2-Day 1-Night Trip to Zhongzhou, Chongqing: See 'Flames of the Three Kingdoms' at Night

The Little Princess of Districts and Counties is back to recommend fun spots in Chongqing's districts and counties. This time, I spent the weekend in Zhongxian County, also known as Zhongzhou. Zhongxian County is the only county-level city in Chinese history named after the character 'zhong' (loyalty). The most famous product here is Zhongzhou fermented bean curd. This trip was mainly to see the large-scale mountain-and-water live performance 'Flames of the Three Kingdoms' at night.

Departure: Yuzhong District, Chongqing → Zhongxian County

Method: Self-driving

Distance: 170 km (approx. 2.5 hours)

Toll: 120 yuan

Tickets:

- Zhongzhou Museum: free

- Bai Gong Ci (Bai Juyi Memorial Temple): 30 yuan/person

- 'Flames of the Three Kingdoms' performance: 170 yuan/person

Day 1: Chongqing → Zhongxian County → Zhongzhou Museum → Bai Gong Ci → Watch 'Flames of the Three Kingdoms'

Day 2: Citrus Culture Time & Space Museum → Return trip

No backtracking on the entire route!

Accommodation: Zhongyi Hotel

Zhongxian County is a small mountain town with hills and waters. Its terrain is similar to Wanzhou, with slopes and steps, evoking memories of old Chongqing. This time I chose to stay at the 'Zhongyi Hotel' on Binjiang Road. The Zhongzhou Zhongyi Hotel, which opened on November 25, 2018, really amazed me!

Not only is it cheap, but the service and hardware facilities are no less than those in big cities. It can be said to be the best hotel in Zhongzhou. Let me give you an idea of the price:

The Zhongyi Hotel is located on Binjiang Road in Zhongxian County, offering direct views of the river. Its new Chinese style looks very high-end.

The front desk in the lobby amazed me: the cool lighting effect of traditional ink-wash canvas, combined with small landscape plants, felt bold and atmospheric.

The entire hotel centers on 'zhong' (loyalty) and 'yi' (righteousness), connecting the lobby lounge, dining rooms, meeting rooms, and guest rooms.

The lobby provides free black tea and lemon water.

Hallways are decorated with traditional Chinese style elements.

The lobby bar's chair color is quite nice—a light navy blue, with soft lighting and a quiet environment, very antique.

The rooms are spacious and bright, decorated to modern hotel standards. The 'work area' pictured below looks great.

The toilet, shower, and washbasin are in three separate areas, all open-plan.

The whole room has no doors separating them; I only discovered a thick curtain to pull after taking a shower.

Aside from outlets, you can also plug in directly. Free milk is available at night, both hot and cold.

Sichuan people's deep-rooted hobby—mahjong—is accommodated: some rooms have special mahjong rooms.

The restaurant has locations on the first and third floors, with both open areas and private booths, offering choices for privacy or openness.

Because the hotel is near the river, you can see Zhongzhou's night scenery, which is quite beautiful. Perhaps due to the terrain, the mountainous area makes the whole city seem suspended in the sky:

High-rise buildings along the river also have light shows, lively and elegant.

It's great to have such a high-standard hotel in Zhongxian County, right on Binjiang Road. The price is only around 300-400 yuan, not bad.

Sightseeing: Zhongzhou Museum

After checking in, my first stop was Zhongzhou Museum. To understand a city, start with its history—especially Zhongzhou, which has loyal heroes like Ba Manzi, Gan Ning, Yan Yan, and Qin Liangyu. In the eighth year of Zhenguan (634 AD), it was granted the name Zhongzhou. Zhongxian County is a historically significant part of Chongqing, starting from the Zhongba culture 5,000 years ago.

The museum currently houses over 20,000 pieces/sets of artifacts, covering 23 categories, from the middle-late Neolithic period to modern times.

Zhongzhou Museum has two entrances: one on the first floor and one on the second floor (after some steps). I suggest starting from the first-floor entrance and going floor by floor to see the entire history and intangible cultural heritage of Zhongzhou from ancient to modern times.

