A Chongqing Local Tells You the Right Way to Explore the Millennium-Old Town of Ciqikou

I have always believed that cities with mountains and water are full of spirit. Hence, my hometown Chongqing is a truly spirited riverside city. Surrounding the Jialing River and the Yangtze River, Chongqing has many riverside roads: North Riverside Road, South Riverside Road, Ba Riverside Road, Jia Riverside Road... Among them, Sha Riverside Road stands out because it is close to the millennium-old town of Ciqikou. The dock culture has a long history here. The waters of the Jialing River are clear and calm. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Sha Riverside Road is as elegant and beautiful as a modest lady.

So, when my best friend and I sat on a plant-covered terrace, drinking hot tea and gazing at the jade-like Jialing River from Sha Riverside Road, enjoying the tranquility and relaxation of that moment, she said, "Sleeping outside once in a while feels really good."

Tao Yuanming wrote: "I build my hut among the crowd, yet there is no noise of carriages and horses." This perfectly describes sleeping in a river-view room on Sha Riverside Road. Unlike the lively Ciqikou, Sha Riverside Road is peaceful day and night. Standing in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the mountains, water, and city, and greedily absorbing the pure air on the garden terrace outside the room, I found myself deeply enchanted by this oasis in the bustling city.

About the Itinerary

Here I recommend a 2-day, 1-night tour of "Little Chongqing"—Ciqikou Ancient Town and its surroundings:

Accommodation: Yueci Hotel

Cost: 300 RMB+/night

Activities: Ciqikou

Food: Ancient Town Chicken Gizzards

Transportation: Metro Line 1, Shipo Station

Attractions: Ciqikou Ancient Town (reservation required in advance on the official WeChat account)

Sleep: Urban Boutique Hotel: Yueci Hotel

The first essential condition for escaping the city is to find a shelter. Traditional hotels satisfy basic needs for accommodation and meals, while an urban wellness homestay hotel creates a sense of health and joy for the body, mind, and soul.

Yueci Hotel is one of the rare urban wellness homestay hotels in Chongqing.

Built along the river, adjacent to Ciqikou Ancient Town, it naturally blends with the tranquility of Sha Riverside Road and complements the antiquity of Ciqikou.

It is Chinese, antique, Zen-like, yet modern.

It has the clean standards of a hotel but the warm sentiment of a homestay, allowing those who enter to feel pure, peaceful, relaxed, and at ease.

The lobby has two entrances, connecting to the light rail and the Jialing River.

From here, you can take the light rail (just one stop) to Ciqikou, or walk slowly along the Jialing River for about 1 km to reach Ciqikou.

The entire hotel is shaped like a large wave, so the corridors are winding paths leading to secluded spots. Every part of the lobby reflects the antique style of new Chinese design: elm wood textures, antique porcelain on wooden shelves, and festive red bull dolls celebrating the New Year of 2021.

Entering my room, I saw the entire river view through the large floor-to-ceiling window. Opening the small door by the bed, there was a large private garden terrace. A room with a view makes people feel extremely comfortable.

What makes an urban wellness homestay hotel different is that here you can find the comfort and relaxation of resting at home while also feeling the individuality conveyed by Yueci, as if saying: "Come here, calm your mind, be happy, feel comfortable, safe, and at ease." This can be felt through the room's colors, materials, visuals, and space. So why not give yourself a weekend? Breathe deeply of this stolen tranquility on the balcony, under the sky, and over the river.

Yueci Hotel has a total of 81 rooms:

In river-view rooms, you embrace the river; in mountain-view rooms, you enjoy the mountains. Wake up lying in bed, see the river view outside the window, and enjoy the openness and freedom of "pretending to be on the mountaintop" while feeling the river breeze.

The rooms are furnished entirely with elm wood, with Kohler sanitary ware. I especially like the vanity area with a ring-lit mirror—simple and fashionable. The faucet is pure black marble-textured, full of design, with a waterfall-style water flow, unique.

