Chongqing's Humanistic Scroll | The Taste of Tongjing Hot Spring in Chongqing People's Nostalgia
Perhaps even years later,
I can still recall that afternoon when I walked into Tongjing Hot Spring.
A ray of light streamed down from the sky,
stubbornly piercing through the shade of trees,
sprinkling over Boss Wan's entire body.
She was immersed in such beautiful sunshine and hot spring water,
fresh nostalgia of Yubei.
Driving out of the city onto Yuhang Avenue, a ray of sunlight cut through months of gloom.
The traffic was surprisingly smooth. Once on the Yulin Expressway, pastoral scenery and canyon landscapes shaped by karst topography rapidly receded outside the window, alternating one after another. After passing Wangjia, the exit was not far off.
The town of Tongjing was sparsely populated, with occasional traffic lights spaced far apart, unlike the city where urgent or prolonged honks constantly break out, revealing the driver's hunger and determination to rush to the table.
On market days,老乡们 (local farmers) from miles around displayed their fresh produce: glossy greens and radishes still bearing morning dew, plump pumpkins, sweet potatoes, native eggs, duck eggs... red and green, abundant, with bamboo baskets beside carrying baskets. The villagers were in no hurry to solicit customers, chatting casually instead.
As we passed by, even city dwellers like us could tell the difference between wild-grown and greenhouse-grown produce.
We parked by the roadside—actually, we just abandoned the car and darted into the steaming "Ancient Town Tofu Pudding Rice" restaurant. The modest middle-aged owner, wearing an apron, tossed us a plastic menu and asked us to tick our choices: steamed pork ribs with rice flour 38 yuan, lamb steamed in bamboo steamer 36 yuan... tofu pudding 5 yuan per bowl, order as many bowls as there are people, eat freely—no pressure on the bill for the diners.
Another group turned into a nearby rice noodle shop run by the Qiwa family. Dozens of bamboo poles overhead were hung with thin rice noodle sheets, emitting a warm luster that seemed to tell us: they are very fresh.
Yes, freshly handmade by the shop owner in the morning, cut from the pole when ordered. Raw materials are sold starting at 5 PM daily; passing by, you can smell the rice fragrance. The shop owner's knife skills are excellent—the cuts are neat and uniform. Cooked for three minutes, then topped with fried sauce or pig intestine sauce, a hearty bowl brings smiles to everyone.
Whether you admit it or not, village-style dishes with the natural aroma of ingredients hold a captivating charm. Whether it's dipping in the sweet hot spring water with red chili seasoning, savoring the tender stir-fried liver and kidney, or the snowy rice noodles adorned with green lettuce and oil droplets, the pleasure of eating, combined with the slightly crisp fresh air, makes the 40-minute drive totally worth it—even just for this meal.
"Bang!" an elderly uncle outside the shop pulled open a canister amid plumes of smoke, quickly pouring fresh popcorn into a sieve. The old lady skillfully bagged it while chatting: "We attend markets every week at Mingyue, Dasheng, and Tongjing. On the tenth, we go to Long'an market. At our age, selling popcorn is better than working away from home."
The old couple doesn't use WeChat. I used electronic payment to exchange 5 yuan with a villager by the roadside for a bag of popcorn.
Sweet, crispy, and crunchy—it's a childhood memory.
It felt like a scene from the 1980s, illuminating our nostalgia.
This is the nostalgia of Yubei.
With the taste of hot spring.
In the hot spring, sweet dreams never end.
After a hearty meal, a five-minute drive brought us to the mountain gate of Tongjing Hot Spring.
The mountain gate, situated in the middle of the canyon, was not imposing. Around it were a few farmhouses, birdsong in the woods, wind through the bamboo groves, occasionally revealing the spire of a wooden cabin. Nearby, boats on the Little Three Gorges cut through the water, and the boisterous sounds from the wave pool drifted with the wind, echoing over the dense forest of Wentang River...
I find it hard to imagine that while countless tourist attractions are ringing the bell on NASDAQ, Tongjing Hot Spring remains here, sticking to "true nature, true hot spring" till the end.