Zhongzhou Museum covers 36 mu (approx. 2.4 hectares), with a building area of 15,000 square meters and an exhibition area of 6,000 square meters.

The museum has 'Ten Treasures of the Museum', including a Eastern Han glazed pottery bell, a Warring States bronze yue axe, a Tang dynasty bronze mirror with auspicious beast and grape pattern, a Qing dynasty yellow-glazed porcelain bowl with floral design, a Eastern Han bronze dove-headed staff, a Han dynasty three-branch bronze lamp, and Southern Dynasty 'liang zhu' copper coins, 'yongguang' copper coins, and 'jinghe' copper coins.

There are three main sections: 'Humanistic Zhongzhou', 'Loyal and Righteous Zhongzhou', and 'Colorful Zhongzhou'. 'Humanistic Zhongzhou' is in the central part of the museum building, showcasing the magnificent history and culture of Zhongzhou over millennia.

Educational artifacts: During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Zhongzhou emphasized education, restored schools, founded academies, and donated or purchased school fields and temple fields, forming a unique landscape of two old and new schools and two academies (Bailu and Shao'e). According to incomplete statistics, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Zhongzhou produced 38 jinshi (imperial scholars), over 150 juren (provincial graduates), and over 330 gongsheng (tribute students).

Salt production relics using pottery: From the late Neolithic to the 1970s-80s, salt production in Zhongzhou continued for thousands of years without interruption. The excavation of the Zhongba pottery salt-making site provides extremely valuable material for studying pre-Qin salt production methods, reflecting the advanced salt-making technology of pre-Qin Zhongzhou.

'Loyal and Righteous Zhongzhou' is located in the attic at the western end of the museum, displaying the loyal deeds of ancient sages and modern heroes of Zhongzhou.

The entire Zhongzhou Museum is much larger than I imagined.

In addition to conventional display cases with text and graphics, the museum uses advanced display techniques such as artistic scenes, three-dimensional sand tables, AR systems, holographic projection, phantom imaging, and multimedia enhancements, focusing on the exhibits.

Carefully arranged scenes include a 12-meter-high Zhongba cultural stratum wall, large-scale pottery salt-making, and the Linjiang First Team zinc-smelting site.

These exhibition sections are independent yet interconnected, representing the concentrated display of archaeological achievements and cultural research in Zhongzhou's Three Gorges reservoir area, as well as a large thematic exhibition for comprehensively understanding Zhongzhou's history.

This dancing 'music and dance figurine' is so cute—I really like it:

And this shiny gold hairpin—oh, it captures my heart; just looking at it makes me happy.

Han dynasty artifact area: After the mid-Western Han, Confucianism was dominant, filial piety ruled the empire, and lavish burials became popular. A large number of bronze artifacts and gold, silver, and jade ornaments unearthed from mid-Western Han to Eastern Han tombs in Zhongzhou reflect this trend.

There are also vivid murals depicting past lifestyles in Zhongzhou.

'Colorful Zhongzhou' is located in a Ming-Qing style courtyard at the eastern end of the museum, showcasing the unique intangible cultural heritage and folk customs of the Zhongzhou area, including: Zhongzhou fermented bean curd, Shibao steamed tofu, high-platform lion dance, bull play, dwarf dance, wedding chamber, main hall, and full-month celebration.

Shibao steamed tofu: a hot dish, red and bright in color, salty and slightly spicy, tender and delicious. It is a traditional Han dish from Zhongxian County, Chongqing, originally a vegetarian dish from the Shibao Temple and later spread among the people, hence the name. It was awarded the title 'China Famous Snack' by the China Hotel Association. In 2009, it was included in the second batch of Chongqing municipal intangible cultural heritage.

