Hot Pot by the Gorge: Boiling with Love and Dreams!
Between the gorges of Tongjing Hot Springs,
Jiangji and ideals,
The love and warmth of Ascott flow in the springs.
As the World Hot Spring Capital, Chongqing boasts hot spring resources that make the whole world envious. From the city center to surrounding districts and counties, endless hot springs are a hallmark of this city standing proud across the globe.
On the other hand, as the birthplace of hot pot, Chongqing people are full of creativity in making hot pot. The three questions of where to eat, how to eat, and with whom to eat have almost become the ultimate questions ingrained in every Chongqing native's bones, equivalent to the philosophical triad: "Who am I?", "Where do I come from?", "Where am I going?"
What chemical reaction occurs when hot springs and hot pot combine?
On December 18, 2021, right by the famous Tongjing Hot Spring Gorge in Chongqing, a unique and ceremonial Chongqing premiere gorge hot spring hot pot private feast unfolded.
Numerous lucky draws—a 2,000-yuan Ascott Guangzhou Administrative Studio Apartment, a 3,000-yuan Ascott Tianjin One-Bedroom Deluxe Suite, a 3,500-yuan Ascott Raffles City Chongqing Two-Bedroom Deluxe Suite, 880-yuan Jiangji Sorghum Liquor Handcraft Brew No. 1, a 688-yuan intangible heritage handmade jasmine tea, a 5,000-yuan Tongjing Two-Bedroom Hot Spring House… each person received a limited-edition custom set of "Celadon Crackle Glaze Ge Kiln Wine Set" worth 2,000 yuan, along with "Jiangji Sorghum Liquor Handcraft Brew No. 1, Meijian Green Plum Wine Gold Edition" produced by Jiangji Winery. The atmosphere was boiling hot, surpassing even the temperature of the hot spring water.
Unexpected yet anticipated surprises
Seemed to perfectly answer this question.
01 It’s a hot pot private feast, but also the highest level of family banquet
At the end of the year, Chongqing always feels a bit gloomy, with persistent rain clouds in the sky giving the entire city a damp feeling.
In such a season, hot pot and hot springs have always been the best choices to relieve depression.
On December 18, 2021, Tongjing Hot Springs launched the second season of the Gorge Hot Spring Hot Pot Private Feast. The first banquet was co-hosted by Li Auto, Ascott Raffles City Chongqing, Tongjing Hot Springs, Jiangji Winery, and the "Lian Er Ye" media matrix, titled "Toast to Chongqing: Ideal Accompanies the 2021 Chongqing Ascott Raffles City & Tongjing Hot Springs Family Banquet." It was held at the "Wuling Fairyland"—Tongjing Hot Springs Scenic Area, which ranks among the top in China for natural hot spring resources, first in the Southwest, and encompasses landscapes of mountains, waters, forests, springs, gorges, caves, waterfalls, ancient forts, and eagle flocks.
Sixty family members from Li Auto, Ascott Raffles City Chongqing, Tongjing Hot Springs, and Jiangji Winery, coming from all directions of Chongqing, gathered here to toast and drink heartily.
The brands hosting this family banquet are all leaders in their respective fields—meeting consumers' various life needs through their products and services, even improving and upgrading consumers' lifestyles and quality. The difference is that Li Auto, as a high-quality black-tech new energy vehicle, firmly ranks first in China's new energy vehicle sales; Jiangji Winery produces Jiangji Sorghum Liquor, Jiangxiaobai, Meijian Green Plum Wine, Suoyi Rice Wine, and other categories, capturing consumers' minds; Ascott Raffles City Chongqing provides exceptionally superior services to create an extraordinary and noble experience for loyal fans; and Tongjing Hot Springs Scenic Area, with its unique hot spring gorge landscape, the spectacle of a hundred monkeys crossing the river, and cold and hot springs, makes family members linger and forget to return…
This feast had the feeling of a friend gathering. Jiangji Winery brought their fine wines, Ascott Raffles City Chongqing brought their room vouchers and gifts, the comfortable 6-seater Li Auto ONE picked everyone up and brought them to Tongjing Hot Springs, which is framed by mountains and waters and centered on hot springs, where they boiled these pots of hot pot full of joy and enthusiasm.
02 A year later, the Gorge Hot Spring Hot Pot Private Feast returns
In fact, this is a specially pioneered hot spring hot pot private feast product by Tongjing Hot Springs, combining Chongqing's urban food characteristics.
