After Reading This Guide, You'll Discover a Different Rongchang

For many Chongqing locals, Rongchang is known for its delicious pork and goose meat. In fact, Rongchang's tourism is also quite impressive. This time, I came to Rongchang and discovered a different side of it.

All Things Have Spirit – Wanling Ancient Town

My first impression of Wanling Ancient Town was like stepping back into the alleys of my childhood. Everything felt so 'comfortable and leisurely.'

Walking along the streets of Wanling Ancient Town on the blue stone slabs instantly brought me back to my grandmother's home in my childhood. Although, for some reasons, the street lacked some of the hawking sounds, that added a touch of mystery to Wanling Ancient Town.

Wanling Ancient Town is an ancient town full of spirituality. As the old saying goes, where there is water, there is spiritual energy. Beside Wanling Ancient Town flows the Laixi River, giving the town a unique spiritual charm.

Wanling Ancient Town has a long history. During the Song and Ming dynasties, shops naturally developed here for traveling merchants to rest, stay, and store goods, historically known as a water dock. Strolling through Wanling Ancient Town, you can see the traces left by time. Time may age the houses and people, but it also fills Wanling Ancient Town with stories.

Despite the changes of the times, Wanling Ancient Town remains unchanged. It will continue to write its legend. The once-bustling traffic may be gone, but it has left behind the ease of 'all things have spirit' in Wanling Ancient Town.

The Pottery Here Is Extraordinary – Antao Town

Rongchang's pottery is also remarkable. Rongchang pottery, along with Yixing purple clay pottery from Jiangsu, Jianshui pottery from Yunnan, and Nixing pottery from Guangxi, is known as one of China's four famous types of pottery. As a Chongqing local, I didn't even know this. After learning about Rongchang pottery, I couldn't help but admire its understated elegance. When visiting Rongchang, you must experience the pottery culture and come to Antao Town.

Arriving at Antao Town, the first thing that caught my eye was this visitor center. Both its exterior and interior convey the pottery culture.

In Antao Town, there is an ancient street – Taobao Ancient Street. The name immediately made me wonder if it had anything to do with 'Father Ma' (Jack Ma). Actually, it doesn't. Although this ancient street is not long, it has a unique feel.

Taobao Ancient Street is different from Wanling Ancient Town. How to put it? In Taobao Ancient Street, the modern atmosphere is stronger, blending history and the present more perfectly.

On Taobao Ancient Street, you can really 'treasure hunt.' Picking up one or two suitable pottery pieces to decorate your home – isn't that wonderful and delightful!

When visiting Antao Town, the Rongchang Pottery Museum is a must-mention.

The Rongchang Pottery Museum houses many distinctive Rongchang pottery pieces. I won't introduce them all here.

Pottery is a craft that requires patience and care. Seeing these artisans, I felt nothing but deep respect. There's no way I could sit here and work on pottery properly.

Speaking of Rongchang pottery, I also want to talk about these folk pottery jar workshops! Although they make the most down-to-earth pottery, and the items are not particularly exquisite, I have even more admiration for them.

They are truly genuine craftsmen. They make a living by their craft their whole lives. This uncle told me he has been making pottery jars for nearly thirty years, and now this craft is on the verge of being lost. Young people today don't come to learn it.

When I saw him taking a lump of clay on the spinning wheel and using his hands to shape it into the bottom of a jar, I was quite awestruck.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage List – Rongchang Grass Cloth

In China, there is a type of fabric called grass cloth. Among grass cloths, Rongchang grass cloth is quite famous. Rongchang grass cloth is named for being lighter and softer than silk, cool and refreshing, making it an ideal summer fabric. Wearing it feels super comfortable and very breathable.

To learn about Rongchang grass cloth, you must visit Grass Cloth Town.

There is a museum in Grass Cloth Town. In the museum, you can see what ramie fiber looks like, as the raw material for grass cloth is ramie, which is processed into ramie cloth through traditional handcraft techniques of twisting yarn and weaving.

In the museum, you can also learn about the history of grass cloth, passed down from ancient times to the present. There are also the tools used for making it, and so on.

Although grass cloth is not widely popular around us, it is really comfortable to wear in summer, extremely breathable.

Experience a Different Countryside – Blueberry Picking

In my impression, Rongchang does not produce any fruit. But this time, I experienced the joy of picking blueberries.

At the blueberry base in Rongchang, I truly enjoyed the pleasure of eating blueberries at will. Picking them directly from the tree and eating them right away – they taste a hundred times better than those from the fruit shop.

Rongchang Pig – Pig Culture Corridor

I have to say that Rongchang's urban construction is also very well done. When you come to Rongchang, you must visit the Pig Culture Corridor.

The Pig Culture Corridor is similar to a riverside promenade in the city. It is a great place for people to relax after meals. It is built along the Rongfeng River, the mother river of Rongchang.

Walking the entire length, I felt that Rongchang is truly a clean and tidy city.

Bamboo Expo Park – Hundred Bamboo Garden

Rongchang has built a bamboo garden. Although a bamboo garden is nothing unusual, have you ever seen one with a hundred types of bamboo?

In the Hundred Bamboo Garden in Rongchang, you can see hundreds of varieties of bamboo, big and small. This really broadened my knowledge.

The Hundred Bamboo Garden is also a very leisurely place. If it hadn't been for some flooding, the scenery here would have been really beautiful.

Classic Reproduction – Eight Scenery Garden

The Eight Scenery Garden is a somewhat regrettable place. Why do I say that? As the name suggests, Eight Scenery Garden originally had eight scenic spots. However, these eight scenes are not the original ones; they are reproductions of eight scenic spots in Rongchang that were destroyed due to historical reasons. Seeing these eight scenes, I really felt it was a pity. If they still existed, how wonderful it would be.

A Healthy City – Rongchang

Every year, a marathon is held in Rongchang. In their leisure time, the track also serves as a great place for morning runs and exercise.

Rongchang's marathon track is special – it is a colorful path, which looks quite upscale.

Near the path, I also saw a 'Little Chongqing.' Just like the Chaotianmen Dock in Chongqing, you can see half of the river water red and half green.

Rongchang has many more delicious foods and beautiful sights. A two-day trip was too short to explore them all. But Rongchang left a very deep impression on me. Rongchang is the capital of ceramics in western China, a city of sports and health, a city of intangible cultural heritage experience, and a city of gourmet food and leisure...