Zhongzhou fermented bean curd, also known as Zhongxian County fermented bean curd, is produced in Zhongxian County, Chongqing. It began in the Tang dynasty and flourished in the Qing dynasty, remaining popular for over a thousand years. The mold used is derived from the mold room that has been in use since the 12th year of Yongzheng (1734), and its enzyme diversity and decomposition power are unique nationwide. In 2009, the production technique of Zhongzhou fermented bean curd was included in the second batch of Chongqing intangible cultural heritage. In March 2012, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine approved geographical indication product protection for Zhongzhou fermented bean curd.

When a child is one month old, a 'full-month celebration' is held to wish for the child's smooth growth.

The traditional dance 'Zhongzhou Dwarf Dance', popular in the Zhongxian County area of Chongqing, may seem peculiar but is now a Chongqing municipal intangible cultural heritage. [Zhongzhou Dwarf Dance] was included in the third batch of municipal intangible cultural heritage in 2011. It evolved from the folk game 'hide and seek'.

It originally spread in Shuanggui and Xinli areas of Zhongxian County and later gradually spread to parts along the Yangtze River and its tributaries in Zhongxian County. The 'dwarf dance' is a field entertainment dance to celebrate the harvest. During the harvest season, after work breaks, farmers would lower their clothes to the lower abdomen, draw facial features on their bellies with mud as a 'face', cover their heads with a large bamboo basket as a 'hat', and dance freely.

In the past, during festivals and good harvests, lion dances and bullfights were held to celebrate.

The high-platform lion dance is included in the representative list of intangible cultural heritage. It gets its name because ordinary farm tables are used to build a high platform for lion dancing. The high platform uses 7, 9, or 12 wooden tables, with a total height of about 10 meters. The construction methods are 'incense stick style' and 'one-incense-stick style'.

In traditional Zhongzhou residential architecture, the main hall was the living space for old-style Han dwellings, usually in the center of the house, also called 'guest hall'.

Long ago, people customarily called the newlywed couple's room the 'bridal chamber'.

Many exhibits in this exhibition are also from the Three Gorges Museum.

The museum's overall design is very sophisticated.

Zhongzhou Museum also has various cultural and creative products, reflecting traditional Chinese style.

From the courtyard, you can see a 'face-changing' performance:

Zhongzhou Museum is a Ming-Qing style antique building with gray walls and black tiles, three-layer fireproof gables on the sides, granite floors and steps, and granite relief railings, exuding an antique charm.

After visiting Zhongzhou Museum, you can go directly from the third floor indoors to the adjacent attraction: Bai Gong Ci. Bai Gong Ci and Zhongzhou Museum are literally door to door, connected together.

Bai Gong Ci (Bai Juyi Memorial Temple) in Zhongxian County was built in the third year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming dynasty (1630) to commemorate the great Tang poet Bai Juyi, who once served as governor of Zhongzhou. Ticket: 30 yuan.

It is one of two Bai Juyi memorial temples in China, equally famous as the 'Tomb of Junior Mentor Bai of the Tang Dynasty' at Xiangshan, Luoyang. The temple was first built in the third year of Chongzhen, later destroyed by fire, and rebuilt during the Republic of China.

After visiting the indoor museum, it's nice to walk outdoors. After climbing a long staircase, you reach the place commemorating Bai Juyi, the Xiangshan hermit. Near the highest point of Bai Gong Ci, there is a large wall inscribed with Bai Juyi's poems, and on the other side, it leads to several memorial halls, respectively for Qin Liangyu, Guan Yu, King Ba Temple, and Laojun Temple.

In 818 AD, the poet Bai Juyi was demoted to serve as governor of Zhongzhou. Because of his progressive political stance, he sharply exposed and criticized the corruption and degeneracy of officials in his poems, leading to attacks and exclusion, and he was demoted to Zhongzhou.

During his tenure in Zhongzhou, he cared about ordinary people, led them to build roads, plant trees and flowers, and shared joys and sorrows with them. He wrote over a hundred excellent works during his time in Zhongzhou, which had a significant impact on his era and later generations.

The people of Zhongzhou respected him and ranked him alongside Liu Yan, Lu Zhi, and Li Jifu as the Four Virtuous Men, building the Four Virtuous Pavilion in the Song dynasty to commemorate them.