A natural hot spring lies nestled in the dense forest canyon, beside the hot spring river, facing the imperial river.
Compared to those scenic spots that receive tens of thousands of visitors daily, the tranquil Tongjing Hot Spring seems to carry its own "earthly atmosphere." As soon as it appears, it fills life with vitality—the towering cliffs that seem carved by knives and axes serve as its backdrop, the Wentang River flows deep and silent, and Tongjing Hot Spring reclines amid the myriad mountains and waters of the Yulin River basin, blending harmoniously with the surrounding beauty while maintaining just the right distance.
Before it lies the bustling world; behind it, thousands of mountains and rivers. It stands calmly and elegantly in silence.
Strolling through the hot spring area, the steam rising and springs bubbling bring more warmth and comfort. After soaking in a pool, the warmth from head to toe recharges both your red and blue vitality.
The hot spring area is a pristine canyon, with 48 natural hot spring pools of varying sizes, all sourced from natural underground springs 1,800 meters deep. They are scattered like stars across the canyon, emitting curling steam.
We moved from one pool to another, alternating between cold and hot, experiencing a crisp refreshment—when we got up, the hot spring butler carefully handed us towels and ginger soup, providing warmth enough to sustain us until the next pool.
If you have enough energy, swim a few laps in the 25-meter large pool, allowing the impure air in your body to exchange with the excellent mineral water, inhaling the natural essence of mountains and rivers, merging with natural mineral nutrients, and gathering the essence of natural plants and flowers. A timely cup of ginger soup brings great comfort.
From public fun to private pleasure.
Of course, you must try Tongjing's unique cold spring. After your skin adapts to the temperature, get up, find a pool with higher temperature, and submerge yourself entirely. The instant heat envelops your whole body, and the warmth rising from the soles of your feet seems to have the power to open your meridians. Your cold legs, sore shoulders, and neck will miraculously ease a lot.
After all, between the cold and hot, your body unconsciously completes a cycle of breathing exchange. Ahem, don't miss the perfect chance to transcend.
Children continued to splash in the large pool, switching between butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. Taking a short break, they plucked a few fresh citrus segments to replenish energy before rolling again. The neighboring wave pool was buzzing with laughter—adults and children playing together, too happy to go home.
Some say, give children a pool of water and they can play all day.
Adults are no different.
After soaking in the public area until ravenous, we finally couldn't take it anymore and went to the food garden for some barbecue to recharge. Back in our hot spring room, neither adults nor children could resist the temptation of the private pool—after all, our mantra is: "Since we're here, let's soak a bit more."
If you mind soaking in the public area, the hot spring courtyard is a great choice—each courtyard is surrounded by lush green trees. Tongjing Hot Spring thoughtfully offers a "one-soak-one-change original soup" family exclusive pool package. You don't have to stay overnight; for three hours of private soaking, you get a spacious lounge, priced at 388 yuan for two—an unbeatable value.
The forest roars, and being surrounded by warmth allows you to truly calm down. Amid the beautiful and profound dense foliage, you sink into the pool, inhaling the warm sulfurous scent mixed with the earthy aroma of the Wentang River. Every pore opens to exchange with this hazy night mist.
In a valley with up to 28,000 negative oxygen ions per cubic centimeter, we bathe in the spring, listen to the wind, admire the moon, and experience the mountain's dawn, sunrise, rain, mist, and clear skies after night rain.
With a heart containing the sun and moon, we reach out to pick stars.
In the long passage of time, who sings for Tongjing?
Tongjing Town is the humanistic scroll of Yubei. Its "Tongjing Gorge Apes" ranked first among the "Twelve Scenes of Ancient Bayu" as early as the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty.
In 1760, Wang Erjian, a county magistrate of Ba with literary and aesthetic cultivation, selected twelve spots that best represented the beauty of Bayu from the landscape, making them famous for centuries—nearly three hundred years of history.
Wang Erjian never knew that his spontaneous ranking of "Twelve Scenes of Bayu" would inspire multiple selections by later generations.
