Come to Qijiang This August to Cool Off Amidst Clear Mountain Scenery

The August wind is no longer gentle, and the weather remains unbearably hot. On such a sweltering summer day, all you want is to find a cool retreat and steal half a day of leisure.

Dubbed “Chongqing’s cool capital” and “the summer retreat and fishing town of Chongqing,” Qijiang is an ideal destination for summer cooling, wellness, and relaxed travel. Gazing at the rolling ridges, wave upon peak, layer upon layer of distant mountains, you marvel at the charm of a thousand hills, with white clouds drifting and mist curling. With mild winters, early springs, cool summers, and overcast autumns, plus an average annual temperature of 18.8°C, Qijiang’s superb climate and natural environment make it a perfect summer escape. This time I invited a few friends to join me on a cool-off trip to Qijiang.

Day 1: Depart from the main city – Hengshan Huaxian Valley Scenic Area – Gujian Mountain – Gourmet crispy wrist fish

Day 2: Yongcheng Town, Wang Liang’s Former Residence – Yongcheng Wind and Percussion Music Exhibition Hall – Retrace the Long March – Dinner: Anwen mutton

Day 3: Qijiang Museum – Qijiang Farmers’ Printmaking Institute – Lunch: Beidu fish – Return journey

Day 1: Depart from main city – Hengshan Huaxian Valley Scenic Area – Gujian Mountain – Gourmet crispy wrist fish

Hengshan Huaxian Valley Scenic Area

On our first day in Qijiang, we visited Hengshan Huaxian Valley. Strolling through the sea of flowers felt like summer’s own romance~ The first sight to greet us was a vast, stunning field of verbena.

Wandering in this purple ocean, inhaling the fragrance, taking in the beautiful scenery, I forgot all earthly worries. A sunflower sea of brilliant yellow glowed golden from afar; a breeze made it roll like shimmering wheat waves. There were also large natural lawns, so soft and fragrant with the scent of fresh grass when you lay down – utterly comfortable.

Besides gorgeous natural scenery, Huaxian Valley offers interactive experiences like a cute petting zoo, pedal boats, a flower sea slide, and a flower zipline, giving visitors of all ages different ways to play and appreciate. It’s an excellent leisure destination that combines cooling off, family fun, B&B getaways, and educational travel.

After the valley, we headed straight to Gujian Mountain in the afternoon. As Qijiang’s highest peak, Gujian Mountain not only boasts lovely mountain views, its accommodations are also a highlight: starry bubble rooms, cabins, yurts, and tents – they’ve got it all! Drift off to sleep at night to the soft chirping of insects on Gujian Mountain, counting stars, with distant cicadas and the breeze by your ear. You might wish never to wake up.

Jigongzui is Gujian Mountain’s highest point, home to the century-old Jingyin Temple. Here you can watch the sunrise and sunset, the sea of clouds, and a sweeping view of the landscape below. Listen to morning bells and evening drums, and make a wish sincerely to the bodhisattva – may everyone be healthy and well.

Great scenery calls for great food. The local specialty is crispy wrist fish. Unlike ordinary fish, its texture is crunchy. The owner told us they feed the fish on grain to keep the flesh firm and chewy. There are many ways to prepare it: fiery mala, double pepper, poached, fish-fragrant – something to please every palate, a real feast you won’t forget.

Day 2: Yongcheng Town – Wang Liang’s Former Residence – Yongcheng Wind and Percussion Music Exhibition Hall – Retrace the Long March – Dinner: Anwen mutton

Wang Liang’s Former Residence, Yongcheng Town

Wang Liang’s Former Residence is in Sanhuaiba Community, Zhonghua Village, Yongcheng Town. Built in the late Qing dynasty, the courtyard house faces east. The main hall is of post-and-beam construction; the side wings are wooden post-and-beam structures with grey-tiled roofs, a typical late-Qing rural residence of eastern Sichuan (now eastern Chongqing). This was the home of Mr. Wang Liang, a celebrated general in the early Red Army and commander of the Fourth Red Army Corps. It’s a superb place to absorb red culture and revolutionary spirit.

Yongcheng Wind and Percussion Music Exhibition Hall

After the former residence, we headed to the Yongcheng Wind and Percussion Music Exhibition Hall. “Yongcheng chuida” is a local folk instrumental genre with over 300 years of history, passed down through 18 generations.

With the invasion of various Western instruments, this intangible cultural heritage was at risk of disappearing. The hall, I heard, was built by a post-80s inheritor who gave up a high salary to return home. It displays all kinds of suona (reed trumpets), including the biggest one specially flown back from abroad at a charter cost of 100,000 RMB. The suona here aren’t the tin-plated ones you usually see, but woven from bamboo. I truly hope this age-old folk art doesn’t die out, and that a new generation of artists will carry it forward.

As a red education base, no visit to Qijiang would be complete without a red‑culture tour. On the border between Chongqing and Guizhou stands “Red Army Bridge.” The Long March stretched 25,000 li, but this bridge spans just 19 metres – a tiny fraction. Yet that short crossing witnessed the Red Army’s march through Qijiang and the strict discipline that forbade troops from disturbing civilians.