In the third year of Chongzhen of the Ming dynasty, the prefect Ma Yicong, who admired Bai Juyi and knew his deep popularity among the people, proposed building a temple to worship him. Thus, 'they cleared the weeds, supervised craftsmen daily, and by autumn built three halls and the Drunken Singing Pavilion with two side towers', and later expanded the building. Ma Yicong hoped that 'later gentlemen would expand it and share it with the mountains and rivers of Ba and Shu forever'. In the tenth year of Daoguang of the Qing dynasty, Bai Gong Ci was expanded.

The entire Bai Gong Ci is lush with greenery; the courtyard design retains most of the vegetation, like a green park.

Bai Garden cleverly incorporates Bai Juyi's name and style. The couplet on the gate says: 'Floating clouds cannot tie down the name Juyi; the creating non-action has the style Letian' (this is from the elegy by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang upon Bai's death).

At the top of the high platform in front of the gate, there is a pair of soaring stone pillars, in front of which are two over-2-meter-long large bixie (mythical beasts) modeled after Wei-Jin dynasty unearthed artifacts, looking quite imposing. These pillars have significance: the taller ones were placed in front of wealthy families' gates, with body shaped like ingots and top like dragon fruit, symbolizing wealth and prosperity.

Anyone who loves the Three Kingdoms or enjoys games or board games related to it should come watch 'Flames of the Three Kingdoms'. Although the title suggests the whole Three Kingdoms story, the main storyline centers on Guan Yu, revolving around his spirit of loyalty and righteousness—from encountering loyalty to protecting it, from following loyalty to sacrificing for it; every act portrays him.

This time, after months of safety inspections, adjustments to lights, sound, and other equipment, as well as changes to the content, 'Flames of the Three Kingdoms' resumed performances on April 1, 2019, every night at 20:00. The venue is located by Dongxi Lake in Zhongxian County, about 10 km from the county seat. Ticket prices: regular 120 yuan, guest 150 yuan, VIP 180 yuan, super VIP 688 yuan.

Dingzu Square features a tripod sculpture representing the three kingdoms, with 'Wei', 'Shu', and 'Wu' inscribed on the outside, cleverly reflecting the historical tripartite confrontation at the end of the Eastern Han dynasty.

However, I think you can order tickets in advance on various apps for a better price.

The audience seating is divided into north and south sections; because the seats can rotate 180 degrees and move, each section enters separately. After watching the whole show, I felt quite emotional. I think most large-scale performances in China share both strengths and weaknesses. The biggest problem is: form over content. The entire 'Flames of the Three Kingdoms' is produced by an internationally first-class planning team—the original team behind the large-scale live show 'Song of Everlasting Sorrow' in Xi'an. Of course, I have no worries about quality. As far as I know, 'Song of Everlasting Sorrow' is a live show in the Huaqing Pool scenic area where Yang Guifei bathed, with Mount Li behind it. 'Flames of the Three Kingdoms' is set in Zhongxian County, which produced many brave warriors during the Three Kingdoms period. It is also one of the historical sites witnessing the struggles for hegemony. Legend has it that Jiang Wei, a general of Shu, once passed through Zhongxian County; the place where he tied his horse is called 'Shimalan' (Stone Horse Tether). The exceptionally brave Jiang Wei shot a well into the stone wall with one arrow for his soldiers to drink from; this 'Jiang Wei Well' is still preserved in Zhongxian County. And the very place where 'Flames of the Three Kingdoms' is performed is where Jiang Wei tethered his horse a thousand years ago.

So the performance must include horses! Soldiers ride real horses on the water surface. Because the stage and audience are quite close—only about 2 meters apart—and the entire stage is water, for some reason the smell of livestock is strong. Both the stage design and hardware are grand, giving an initial stunning impression: a 200-square-meter ultra-large 3D holographic water curtain projection, 286-meter long-span aerial wire group, and 180-degree full-circle rotating audience seating. As I watched, the entire seating began to move, revealing a huge ancient building behind us, which was very grand. The opening used hanging peach trees that rose, fell, and moved to depict 'Peach Garden Oath', creating a dreamy atmosphere. However, I wondered what purpose the peach trees being lifted up and down served for the plot. It seemed the creators did not intend to go deep; it was simply a form to make people say 'Wow, Peach Garden Oath', and then nothing more.

