A Weekend Scouting Trip to Chongqing

Preface: Speaking of Chongqing, I've been there twice before. The first time was 12 years ago, when I went for an exam and also visited the Hongyan Revolution Memorial Hall, Guiyuan, and Zhougongguan. The second time was at the end of 2017, when the Chongqing-Guizhou Railway hadn't opened yet, and taking a slow green train to Chongqing took over ten hours. This time, I called it a scouting trip because the Chongqing-Guizhou High-Speed Railway has been open for a while, and this Spring Festival, Metro Line 5 and the Loop Line at Chongqing West Station also started running, making it very convenient to visit. I planned to use the weekend to familiarize myself with the road traffic, tourist attractions, etc., of this 8D city, and then take my parents to visit another time.

Main Text: The trip was only two days, so when buying high-speed rail tickets, I chose the earliest train G2882 from Anshun, arriving in Chongqing at noon, and for the return, the second-to-last train, arriving back in Anshun at 8 PM. So I had just over a full day in Chongqing.

Day 1, April 10: Tongyuanmen City Wall, Chaotianmen Dock Ferry, Danzishi

I arrived at Chongqing West Station nearly 1 PM. I planned to first take the subway to the reserved Hanting Hotel at Qixinggang to check in, but I found that not far from the hotel was Qin Yun Laotaitai Tan Tan Mian, claimed to be the best Chongqing noodles, and Tongyuanmen City Wall. So I decided to fill my stomach first, go sightseeing, and then go to the hotel.

I don't know how this 'number one' was rated, but the taste suited my palate. Two liang of pea-and-meat sauce noodles cost 14 yuan, a reasonable price.

Across the street was Tongyuanmen City Wall. At the base were some relief sculptures; on top, some greenery, and many elderly people playing poker. A true Chongqing vibe.

Coming down from the wall, I saw signboards for attractions. Later I found that museums, heritage buildings, parks, cultural districts, etc., all have such signs.

Next, I planned to visit the Xinhua Daily Business Office Site and the CPC Chongqing Prefectural Committee Site. Checking the map, they weren't far apart, so I decided to walk. I discovered that in Chongqing, combining a phone map with street signs helps you avoid getting lost: the map gives direction, and signs confirm the street.

Unfortunately, both sites had notices of closure for renovation. I figured that most red heritage sites are being repaired to welcome the 100th anniversary of the Party's founding. I took a few outdoor photos and headed to Chaotianmen Dock.

Using navigation to the dock might not be accurate; you can first navigate to Raffles City, then walk through it and follow signs to the dock.

Upon entering Chaotianmen Square, I was bombarded with promotions for various sightseeing boats on the two rivers, but I didn't have that much money. Sitting by the shore, I bought a 5-yuan ferry ticket to Danzishi.

Ferry Tip: This ferry is operated by Chongqing Jiaoyun Group, with several routes. Fares range from 5 to 20 yuan, payable by scanning a QR code. The route is short but serves as a good experience. Boarding is at Chaotianmen Pier 2. After reaching the square, follow signs to the riverside: right for sightseeing boats, left for a short walk to the ferry.

Here is the pier.

The boat has two decks: lower deck cabin and upper deck open with seats.

The ferry was quick, reaching Danzishi Pier in minutes. Then I strolled through Danzishi Old Street. Although called an old street, it felt like a newly built commercial complex with only a few old buildings. Some spots are photogenic, but I'm not particularly interested in such places. After a brief walk and a few photos, I returned by subway.

Next, I planned to visit Hongyadong for night views, but I was a bit tired from walking and wanted to rest, so I canceled. I already knew the route, so I'll come again next time.

On the way back to the hotel, I bought Le Xiaoji Bober Chicken (a skewer dish). Group single meal: 16 yuan for 15 skewers, a bowl of chicken soup rice, and a bowl of brown sugar ice jelly. Enough for a girl.

Back to the hotel to rest.

Day 2, April 11: Korean Provisional Government Memorial Hall, Liberation Monument, Teyuan (China Democratic Parties Exhibition Hall), Guiyuan, Eling Park

In the morning, I asked the front desk and learned the hotel had no restaurant but offered takeout ordering service. I ordered a bowl of noodles, ate, checked out, and set off.

First stop: Korean Provisional Government Memorial Hall. I admit I'm not very interested in Korean history, so I just browsed. But I found a free cultural and museum map there and took one.

On the way to the bus stop, I passed General Ba Manzi's Tomb. I read the introduction but still didn't learn much. I saw it was open for visit, so I went down into the tomb chamber. However, there was only a tomb and a few steles, no text or images, so I still didn't understand much.

I got on the wrong bus, heading in the opposite direction. When I tried to get off, I found that Chongqing bus stops are quite far apart, so I ended up at Lianglukou—oops. I walked to a station and took the correct bus to Cioi Street (near Liberation Monument, not Cioi Kou) to see the Bombing Site. Again, it was closed for renovation. Okay. I walked to take a photo of Liberation Monument. It seemed the city was doing some cultural tourism promotion.

After that, I went to Teyuan. Reservation needed, but there were few people, so I scanned the QR code on site. On the left was the mansion of democratic figure Xian Ying; because his courtesy name was Tesheng, it was called Teyuan. It was a place where the CPC and democratic parties discussed state affairs during the Anti-Japanese War. It wasn't open when I visited. On the right was the China Democratic Parties Exhibition Hall, four floors: ground floor lobby, and floors 2-4 covering the eight democratic parties and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce. I discovered many famous Chinese experts are members of democratic parties. Due to time, I only skimmed and plan to visit carefully next time.

Turning from Teyuan, I reached Zhongshan Fourth Road. Guiyuan, Yiyuan, Zhougongguan are all on this road. Unfortunately, Guiyuan was under renovation too, but fortunately it remained open. When I arrived, there was a tour group, so I listened to the guide. In 1945, CPC representatives and the National Government held negotiations in this very house. The result was an agreement on peaceful nation-building and military reorganization, i.e., the 'Summary of Talks between the Government and the CPC Representatives,' also known as the 'Double Tenth Agreement.' Of course, later the Kuomintang unilaterally tore up the agreement and started a civil war, but that's another story.

Since I knew beforehand that Zhougongguan was closed for renovation, I found the sign for 'Most Beautiful Zhongshan Fourth Road,' took a photo, and went for lunch. I ordered stir-fried chicken gizzards with pickled peppers rice, a Chongqing specialty.

After lunch, my last planned stop was Eling Park. It looked close, but with constant uphill slopes, I took a shuttle bus directly to the park entrance. One stop before was the popular Eling Er Chang, which I skipped.

Walking slowly up the park path, I soon reached the Kansheng Tower mentioned in many guides. It is now free to enter, but I was too lazy to climb to the top for a panoramic view of Chongqing.

I spent the remaining time strolling around the park to kill time, then headed to Chongqing West Station for the high-speed train home.

I noticed many drinking fountains like this in Chongqing.

Postscript: This time in Chongqing, some places I wanted to go were under renovation, and some I skipped due to laziness. But I roughly familiarized myself with the transportation to places I want to visit, which is a good foundation for next time. From a small city like Anshun, there aren't many places you can go for a weekend. I wonder where I'll go next.