“Red Army Cave” is where locals once hid wounded Eighth Route Army soldiers, a testament to the deep bond between soldiers and civilians. Not far away, the Shihao Red Army Martyrs’ Cemetery was built to rebury five Red Army soldiers who died on the Long March in Shihao. It includes a Long March poem stele, graves, a statue, a memorial tower, a martyrs’ deeds exhibition hall, a stone forest of inscriptions, and a forest of Red Army slogan stelae. Standing there, it felt as if the Red Army’s passage through Qijiang was happening right before my eyes – a powerful revolutionary education site.

Dinner was Qijiang’s famous Anwen mutton. The broth comes in both spicy and clear versions, loaded with fresh mutton and offal, complemented by vegetables, mushrooms and more. The rich, creamy broth and tender, soft meat had us feasting joyously, even better with homemade dipping sauces. If you still crave more, toss some rice noodles into the pot and you’ll have a phenomenal bowl of mutton noodles that will leave you wonderfully stuffed.

Day 3: Qijiang Museum – Qijiang Farmers’ Printmaking Institute – Lunch: Beidu fish – Return

Qijiang Museum began as the Qijiang Stone Carving Art Museum, relocated from Shimen Temple in Sanjiao Town in 1997. After expansion, the museum now covers 9,677 square metres and has five halls: the preface hall, Qijiang Dragon Hall, Geology Hall, History and Culture Hall, and Stone Carving Hall. Every exhibit is a silent teacher, sharing knowledge we might never have known.

On the first floor is a model of ancient Qijiang city, vividly recreating scenes of society and life. A special design is the barbican entrance – an enclosure built to defend against enemies, with blockhouses, arrow towers and battlements, embodying the wisdom of ancient labourers.

The second floor is the geology hall, displaying many precious mineral specimens. In the centre, a breathtaking dinosaur footprint area features three fossilised dinosaurs of different sizes, bringing to life the king of prehistoric Earth – a truly awe‑inspiring first close-up encounter.

The third floor houses the Qijiang History and Culture Hall, where all the essence of Qijiang’s human history is gathered. It vividly introduces Qijiang’s past and future vision, and shows the rare Liao people’s script discovered in Qijiang – a national exclusive. These symbols, which resemble Thai, Dai and Zhuang scripts, represent the ancient and mysterious Liao civilisation.

Qijiang Farmers’ Printmaking Institute

There is an art form deeply marked by Qijiang, which earned the title “Home of Chinese Folk Culture.” It is Qijiang farmer printmaking. The institute, honoured as “Home of Farmer Printmaking,” houses the finest works; it’s praised as the “Eastern Picasso” of original art. The first floor is a sales gallery with gift prints and merchandise like pillows, umbrellas and wine sets. Many visitors buy prints as souvenirs or gifts.

The second floor displays excellent works: bright colours, fantastical imagination, often drawing on daily life with rich themes. The third floor is a workshop with artist studios of Li Chengzhi and Huang Yuanyuan, where you can see the entire printmaking process. Making a print involves over a dozen steps: collecting material, pencil line drawing, colour matching, carving the plate, reverse engraving, transfer, base preparation and printing. Each step is infused with the artists’ absolute dedication.

Beidu fish is another Qijiang speciality. It’s long been said that no visit to Qijiang is complete without trying Beidu fish. The dish uses silver carp from Beidu ferry; scaled and prepared, cooked in a rustic stove with fresh fish, then finished with a heap of chillies, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic and secret spices, drenched in sizzling specially-prepared oil. The result is an explosion of freshness, fragrance, numbing spice, tenderness and satisfaction. Today you can also have “four flavours in one fish”: spicy, pickled, tomato, and more. The tender flesh is exquisite; you can sip the broth and even cook noodles in it – pure bliss.

Time flies, and in a blink our three‑day Qijiang escape was ending. During these days I truly felt the crisp, cool air. Mornings here you can watch dawn rays and mist transforming; evenings you can savour the magic of sunset and afterglow; nights you can gaze at a sapphire sky full of twinkling stars. Compared to Chongqing’s sweltering weather, it was a heavenly experience.

Leaving my shadow behind in Qijiang’s summer, whispering to the wind, filling the season to the brim with the fragrance of flowers — a secret too delightful to tell; whispering to the mountains, painting their greens in infinite richness, on winding roads enjoying August’s great floral feast; whispering to the lake, chanting poetry in quiet elegance, crossing time and space to savour Qijiang’s picturesque countryside. Qijiang — our first meeting, yet I long to come closer and see more of your beauty~

High-speed train: Chongqing West – Qijiang East, 26 minutes, 22 RMB/person.

Self-drive: From Chongqing city center – Inner Ring Expressway (G75 Lanhai Expressway), 1 hour 10 minutes, 70 km, toll about 20 RMB.