Urban Renewal in Chongqing | Daijia Alley: 650 Years of Old Dreams, 130 Years of Bustle, 50 Years of Tranquility, 2 Years of Top-Tier Popularity
Photo | Zhang Kunkun
Between being an internet-famous spot and maintaining an independent character, Daijia Alley strikes a delicate balance.
If the splendor of Hongya Cave is built through meticulous architecture, Daijia Alley has grown organically. Through countless layers of construction, each adaptation responded to the life of its era.
The original marks naturally remain, while new traces thrive, giving rise to the current Daijia Alley—a wondrous existence.
Most of Chongqing’s ancient city walls were built on cliffs, with none more perilous than this section. The terrain of Daijia Alley made it easy to defend and hard to attack, fitting the original intention of the city’s builders.
In the fourth year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1371 AD), the construction of Daijia Alley’s city wall began.
Dai Ding, the Military Commissioner of Chongqing Prefecture, undertook a large-scale stone wall construction on the foundation of the old Song Dynasty city, forming a layout of seventeen gates—nine open and eight closed. This later became known as the “Chongqing City.”
Photo of Daijia Alley before renovation, taken in September 2019. Courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture, Sports and Tourism Commission.
Nearly three hundred years later, after repeated battles among Zhang Xianzhong’s remnants, Ming troops, and Qing forces, the city wall was severely damaged. In the second year of the Kangxi reign (1663 AD), Sichuan Governor Li Guoying ordered the wall to be repaired. During this period, the area was named Daijia Alley because many families surnamed Dai lived there.
Later, during the Qianlong, Xianfeng, and Tongzhi reigns, the old city wall was repaired several times. A gate called Qiansimen was opened beside Daijia Alley, named after the line from the “Xiaoya·Futian” section of the Book of Songs: “Seeking a thousand granaries, seeking ten thousand boxes, millet and rice, the joy of farmers,” praying for bountiful harvests. Eventually, this gate indeed saw the transport of grain and cotton for the people—a story for later.
In the first half of 1927, Pan Wenhua, the first mayor of Chongqing, oversaw the establishment of the New Urban District Administration. To expand Chongqing’s urban space and carry out city expansion and municipal construction, the old Chongqing city wall was unfortunately demolished, but this section at Dongshuimen survived.
Photo of Daijia Alley block before renovation, taken in October 2019. Courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture, Sports and Tourism Commission.
Decades of construction after liberation, with layers of additions and overlaps, caused the original city walls to disappear in the bustling city. Few cared about their existence. It wasn’t until 2012, when demolition began, that more and more wall foundations gradually emerged.
From its initial construction to today, history seems to have turned a full circle—exactly 650 years.
In the old days, everything was slow, including the building of city walls.
A stone wall ten zhang high, with the river as its moat, built over decades with shoulder-poles and hand-carrying. Imagine Daijia Alley without today’s riverside road, without the raised and widened riverbank, without gentle slopes—only creaking sounds and dangerous ascents. What a spectacle that must have been!
Photo of the cliffside plank walkway in Daijia Alley, taken in September 2019. Courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture, Sports and Tourism Commission.
Given such rugged terrain, why was a walkway built?
At the lower end of the walkway once stood the famous Salt Dock.
Chongqing is one of the birthplaces of China’s ancient salt industry, and salt production was highly developed. Because salt was essential for people’s livelihood and had high economic value, rulers have always valued it since ancient times. In ancient times, smuggling large amounts of salt was punishable by death.
Photo of the cliffside plank walkway at Daijia Alley before renovation, taken in September 2019. Courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture, Sports and Tourism Commission.
The Salt Dock was crucial for people’s livelihood. It required convenient water transportation and easy access for strict inspections. Therefore, it was located near the Zhenjiang Temple riverside area below Hongya Cave, exactly at the lower end of Daijia Alley’s old walkway, which connected to this dock.
All salt transported through the Salt Dock was official salt. When salt boats arrived at the dock, specially assigned officials weighed and inspected them. Until the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the salt industry group was stationed here.
Adjacent to the Salt Dock was the Dongjiazui Dock, which also relied on this walkway to transport goods into Chongqing city. A folk song from the Republic of China era sang, “Qiansimen, flower bags, white as snow.” At Dongjiazui Dock, grain and cotton were unloaded and stored in warehouses. The cotton-packed “flower bags” were as white as clouds, fulfilling the wish from the naming of “thousand granaries, ten thousand boxes.”