In 2013, Hou Yun, a painter from Yuzhou Art Academy, used oil painting to delve into cultural memory and geographical environment, seeking to restore nostalgia. He perfectly presented these disappearing or already-lost scenic spots of Chongqing to the world through painting.
It is said that the selection criteria for the Twelve Scenes of Bayu back then were: "Their charm lies beyond moon, dew, wind, and clouds; their beauty contains the wonder of lofty depths and remarkable figures. Gazing down from above, one feels a special resonance... ethereal and elusive, existing between the tangible and intangible, most wondrous. Uniquely quiet and ethereal, free from concrete forms..."
All the twelve scenes selected by Wang Erjian could be described as ethereal, and the beautiful parts happen to be those difficult to articulate.
Tongjing got its name for gathering the spiritual beauty of natural mountains and rivers, and incorporating multiple types of beauty under heaven.
Located east of the Yulin River, covering 15 square kilometers, it embraces mountains, water, forests, springs, gorges, caves, waterfalls, sky lakes, small islands, ancient stockades, and eagle colonies, earning the reputation of a "Natural Museum." Literati through the ages have praised it as "Wuling Fairyland." Because of its abundant geothermal resources, the spring water contains boron, silicon, fluoride, strontium, etc., meeting the standards for compound medical mineral springs. It also has a cold spring resource with a daily flow of 2,000 tons, making it one of the largest and most concentrated hot spring clusters in the country. The coexistence of hot and cold springs is rare nationwide. Hence, some call it "Tongjing Hot Spring Rivals the World"—many may not know that it houses the largest hot spring city in Southwest China, and its undeveloped Yangjia Cave is one of only three thermal caves nationwide. The Inductive Cave, which has been open for years, features stalactite formations resembling snow lotuses, elephants, camels, and other curious rocks, well-received by tourists.
The beautiful Tongjing Gorge consists of Wentang Gorge, Tongjing Gorge, and Laoying Gorge, stretching about 3 kilometers. The cliffs are steep as if cut by knives, with dead vines and old trees entwined. The river water is clear, and bamboo groves on both banks are reflected in the water. Monkeys climb rocks everywhere, offering stunning scenery, thus earning the nickname "Little Three Gorges."
However, in ancient times, the area was most famous not for its hot springs, but for the monkeys in Tongjing Gorge.
We rode a bamboo raft, leisurely entering the tall mountains of Wentang River, listening to the rustling bamboo forest and birdsong. The verdant cliffs leaned against the sky, and bamboo on both banks covered the hills, evoking the scene described by Qing Dynasty local literatus Huang Shanxi: "On both banks, stone walls stand like court guards; several groups descend to the river flow." Wild macaques gathered in groups, hanging from treetops or clinging to cliffs, very mischievous, truly creating the atmosphere of the ancient poem: "From both banks the monkeys' cries are heard incessantly; the light boat has already passed ten thousand mountains," even without visiting the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.
Rolling mountains, ancient towering trees, flowing streams—in ancient times, Yubei rarely saw famous people passing through, but its beautiful scenery still captivated literati, leaving behind over 200 wonderful poems, most composed by foreign officials in Chongqing and local literati.
In the long passage of time, who sings for Tongjing?
Tongjing in poetry and calligraphy.
In ancient times, Tongjing was called "Tongjing" (Bucket Well). It features gorges, rivers, springs, and caves.
The name "Tongjing" comes from the steep canyon resembling a bucket shape. Entering it, one feels like sitting in a "green well" looking at the sky.
The Yulin River basin is rich in historical legends about Emperor Jianwen's escape here. The place names of Tongjing subtly correspond to imperial culture, such as "Long'an," "Huangyin," "Gunzhu," "Yinhe," etc. It is said that the place name Shuishi Dam of Yinhe also has a legend of being named by Emperor Qianlong.
The picturesque Yubei Tongjing once delighted the demoted "seven-grade sesame official" Wang Erjian, the county magistrate of Ba.
