My Girlfriend Was Super Satisfied! A 2-Day Pure Fun and Practical Guide to Jiefangbei in Chongqing for National Day Holiday
Chongqing, a city of many faces.
There is no sea here, only the silent Jialing River.
There is no clear sky, only the faith that sings alone under the overcast.
If you love lively food, you must go to Chongqing.
If you love cyberpunk sci-fi, you must go to Chongqing.
In short, if you have a holiday, you must go to Chongqing.
So even with only two days off, I took my out-of-town girlfriend to Jiefangbei for a couple of rounds. The National Day holiday is coming soon. If you're planning to visit Chongqing, you can refer to my guide β a super detailed practical guide covering pure fun, route, attractions, food, and photography.
Day 1: Hongyadong Reunion 1980 Block β Yangtze River Cableway β Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street β Bayi Delicious Street β Baixiang Street β Kuixing Building β Qiansimen Bridge + Hongyadong Night View
Day 2: Daronghui Rooftop β Tianmen Tofu Pudding β Gangyu Square (Best photo spot for Raffles City) β Raffles City β Chaotianmen Dock β Night Cruise on Two Rivers
As an old Chongqing local, I've been to Hongyadong before, but maybe because of the different people and time, this trip with my girlfriend brought new feelings and experiences. Recently I heard that Hongyadong has opened a new attraction β an 80s themed block. It's great for photos, and they even have hot pot flavored ice cream, so my girlfriend and I went to check it out.
Disco Square
On our journey to find old times, we encountered the most memorable era sentiment. A huge speaker spanned the square, with a record tape featuring Teresa Teng. The singer performed 'Sweet Honey' on the 'Reunion is Fate' stage, interacting with the audience along with the era dance troupe. Time's wind flowed through the square, brushing the smiling faces of everyone.
The collision of past and future is everywhere in the 1980 Block. At the Mountain City Cinema, there's a holographic interactive music show of Teresa Teng.
Teresa Teng's music spanned the entire 80s era. 'Sweet Honey' is the most beautiful reverie, 'I Only Care About You' is the most affectionate confession. Outside the cinema, there's a whole wall of Teresa Teng's cassette tapes.
Entering the cinema, unlike the comfortable soft seats of modern theaters, the wooden chairs have a different flavor of time. When Teresa Teng sang 'Sweet Honey' again, beautiful memories fermented in our minds.
Watching with naked eyes, we felt as if we truly saw Teresa Teng and heard her live concert.
In the era without light rail or subway, trams were the most common transportation. I never thought Jiefangbei could be so close to Guanyin Bridge β just a few stops away. The interior of the tram is perfect for photos; even a guy like me, not used to taking pictures, had my girlfriend take several for me.
The Supply Cooperative is not just a memory of Chongqing, but of the entire 80s era. Inside are small shops selling various souvenirs, and the entrance of the Supply Cooperative is the best spot for photos.
01/ Hot Pot Flavored Ice Cream β Huanshan Ice Cream
A very unique ice cream shop. Flavors like hot pot, Sichuan pepper, and old shade tea β names that sound novel and dark, but taste unexpectedly delicious. Especially the hot pot flavor, very intriguing. Worth a try.
02/ Chongqing Beer
Chongqing beer includes Guobin, Shancheng, etc. It's a must-have for summer in Chongqing. Eating hot pot with Guobin beer is the sentiment of old Chongqing locals. Try a cup and see how it differs from Tsingtao and Snow Beer.
03/ BΔ BΔ Tea (Tea in a public square)
Chongqing has beautiful natural scenery, spicy hot pot, and unique architecture. But what also attracts people is its ancient charm and lively atmosphere.
BΔ BΔ tea in the bustling area β a chair, a small wooden table, sit casually and before you know it, an afternoon passes. After walking around for so long, we took a rest here to enjoy the slow time of the mountain city.
Let me post two cool photos of me and my girlfriend, feeding everyone some dog food.
Reunion 1980 Address: 5th Floor, Hongyadong Scenic Area, Yuzhong District, Chongqing. Take the sightseeing elevator to the 5th floor.