Photo of the old Daijia Alley neighborhood, taken in September 2019. Courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture, Sports and Tourism Commission.
In fact, in old Chongqing, whoever controlled the docks controlled the commerce. This area was once one of the most prosperous parts of Chongqing.
Although the walkway was steep, it was close to the core area. Porters and “bangbang” (shoulder-pole workers) in the old city made their living by conquering this walkway.
Over a hundred years ago, Jiefangbei was already the center. The northern part of old Chongqing city was always the height of prosperity. With Daijia Alley overlooking the Jialing River and the Dongjiazui and Salt Docks, the salt transport business was flush with money, and nearby vendors thrived. Mountain products, foreign goods, Jiangsu goods, groceries—everything was available, making it a golden port for small traders and one of the most prosperous areas of old Chongqing.
Photo | Zhang Kunkun
Objectively speaking, Daijia Alley’s location is incredibly advantageous.
It is close to Jiefangbei and the iconic Guotai Cinema, within walking distance of Jiefangbei, Chongqing’s economic center. Most of the existing buildings were constructed between the 1970s and 1990s. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, various government departments and units, such as the United Front Work Department of the Municipal Party Committee, the transportation company, the salt company, and the shipping company, were established here.
But the advantage of location has always been accompanied by overall transportation considerations. In fact, 50 years ago, the pull of Daijia Alley began to decline.
Photo of Daijia Alley block before renovation, taken in October 2019. Courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture, Sports and Tourism Commission.
The function of the ancient city wall had completely disappeared. The city became more convenient and accessible. Some docks built cable cars. Buses and light rail became increasingly common. Eventually, even the “bangbang” became rare. Small businesses’ reliance on water transport dwindled to almost nothing.
And Daijia Alley, because it had grown on a cliff for centuries, could not be fully reached by modern transportation. Apart from residents, no outsiders came to the Daijia Alley walkway.
Photo of Daijia Alley block before renovation, taken in October 2019. Courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture, Sports and Tourism Commission.
Daijia Alley was separated from the bustling commercial area by a wall, yet the prosperity of the city did not spread easily. The alleys within the area were narrow and cramped. Commercial functions gradually faded. The cliff became overgrown with weeds. At the time, it was criticized as “affecting the city’s appearance.” Moreover, due to the large elevation difference, transportation even for the residents living up and down was very inconvenient. Going from the hilltop to the bottom required a long detour. Residents who had any means gradually moved away.
If walls could speak, they could tell of past grandeur and dignity, later foreign trading ports, and also the bustling crowds at the foot of the cliff by the riverside dock, followed by the gray-brick old buildings that housed national cadres in the early days of the Republic and later ordinary people.
The feeling of time’s passage is nowhere more profound.
Whether as a golden port or a lonely old street, Daijia Alley has changed its people but remains itself. The river flows eternally, the mountain stands immortal.
Perched on a 60-meter-high cliff, below is the rolling Jialing River. The steep cliff forms a natural barrier, easy to defend and hard to attack.
In the past, looking at Daijia Alley from the opposite bank, it was just a small forest on the cliff—nothing but trees. Standing in Daijia Alley and looking outward, through the branches and leaves, the view was unobstructed: you could clearly see the river, the boats passing by, the Qiansimen Bridge, and even Hongya Cave.
View of Daijia Alley from the opposite bank. Photo courtesy of Cliffside Box.
This is a paradise: outsiders cannot see in, but those inside see the whole world. Everything beyond the trees passes through your world.
Prosperity or oblivion does not affect what Daijia Alley sees of the rivers and mountains.
Gray-brick old houses, smoking city walls, salt officials’ pathways—after shedding its glory, Daijia Alley exudes a different sense of time. This atmosphere attracts those with independent attitudes and unique aesthetics.
Photo | Zhang Kunkun
In early 2019, the first coffee shop set up camp in Daijia Alley. It took over a shop that had not yet been renovated and created a pop-up store, still retaining the furnishings of a residence.
After the short pop-up operation, the owner lightly renovated the space. All the furniture, appliances, and items in the shop were old objects, paired with old photos and oil paintings, full of nostalgia. People drank coffee there while overlooking the river, with time passing by. This became the first independent coffee shop to open in Daijia Alley.
Image source: Internet.
Time under the old trees is frozen; the attitude of the old-street coffee shop is independent. Soon, this shop became the most popular independent coffee shop in the city. Countless young people came to Daijia Alley—once only inhabited by old Yuzhong residents—for a cup of coffee and a check-in photo.