Poets from the Qing Dynasty, such as Wang Erjian, Zhou Shaojin, Jiang Huizhao, Zhou Kaifeng, and Zhang Jiuyi, all composed poems praising it, leaving many works brimming with wonderful charm.
"The gorge narrows like a bucket, winding and hiding a clear stream. Ancient trees are lush with green clouds, monkeys cry all day long." Wang Menggeng, who served as the prefect of Chongqing in the 22nd year of Daoguang (1842 AD), used a few words to vividly depict the beauty of "Tongjing Gorge Apes."
In ancient times, groups of monkeys gathered on the cliffs of Tongjing Gorge, climbing trees and vines or hanging upside down playing, bringing vitality to the quiet gorge. The landscape-loving Wang Erjian waved his brush and composed a poem that immortalized the "Tongjing Gorge Apes" scene: "Mountains lock, seemingly roadless; cliffs hide, another sky exists. A stream leads into the cave; a thousand monkeys hang from trees. Howling at the moon, who is companion? Calling clouds, fate binds itself. After a while, leaving the gorge, still hearing the gurgling water."
As Wang Erjian's close friends, Zhou Kaifeng and Jiang Huizhao naturally did not miss this beautiful and charming scene.
Zhou Kaifeng wrote, "A thousand monkeys leap among laurel trees; a thread of sky glimpsed through a slit. Where peach blossoms fall, an old fisherman is fooled several times," vividly portraying the monkeys' leaping.
Jiang Huizhao's poem goes: "Wandering clouds vanish into the mountains; ancient trees and misty vines hang over the banks. Reflections suddenly startle the rippling waves; a hundred monkeys hang from a single branch."
In the past, there were only about a dozen wild macaques left here. In 2013, Chongqing Tourism Investment upgraded the scenic area, turning it into Chongqing's best hot spring resort, a flagship among the "World Hot Spring Capital." Some even call it the "team champion" of hot springs.
After the scenic area was built, the number of monkeys increased year by year. Now, the wild macaque population has reached over 100. It is said that every morning from 9:30 to 10:00, these monkeys jump one by one into the Wentang River, staging a "Hundred Monkeys Crossing the River"—monkey mothers carry or hold their babies as they swim to the opposite bank, vividly recreating the interesting scene described in Qing Dynasty Sichuan East Road official Zhang Jiuyi's poem: "The stream is deep and hard to trace; in it, green monkeys cry. Waves reflect hanging shadows; shimmering like green glass."
This is Wang Erjian's Tongjing, Zhou Kaifeng's Tongjing, Jiang Huizhao's Tongjing.
Poetry and calligraphy, stillness and motion, all reside in this one gorge and one hot spring.
Soak in a private pool, enjoy a hot pot.
At night, fall asleep amid flower fragrance; wake up gently by the gurgling spring.
The next day, stretch lazily towards the valley and river. The river flows by your feet; an ancient temple is nearby. Clouds surge over the Little Three Gorges of Tongjing, and the tenderness deep in the forest is unfolding.
Because of abundant geothermal resources, the vegetation here is lush, with thriving life singing energetically in the woods.
Outside the hot spring courtyard is the beautiful autumn scenery of the fields; inside, large views are reduced to small ones. A ray of sunlight casts into the yard, making the pool shimmer beautifully.
Forgetting breakfast, a group couldn't resist, shouted cheerfully, and jumped into the pool again.
The decoration here is not charming and diverse, nor is it the high-end style that some (perhaps referring to Mr. Er himself and the picky Ms. 11) usually frequent, but that doesn't prevent us from finding another kind of fun.
The few hot spring courtyards all have river-view terraces and independent private hot spring pools. Beside the terrace are mountains, forests, and river valleys, bringing guests closer to the green waters and mountains, allowing close contact with rain, sunshine, and nature. The terrace is surrounded by naturally formed forest screens, creating a private atmosphere of wild fun. Whether day or night, you don't have to worry about being seen; you can fully enjoy your exclusive comfort.