Opening Hours: 11:00 β 23:00
Bus: Take buses 111, 112 (Outer Ring), or 114 to Hongyadong Station.
Metro: Take Light Rail Line 2 to Linjiangmen Station, then walk about 500 meters.
If arriving by plane:
From Jiangbei Airport, take Metro Line 3 to Hongqihegou Station, transfer to Line 6 to Xiaoshizi Station, exit from Exit 9, and walk about 900 meters.
If arriving by train:
From Chongqing North Station to Hongyadong:
Metro: Transfer from Line 6 to Line 10, about 40 minutes.
Bus: Take bus 105 to Xiaoshizi Station, then walk about 270 meters.
Taxi: About 20 minutes, fare around 25 yuan.
The Yangtze River Cableway is a unique mode of transportation in Chongqing. Since its operation in 1987, it has carried countless precious memories of Chongqing people. It best showcases the unity of Chongqing's mountains and rivers. Riding the Yangtze River Cableway to view both banks' scenery, it is also a symbol for many out-of-town friends to understand Chongqing's 'mountain city appearance.'
We originally planned to take the cableway in the afternoon, but when we arrived at the boarding point, we found it was packed with people, and the queue was already an hour long. Truly, 5 minutes on the cableway, 1 hour queue β no exaggeration. All our plans were disrupted, but we still queued and took the cableway.
Through this experience, we also summarized some ticket-buying tips to share with you to avoid wasting time in queues!
Yangtze River Cableway Ticket Price: Single trip 20 yuan/person, round trip 30 yuan/person
Opening Hours: 7:30 β 22:30, tickets not available after 10 PM.
Tip 1: Buy tickets on the 'Chongqing Cableway Company' platform. Buy tickets in advance, then you can play and eat freely, arriving at the boarding point half an hour early. Saves a lot of time.
Tip 2: Board from Shangxin Street Station on the south bank to reduce queuing. There are relatively fewer people at Shangxin Street. Buy a single ticket, ride over, and directly visit Hongyadong and Jiefangbei.
We rode during the day, but you can also choose to ride at night to see the sunset glow and the lights coming on. The feeling of riding the cableway is really magical β crossing several districts in a few minutes, vividly showcasing the transportation features of the mountain city.
Jiefangbei has a lot of people, making it hard to take good photos. So my girlfriend and I did some research and found some hiddenε°δΌ photo spots β every shot is a masterpiece.
01/ Hejing Building Tower A
Here you can capture the Jiefangbei Monument and overlook the sea of people, giving a feeling of 'Manhattan, Chongqing branch.'
02/ Times Haoyuan Building B
Right next to the Jiefangbei Monument, located on Times Square, you can go upstairs from the other side.
03/ New York Building
The top of this building is a spire. Take the freight elevator to the 41st floor β only the freight elevator can get there.
Bayi Delicious Street is known as 'the first stop for out-of-town tourists to taste Chongqing cuisine.' It's a three-minute walk from Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street. There is indeed a lot of food, including uniquely flavored and internet-famous snacks. Here are a few shops we tried and found very delicious to recommend to food lovers.
Leshan BΓ² BΓ² Chicken (Bobo Ji) β Average 29 yuan per person
Looks similar to normal cold skewers; food is skewered on bamboo sticks, soaked in broth, with a layer of sesame and oil. The taste is amazing β the combination of meat and vegetables is perfect! Recommend potato slices and crispy tripe, very flavorful!
Half Immortal Bean Master β Average 21 yuan per person
Soy milk tea (actually soy milk, not milk tea). They say drinking it doesn't make you gain weight. The balls coated with cheese foam and soybean flour are chewy. My girlfriend drank two cups in one go just to eat those balls.
Haoyoulai Hot and Sour Rice Noodles β Average 9 yuan per person
Claimed to be the most popular hot and sour rice noodles. The main ingredient is sweet potato noodles, with a lot of minced pork sauce. Spicy and sour in the mouth, it stimulates appetite and increases desire to eat.