There is also a bathtub facing the river view, bringing the outdoor space indoors and letting sunlight cover your whole body.

The bedding is from Serta, clean and tidy.

Brew a pot of tea in the room, read a book, listen to music, or watch TV—enjoy the panoramic river view, leave work worries behind, and let your body and mind return to a state of pure emptiness.

Some rooms come with a chess and card room, perfect for families to spend an afternoon together.

Upon check-in on the first day, you will receive a thoughtful fruit platter.

Breakfast is delivered to the room, from 7:00 to 10:00. The night before, they will ask about your breakfast preferences. I suggest you try their beef noodles with braised eggs—they are full of color, aroma, and taste, moderately spicy, starting a wonderful day.

The hotel has 5 floors, and on the top floor there is a Zen-style tea room. Step into the Yueci Space dining and tea bar, drink tea, meet friends, and listen to the river.

One tea, one world; one flavor, one life. The happiness of a tea drinker is to plant a hedge of chrysanthemums in the heart.

Rough natural stones blend with simple wood; screens create a quiet atmosphere. Zen-style decorations and utensils are full of Chinese elements. Simple but not monotonous, the way of tea tasting fully displays Chinese characteristics.

If you don't have much time, come to Yueci Hotel—an urban wellness homestay—and experience a slower life. Let your life take a short break, let the restless and anxious mood gradually calm down, and then you can start anew, full of longing.

From the parking garage of Yueci Hotel, you can directly reach Metro Supermarket. On this weekend night at Yueci Hotel, go downstairs for 2 minutes to Metro, buy a bunch of snacks, return to the room, and enjoy the night view on the terrace with your best friend, eating sunflower seeds and chatting. Lie on the big bed in the room, watch a movie, and eat snacks—super convenient!

We bought a big bucket of popcorn and returned to the room to watch a movie, eating and watching at the same time. How comfortable!

The Year of the Ox atmosphere is very strong.

Tour: Seven Recommendations in Ciqikou

Every city has an ancient town. In Chongqing, the most representative is Ciqikou. Ciqikou has become a famous historical and cultural street in China, a key protected traditional street in Chongqing, and is known as one of the "New Bayu Twelve Scenes." The saying "A stone-paved road, a thousand-year-old Ciqikou" is widely praised.

We walked along Sha Riverside Road from the hotel to Ciqikou Ancient Town to enjoy the sunshine.

Ciqikou Ancient Town: "One river, two streams, three mountains, four streets." Experience the "ancient," seek the "ancient," and integrate into the "ancient." Experience the various intangible cultural heritages of Ciqikou, whether attractions or food—all worth your time.

[1] Listen to Opera at Zhuanyun Building

The Zhuanyun Building in Ciqikou is an opera stage. As soon as you see actors in costumes at the entrance, you know you have arrived at Zhuanyun Building. There are performances every day.

[2] Baolun Temple

Deep in the ancient town, a tranquil place easily overlooked while walking. It forms a sharp contrast with the noisy vendors in Ciqikou. The main hall of Baolun Temple is a genuine large wooden structure from the mid-Ming Dynasty. According to legend, Emperor Jianwen of Ming once lived in seclusion here, so it is also called "Longyin Temple"; and Ciqikou was once called Longyin Town. The temple is built on the mountain, and it looks beautiful when photographed at night.

Baolun Temple: A great hermit lives in the city.

You need to climb a long and steep flight of steps to enter. The temple is full of golden Buddha statues, solemn and majestic. The biggest highlight is the Mahavira Hall, a Ming Dynasty building. Not a single iron nail can be found in the entire hall. You can also climb to the top to overlook the Jialing River, with a wide view from above.

[3] Zhong's Courtyard

Zhong's Courtyard is a separately ticketed attraction in Ciqikou, 10 RMB/person. It is an old mansion with a northern-style courtyard layout. Zhong's Courtyard was built by Zhong Yunting, the butler of Empress Dowager Cixi, over 120 years ago.