No single person can ignite a street, and no single independent shop can make an entire area trendy.
Internet fame is a long-term credit. It requires not only persistence but also larger scale, more similar styles, and sustained clustering.
Fortunately, Daijia Alley grew freely and welcomed one unique little shop after another. As the saying goes, “Good wine needs no bush.” This alley was brought into the spotlight by all kinds of distinctive small shops.
The big rabbit standing opposite the Guotai Grand Theater is the popular Rabbit House Elf Home in Daijia Alley Square. It is quite spacious, with many big rabbit images and all kinds of rabbit-themed merchandise—a must-visit for rabbit fans. The selection style set the aesthetic tone for Daijia Alley.
Photo | A Gan
“Hua Si Niang” chicken soup and “Papaya” are shops people would navigate with their GPS to find. The former serves rice noodles and evokes Chongqing nostalgia: inside the residential house, the walls are covered with old Chongqing photos—Jiefangbei from 20 years ago, Chaotianmen, Tongyuanmen… The tables and chairs are also distinctive, especially the clock beside the plaque that exudes a strong vintage feel. The entire shop’s character blends perfectly with the old alley.
The latter specializes in Thai internet-celebrity snacks. The owner takes online aesthetics to the extreme: not only is the ruin-style decor highly photogenic, but the owner even provides sofas designed for making great photos. Taking photos freely becomes a legitimate part of consumption.
Photo | A Gan
The owner’s background determines the direction of the shop. The owner of “Sanchi Bing” (Three-Foot Ice) is a graduate of the sculpture department of the Fine Arts Academy. He applies sculpture techniques to refine products. Many people are first attracted by the beautiful entrance and the shop’s photogenic interior. They sit down and order a dessert, only to be stunned by the chocolate sculpture—giving the shop the comment, “It starts with looks, but loyalty is earned through talent.”
Photo | A Gan
Interesting souls eventually gather with interesting souls. More internet-famous shops arrived one after another. One of the most anticipated unique structures in 2021, “The Box by the Cliff,” rose above the cliffside barriers of Daijia Alley. Nine giant shipping containers stacked irregularly, seeming to sprout from the ground, with highly saturated colors creating a visually stunning ensemble.
Photo courtesy of Cliffside Box.
The “Xian Shi Tai Shao” (Thai BBQ) on the third floor of the containers is called “Little Chiang Mai by the Cliff” in Yuzhong’s mother city. With an ultra-wide-angle view facing Jiangbeizui, it comes with an outdoor camping vibe. On the rooftop, enjoying Southeast Asian fusion cuisine against the Chongqing night sky becomes a powerful statement.
The charm of craft beer is self-evident. It is more of a lifestyle than a drink. “Tree Craft Beer · Cliff Pub” moved into Daijia Alley, where every seat is a view spot. No matter where you sit, there is scenery.
Looking directly at Jiangbeizui, with Huanghuayuan Bridge and Qiansimen Bridge flanking both sides. Below is the road with traffic. Beyond the road, the river reflects the city. Around you is the daily life of urban residents.
Having a drink, with the river breeze blowing, you feel the impulse to drink until drunk.
Photo | A Gan
Standing on the cliff, the river and clouds merge in a haze. The wine’s curves are just right, reflecting the city opposite. In the glass, it seems like mist swirls. Half drunk, half awake, the craft beer feels like an impeccable human world.
Now, Xiaohongshu and WeChat Moments amplify all of this. A signal arrow in the sky, and thousands come to meet. Interesting souls eventually find each other.
How fast time passes now—from that first coffee to this moment, only two years.
Photo | A Gan
Once, things were slow. But now the rhythm changes in a blink.
Here grew city walls, old trees, and residents. The old walkway has given birth to another destination: the Daijia Alley Cliffside Park.
Everything happened naturally.
Because the mountain city needed defending, walls were needed.
Because the salt trade was valuable, a walkway was needed.
Because it was centrally located, it was once prosperous.
Because the Shu roads were rugged, it gradually declined—but old residents kept the old tea houses, old tofu shops, old barber shops…
Because the rivers and mountains are beautiful, there came coffee shops, shops with collective attitudes, and a quiet corner in the bustling city. All these grew together, forming the new Daijia Alley Cliffside Park.
Photo | Zhang Kunkun
The park is only part of Daijia Alley. The entire Daijia Alley is now divided into four areas: the nostalgic old street, the rest area along the old city wall, the cliffside walkway scenic area, and the Chongqing lifestyle experience area.