Ghost Fried Meat β Average 21 yuan per person
Very popular; you have to queue for a while. The fried meat is freshly made and served hot. Crispy and fragrant, with a sprinkle of chili powder β delicious and satisfying.
Subduing Dragon Claws β Average 12 yuan per person
Another famous internet-famous chicken feet. Available in several flavors; choose according to your taste. Braised in a clay pot for a long time, the chicken feet are very tender and fall off the bone, soft and sticky.
Mountain People's Potatoes with Pot Stickers β Average 10 yuan per person
Must eat while hot! If you can't handle spicy, try the dry-mixed version β super delicious! The potato skin is fried crispy, with a great texture. Three flavors: classic dry-mixed, sweet and sour spicy, and tomato. Recommend dry-mixed, most Chongqing flavor, super fragrant when hot, but be careful not to burn your mouth.
Baixiang Street is a must-visit for Chongqing tourism. The recently popular 'The Hidden Corner' shot a set of promotional posters here. Previously, 'The Hotpot Hero' and Wang Junkai's magazine photo shoots were also taken here.
The residential building with aε₯ε¦ structure is really photogenic. This building is built on the mountain according to Chongqing's unique geographical features. You can enter the building from the 1st, 8th, and 13th floors, with the 8th floor connecting all buildings. Exiting from these three floors, you feel like you are on the ground floor β veryε₯ε¦. The nostalgic environment and intricate structure inside are perfect for vintage-style photos.
A few photogenic spots:
1/ The same spot as in 'The Hidden Corner' magazine β a brown and white cross staircase. Shoot from the same floor of the opposite building.
2/ The classic spot combining the cableway and Raffles City β on a footbridge on the first floor. The most popular photo spot.
My girlfriend is a fangirl. After visiting Wang Junkai's magazine shoot location, how could she skip Yi Yangqianxi's 'Better Days'?
Tips: Kuixing Building is actually an abandoned jewelry market. Take Light Rail Line 2 to Linjiangmen Station, Exit A. Then navigate to 'Hongyadong Scenic Area Parking Lot' to reach the curve filming spot of 'Better Days.' To go to the Kuixing Building sky bridge, take the elevator in Kuixing Building back to the 12th floor, exit, walk left to a square, and you'll see the sky bridge.
Exiting from the 5th floor of Hongyadong, you can see Qiansimen Bridge. But the best viewing route β walking and photography β takes about an hour.
Tips: Take the light rail to Chongqing Grand Theatre Station, Exit 2, turn right 100 meters to see a parking lot. Walk into the parking lot about 20 meters, then go down the stairs on the right. You'll pass Baoding Gate on the way. Continue down to a platform, then further down the stairs to the riverside.
If, like us, you go to see the night view, there will be many people along the way. Just follow them.
Day 2: Route: Xiaoshizi Station (Line 6, Exit 2) β Daronghui Rooftop β Tianmen Tofu Pudding β Gangyu Square (Best photo spot for Raffles City) β Raffles City Space Capsule Observation Deck + Food Recommendations β Chaotianmen Dock β Night Cruise on Two Rivers
They say Chongqing is an 8D magical city; this is aε°δΌ futuristic tech photo spot. Chaotianmen Daronghui is behind Chongqing's most iconic building, Raffles City. It takes about 10 minutes to walk from Raffles City to here.
The glass orb building exterior, with the glass corridor bridge and Raffles City behind, overlapping and layered, gives a strong futuristic tech vibe. And it's free! Hurry up and check it out.
After visiting Wang Junkai and Yi Yangqianxi, we also had to experience the tofu pudding rice that Wang Yuan once ate. Tianmen Tofu Pudding, next to Chaotianmen Dock, has been open for 13 years. Amidst the modern concrete and steel, it represents the unpretentiousness of the mountain city people and Chongqing's hardworking culture. They represent another side of Chongqing.