Through the structure of wood, stone, and brick, an enclosed space and a quiet courtyard are formed, encapsulating the essence of Ciqikou Ancient Town architecture. It is a place where you can see the weight and traces of history from every brick, tile, wood, and chair, and it is relatively well-preserved.

Now each room displays household objects from the Qing Dynasty, basically restoring the former appearance of Zhong's Courtyard.

Zhong's Courtyard is one of the attractions in Ciqikou Ancient Town. The two stone lions at the gate are not large but still majestic. Stepping into the courtyard, the main hall is in the center. The pattern on the plaque above the main hall's door breaks the tradition of "dragon above, phoenix below" by having "phoenix above, dragon below."

The courtyard is laid out as a siheyuan, with the interior space consisting of the front hall and the main hall. The left and right sides are wing rooms. Although not very large, the courtyard is quite complete in facilities. Besides the main hall and wing rooms, there are also the eldest son's room, guest room, study, embroidery room, etc.

The beds used by Zhong and his wife and their two children all have dragon and phoenix carvings, but the composition is quite different. The bed of the couple and the son follows the traditional pattern, while the daughter's bed has a "phoenix above, dragon below" composition. The dragon's body curves into a border, making it less prominent, while two colorful phoenixes dance in the clouds, very striking.

Zhong's Courtyard has a spacious patio with strict axial symmetry. Its building materials use small green tiles, and the structural style of through-tie beams is highly characteristic of southern residences. The main wooden structures, such as the front hall and main hall, are well-preserved, with wooden through-tie beam structure and overhanging gable roof. The authenticity of the restored components remains unchanged.

Address: No. 17, Huangjueping Lane 1, Ciqikou

[4] Ancient Town Chicken Gizzards

How can you visit Ciqikou without eating a meal of Ancient Town Chicken Gizzards? If you want both chicken gizzards and maoxuewang (blood curd and tripe), you can order a combination platter like we did, satisfying your dual cravings for these two delicious dishes.

On the main street, there is a section where both sides are lined with chicken gizzard restaurants. Just choose any one; they are all maturely operated with open and transparent prices.

[5] Ciqikou Fried Dough Twists

If you see people queuing, it must be for Ciqikou Fried Dough Twists—an intangible cultural heritage food! There are more than ten Chen's Fried Dough Twist shops operating simultaneously in Ciqikou, including Chen Changyin, Chen Jianping, Chen's, Chen Changjiang, etc. Which one should you buy? The simplest way is to see which shop has a queue at the door.

[6] Handmade Sticky Rice Cakes

When eating hot pot in Chongqing, people love to order brown sugar sticky rice cakes. This Barenren handmade sticky rice cake in Ciqikou is also an intangible cultural heritage snack.

It is purely handmade on-site. The sticky rice is pounded manually, then rolled into small balls. The syrup is poured on the spot. Two flavors: brown sugar with bean powder and sugar with sesame. 10 RMB/portion.

[7] Zhang Duck

The Zhang Duck shop is visible right at the entrance of Ciqikou. The braised and roasted technique is Zhang Duck's unique production process, earning it the title of intangible cultural heritage. It is a Chongqing specialty, a century-old Chinese time-honored brand passed down through three generations.

The key is that it tastes good. My favorite is the braised and roasted duck.

It is very fragrant and chewy, thanks to the ancestral technique of first braising then roasting. The dry, fragrant, lean texture is full of flavor. Of course, there are also duck necks, duck wings, duck feet... The staff proudly said that Zhang Duck is one of Chongqing's foreign affairs gifts.

Choose a weekend, escape from your familiar surroundings, relax your body and mind at Yueci Hotel, experience the authentic and original Chongqing life in Ciqikou Ancient Town, and let every tired soul find a resting place.