It borders the old city wall to the north and connects to the ancient salt dock below. Covering an area of 10,000 square meters, it consists of a cliffside plank walkway about 750 meters long and a mid-section stilted observation platform, with a vertical drop of 60 meters. It sits by the Jialing River, next to Hongya Cave, facing the Jiangbeizui Financial Center, and connects Linjiang Road and Jiabin Road from top to bottom.
The park architecture is not a clumsy copy of old styles. The arrow-slit battlements on the top of the cliffside walkway sprout and grow, gradually winding down in a “Z” shape to the east, while to the west, a suspended plank walkway connects parallel to the city wall to the west-side walkway.
Photo courtesy of Cliffside Box.
Going down the wooden steps against the cliff, you reach a horizontal platform road that runs through the entire mid-section. At the most prominent center point, there is an observation platform that best showcases the characteristic Chongqing stilted houses: behind it is the old city wall covered with moss, the most representative Chongqing banyan trees thriving and spreading, and the towering buildings of Jiangbeizui faintly visible, separated by the eternally flowing Yangtze River—a picture of rapid development intersecting with the leisurely pace of the past.
Photo | Zhang Kunkun
Along the way, six scenic spots—Spilled Gold Slope, By the Stilted Houses, Flying Immortal Rock, Hongya City Wall, Cliffside Banyan, and Overlooking the River from the Cliff—create the longest lingering rhythm and form the architectural climax of the entire park.
This is a new park that only took initial shape in 2021, full of old dreams yet not lacking freshness.
Daijia Alley has not changed. It has always been hidden on the north side of Linjiang Road in Yuzhong District. Across the road from the side gate of Guotai Center stands a signpost reading “Daijia Alley,” guiding those in the know to the old neighborhood.
The old appearance lingers, the past is hazy. Stepping into this residential area of Daijia Alley, the four-story gray-brick buildings, the water tower as tall as the buildings, the green trees and red walls—all seem to cross the boundaries of time, instantly transporting you back to the old Chongqing of over a decade ago.
Photo | A Gan
The look and culture of old Chongqing are authentically recreated here, but the constant stream of people taking check-in photos brings you back to the present—just a moment when the past, having moved too fast, pauses for a bit, bringing special joy.
Everything tells you that this is the present.
The cliffside banyan, the old stilted house drainage trough, the Hongya city wall—all are preserved. But the railings are made in a bright orange-red, very photogenic! The design of the observation platform is also contemporary, with clean lines flat on the cliff, and a three-story sloping-roof building for visitors to listen to the river by the cliff.
Photo | A Gan
The Chongqing lifestyle experience area showcases the old Chongqing style everywhere. Wall murals are lifelike: tea houses, noodle stalls, tofu rice, beer, skewers, old popsicles… Places where elderly people with palm-leaf fans ate noodles, now young women in sunglasses walk dogs and drink coffee—Chongqing’s original positioning and identity have not changed, the emotional home of urban life has not changed. From the riverside entrance to the exit of Daijia Alley, the fastest walk still takes only eight minutes.
Not more than fifty years of tranquility; Daijia Alley’s gene is still one of prosperity.
Photo | A Gan
Only one street away from the tourist-packed Jiefangbei business district, it is within the commercial area yet secluded from the noise, effortlessly switching between leisure and hustle—a unique advantage of Daijia Alley in terms of location.
With one side facing the river on the cliff, overlooking the Jialing River, it fully displays the characteristics of Chongqing as a mountain city and a river city. Wandering through it, you can feel the everyday life of an old Chongqing community while enjoying views of nearby Hongya Cave and the opposite Jiangbeizui and other city landmarks. Such scenery conditions are also unique.
Photo | A Gan
After the completion of the Daijia Alley cliffside walkway, the accessibility and experience of the community were further enhanced, making it possible to go viral. As more and more tourists come to Chongqing and tend to explore old streets and communities unique to the mountain city, Daijia Alley, with its multiple advantages, naturally became the first to break out.
Photo | A Gan
Such a plank walkway hanging on a cliff would be a spectacle in any other city. However, in the mountain city, the magical, 8D Chongqing, it might truly be just a walkway.
In the old days, a city wall was repaired and rebuilt over hundreds of years. Now, in just a few years, Daijia Alley has acquired a different aura and atmosphere.
The story of Daijia Alley is written in every tree, every brick, and every internet-famous cup of coffee—in two words: time.
