiyuanba, Chenjiaping, and Chaotianmen bus stations to Rongchang, fare about 45 yuan.

3. Self-drive: From Chongqing: Enter the Chengdu-Chongqing Expressway, via Jiulong-Yongchuan-Rongchang main city exit, total expressway about 100 km, about 1 hour.

From Chengdu: Enter the Chengdu-Chongqing Expressway, via Neijiang-Longchang-Rongchang main city exit, total expressway about 250 km, about 3 hours.

4. Many attractions in Rongchang are free, so feel free to go and play. Of course, hands-on experiences like crafts are charged separately.

5. The weather has been quite hot recently, so be sure to bring sunscreen and a sun hat when going out, so you won't get tanned.