At the rising morning clouds or the setting dusk, leisurely immerse yourself in the spring. Watch egrets skim the river surface, listen to the chirping of birds and insects deep in the quiet forest, and you will feel a sense of ease and release, as if a thousand sails have passed.
After days of drizzle, the night rain of Bashan has swelled the autumn pond. Soaking in the fragrant hot spring water, listening to the bamboo grove sounds, everything in the distance is shrouded in hazy moisture.
The highlight of "one soak, two meals" is the exquisite culinary enjoyment after soaking.
Though soaking is wonderful, it is also energy-consuming. But just when it feels most comfortable, no one wants to climb out for lunch.
We asked the waiter to set up a hot pot by the pool. Black goat from Jindao Gorge was simmered into a snowy white warm soup. Winter radishes, frosted by snow, were boiled soft and melted in the mouth. Goat blood was fresh and chewy. Dipping it in fermented bean curd, and the fresh pea shoots added extraordinary flavor to the soup...
We scrambled to grab food into our mouths, too hot to speak. Drinking less than three bowls would be an insult to such steaming warmth.
Motion and stillness, masculinity and femininity, flowing time, static eternity, warm memories... Soak in a private pool, enjoy a hot pot—I think this is the essence of winter hot spring bathing. After all, being nourished by the smooth, heaven-nurtured water, filling your stomach with the warm and delicious mutton soup, and having freshly picked fruit after the meal, it feels like being spoiled by the whole world.
Would you believe that some people (like Boss Wan in the photo, whose curves make the wild geese fall into the river) soaked for 6 hours?
Finally, let's end with Mr. Er's words.
My beloved friends and family, my comrades in the martial world, all deities and mortals with whom I've shared love, enmity, and joy, please come over, please soak a while in "Tongjing Hot Spring."
Soak in the rolling hot spring, eat a fiery hot pot, recall love and hate amidst the mundane world, drink a big cup to flatten this life.
Let us all become a hot spring spirit.
It's the season for picking oranges.
A fine scene in a year you must know: the time of golden oranges and green tangerines. The golden citrus not only breaks the winter desolation but also brings the joy of harvest. Pick one, break it open, and the orange aroma fills the air—truly "from the field to the heart, ten thousand fresh flavors."
Zhoujiashan Bridge: "Niubei Mountain of Chongqing"
Called "Chongqing's Niubei Mountain" by photography enthusiasts, Zhoujiashan Bridge stretches from winding to straight, climbing upward. Hills on both sides are veiled in swirling mist, spectacular against the backdrop of sea of clouds, sunrise, and starry sky.
In winter, Zhoujiashan Bridge sheds its noisy clouds and mist. Half of the hills, terraces, farmhouses display their colors; hills overlap, creating intersecting layers. If it rained the day before, the next morning you can enjoy the unparalleled view of the bridge emerging from the clouds.
Dreamlike, take a breath of mountain air along the way.
Yinhe Plum Blossoms: Falling like Snow
After decades of cultivation, the Yinhe area has formed a 30,000-mu base for crooked-mouth plums.
Every March, plum blossoms bloom one after another. From afar, they look like pure white snow; up close, like frosted ice flowers, layer upon layer, covering the mountains and fields like flying snow and falling frost, reflected in the lake, as if stepping into a northern scenery of ice and snow.
In March, stroll along forest paths. The wind shakes branches, sending romantic plum blossom snow floating across the mountains, intoxicating.
The Fire Slope viewing area lies west of Yinhe Square, collectively called "Five Horses Return to Stable" with the adjacent four hills. Legend has it that in ancient times, whenever the villagers burned weeds on a certain spot of the slope, the Changshou County government office would catch fire, hence the name "Fire Slope."
The Tongxin Cypress scenic spot is located near the Yinhe pass, named after a twin cypress tree growing together by the roadside. Looking up from the foot of the mountain, among green mountains and green bamboo, a Guanyin ancient temple built against the rock appears faintly visible. For centuries, incense has been flourishing in the temple. Nearby residents and couples come to make wishes, take photos, and hang locks of union, symbolizing mutual love and lasting harmony.