Tianmen Tofu Pudding has been open for 13 years. Dishes are mainly served in coarse bowls, not large in quantity, but affordable β a portion of braised pork belly is only 7 yuan. In the past, the coolies and wholesale traders at Chaotianmen Dock would revive after a simple meal after hard work. Eating Tianmen Tofu Pudding is not just about the food; it's about the decades-old dock culture of Chaotianmen, with a unique flavor.
Chaodong Road at Gangyu Square is a photo spot where Chongqing's local atmosphere and modern feel blend. Behind you is the landmark Raffles City. Unlike the futuristic tech vibe of Daronghui, this place paired with Raffles City features Chongqing's own local and lively atmosphere. Both sides of Chaodong Road are entire wholesale markets. People come and go, traffic flows, dense buildings and towering structures create a sense of pressure.
Going down the old stone steps of Chaodong Road is a shortcut to reach it. Chongqing's urban construction, like all developing big cities, has more modern elements and fewer old town appearances.
Besides Gangyu Square, Raffles City also has an excellent observation deck β the Raffles City Exploration Deck. Located on the top floor of Raffles City, a 270Β° glass observation platform offering a god's-eye view of Yuzhong, Jiangbei, and Nan'an districts; see the sunset over the confluence of two rivers; and enjoy the stunning night view of Hongyadong and the Grand Theatre.
Raffles City's architecture is very sci-fi, but essentially it's a shopping mall. My girlfriend and I aren't interested in shopping, but we are very into eating. Strolling and eating β after walking around for so long, what food does Raffles City offer?
01/ Jim Master
Super popular cheese cake. There was a long queue when we went. The strong aroma of eggs, milk, and cheese near the store made my girlfriend drool. Recommended item: Cheese-filled freshly baked cake.
02/ Nayuki Tea
A popular internet-famous tea shop in Chongqing. Drinks mainly use fresh fruit, consistently good quality, with fresh fruit and generous portions. The decoration is fresh and cute. They also have desserts and bread that can be paired with drinks. Recommended menu: Dominant Cheese Strawberry, Oreo Magic Stick, Cheese Taro.
03/ Yamakei (Sushizanmai) β a refined Japanese restaurant with a 270Β° river view (Raffles City branch)
A Japanese restaurant on the 3rd floor of Raffles City Shopping Center, easy to find. With a 270Β° river view, it's simply delightful. After sunset, when the lights come on, while enjoying delicious food, you can take in the full view of Qiansimen Bridge and Jiangbei Grand Theatre β perfect for both eating and taking photos.
Our two-day Jiefangbei trip was about to end, and we chose to conclude it with a night cruise on the two rivers. There are several routes to choose from. We chose the longest route, which allows you to see the full view of Hongyadong, passing through Longmenhao, Huguang Guild Hall, Yangtze River Cableway, Raffles City, and Chongqing Grand Theatre β covering all the landmark night views in one trip. On the boat, there are fruits, tea, and snacks, and halfway through, there are performances to watch.
Route: Night Cruise on Two Rivers (Man Jiang Hong) β from Jialing River to Yangtze River, about 18 km, 40 minutes.
Tickets: Available on various travel platforms, 100+ yuan per person.
With the end of this last stop, our two-day Jiefangbei trip came to a temporary conclusion. My girlfriend was super satisfied with the arrangement of this short holiday! She praised me for three days, so guys, get planning. Sisters without boyfriends, don't worry β you can also refer to this for a trip with friends during the National Day.
I've always been in Chongqing, but I rarely paid attention to its beauty and charm. I'm very grateful to my girlfriend for giving me the opportunity to rediscover Chongqing. Chongqing is a big city, but you can always inadvertently feel its fun and inclusiveness β whether in stops and starts, comings and goings, or wandering through its streets and alleys...
Travelogue Directory: 1. Itinerary 2. Hongyadong Reunion 1980 Block 3. Yangtze River Cableway 4. Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street 5. Bayi Delicious Street 6. Baixiang Street 7. Kuixing Building 8. Qiansimen Bridge 9. Daronghui Rooftop 10. Tianmen Tofu Pudding 11. Gangyu Square 12. Raffles City 13. Night Cruise on Two Rivers
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