The water surface performances are visually striking. The entire scene is covered with a layer of water, and all performers and horses step on the water. With lighting effects, scenes and images are reflected in the water. However, the water stage is really huge, so even 50-100 people gathered on stage cannot fill even a third of it, making it look very empty.

The appearance of the ancient building behind the seating provides a beautiful backdrop for 'Diao Chan' floating down from the sky.

'Flames of the Three Kingdoms' recreates classic historical events such as 'Peach Garden Oath', 'Battle of Xiapi', 'Trapped in Cao Camp', 'Riding Alone for a Thousand Li', 'Battle of Red Cliffs', 'Single Sword Meeting', and 'Flooding the Seven Armies'.

After watching the beautiful Diao Chan and palace maids dance, the seating rotates 180° back to the front stage. Facing the audience are five giant stone pillars—the Five Tiger Generals: Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, and Ma Chao.

Because there is no live performance in this section, classic events like 'Passing Five Passes and Slaying Six Generals' are shown by projecting onto the five pillars, one by one, without live actors. Although I understand that using real actors for fights might be costly and technically difficult, I still feel this way of transitioning seems somewhat cheap.

These five pillars are not done yet. Later, in 'Trapped in Cao Camp'—though there are feasts and songs, they cannot shake Guan Yu's loyalty. In 'Battle of Red Cliffs'—victory with fewer troops over many, defeating Cao's army. In these two stories, the five stone pillars transform into ships, and actors run around inside with torches. Still, the stage is too grand; the cast of less than 100 performers really cannot fill it; they seem sparse.

Real fire burns on the water surface, and I could feel the heat from the audience seats.

This photo only captures the very center of the stage; both sides are empty.

The final act 'Guan Yu's Fall' lowers dozens of identical Guan Yu sculptures from the air in various formations—hard to understand. This act and the five pillars' holographic projection gave me the feeling of 'insufficient budget, just fudge it for the audience'.

Also, because the stage is very close to the audience, you can clearly see the performers' facial expressions. However, inconsistent movements among performers and individual actors just waving a few times were more than occasional. I have also watched the O show in Las Vegas up close; every performer, even extras, immerses themselves in their performance, very dedicated and professional. In contrast, our live show gave me the feeling that 'this soldier is just an extra'.

Overall, it's form over content. I feel the creative team first thought of how to use special effects, stage, props, and hardware to give visual surprises, but these are disconnected from the content. Shouldn't hardware and infrastructure serve the content? It feels a bit like the host overpowers the guest. This is just my personal opinion; you have to see it yourself to know.

Ticket prices:

- Adults: regular 288 yuan/person, VIP 388 yuan/person, super VIP 488 yuan/person

- Special groups: disabled, active military, elderly over 70 (inclusive) can buy half-price tickets upon presenting original ID; however, they cannot combine discounts. Zhongxian County locals with local ID can buy a regular ticket for 120 yuan/person (for personal use only).

- Free tickets: children under 1.2 meters; journalists reporting with press card, must contact in advance.

Tel: 400-023-8822

Address: Three Gorges Harbor, Dongxi Lake, Zhongxian County, Chongqing, China.

Food: Zhongzhou fermented bean curd, Paishengbai orange juice

When visiting Zhongzhou, you must buy Zhongzhou fermented bean curd. A local took me to this wholesale store for authentic fermented bean curd; he has been buying from this store for 20 years. The old shop is located in the old town of Zhongzhou.

There are spicy and plain types, a wide variety of brands.

A single bottle costs 7 yuan; cheaper if buying more.

There are also gift boxes for convenience.

After buying specialties, I headed back home and will come to pay respects another time.