As early as December 2020, also at the end of the year, Tongjing Hot Springs joined hands with "Lian Er Ye" and Chongqing hot pot independent planning guru "Mr. Weird" to launch a hot pot private feast that was extreme in both quality and taste. In essence, that hot pot feast was the starting point of the Gorge Hot Spring Hot Pot.
On that day, guests attending the private feast witnessed for the first time the charm of the winter CP combination of "hot pot + hot spring"—under the mountains, amid the warm mist, tables and chairs were set, cups and wine were ready, ingredients for the pot were prepared. As the sky gradually darkened, distinguished diners who had driven specially arrived and took their seats. The hot pot began to boil, and the mist from the hot spring pool rose up, full of warmth.
It was a feast that satisfied all senses—sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. More importantly, in front of the hot pot, a pool of warm soup with thick mist perfectly bridged this exquisite and unique banquet, becoming the next joyful "home ground." Stepping into the warm and beautiful hot spring water, the body was enveloped by this warmth from inside out, and gradually people began to indulge in this relaxation…
After soaking in the hot springs, guests, accompanied by melodious music drifting into their ears, enjoyed delicacies presented in sequence—a feast for the tongue and eyes gradually reaching its peak. Various ingredients were added to the pot one after another, the soup boiled inside, glasses clinked, and people drank and rejoiced together. Mist curled around the spring, making the scene seem both real and illusory.
Chongqing people love to leisurely enjoy hot pot while "bai long men zhen" (chatting casually). Whether it's worldly affairs or state affairs, in the exchange of toasts, emotions among those at the table instantly draw closer. Soulmates and confidants are found on the tongue, in the cup, and in everyone's stories.
It must be said that a place where you can fully enjoy beautiful scenery, delicious food, and body wellness—other than at the Tongjing Gorge Hot Spring Hot Pot Private Feast, it's hard to imagine where else to find it.
In fact, this product has been quite popular among hot spring visitors and foodies. Enjoying a unique and ceremonial hot spring hot pot in a natural setting is truly a rare experience, especially when it tastes so good. So, a year later, the second season of the Tongjing Gorge Hot Spring Hot Pot Private Feast opened the door to wonderful feelings once again.
03 Encountering beauty by the hot spring pool
Departing from the foot of Ascott Raffles City Chongqing, eleven 6-seater new energy vehicles, the Li Auto ONE, lined up in a row, ready for boarding. With a comfortable riding experience, the 60-kilometer journey from Raffles City to Tongjing Hot Springs didn't feel long at all. Many people were eager to test drive this smart, maneuverable, and good-looking god car.
When the convoy arrived at the gate of Tongjing Hot Springs, it attracted the attention of many tourists—after all, as the best-selling new energy vehicle nationwide, the Li Auto ONE stands at the forefront of the times in both aesthetics and performance. Guests filed into Tongjing Hot Springs. Tall trees slowly receded as people walked forward, the wind stirring the treetops, leaves rustling. The breeze brought the fresh scent of December earth.
Next to the public hot spring pool of Tongjing Hot Springs, the family banquet venue had a bit of a Christmas flavor. Staff wearing Santa hats, reindeer headbands, and Christmas hand clips were nervously arranging materials. Cards with Santa Claus further filled the table with a festive atmosphere. Amid the green mountains and misty waters, people easily relaxed. With the morning sun rising and the evening sunset, there were egrets skimming the river surface while leisurely soaking in the spring pool, birds singing and insects chirping in the secluded forest, and a sense of calm and relief after countless experiences. Standing in the center of the Riverside Food Plaza, looking at the opposite cliff—steep and rugged like a knife cut—the river winding around the mountains, the mountain paths stretching sinuously, the mountain rocks like immortal giants, silently and solemnly watching us.
For those of us who stay in the city all year, this is the most beautiful encounter. An encounter with beauty.
04 Between ice and fire, warmth and comfort
Although it was deep winter, the life along the Wentang River forest was vibrant—taking a bamboo raft to tour the Wentang River, cutting through the calm water surface, ripples spreading, and our mood blossoming.
The Wentang River is not large; it encircles the Tongjing Hot Springs scenic area like a jade belt. Wearing a life jacket and boarding a bamboo raft, we slid leisurely into the embrace of the Wentang River. This area is rich in geothermal resources, dense with vegetation, with thriving lives singing vigorously in the forest. On both sides, steep cliffs stand against the sky, surrounded by verdant bamboo covering the hills. The small boat moved freely on the wide water, somewhat evoking the artistic conception of "light boat has passed ten thousand mountains."
As the boat reached the mouth of the gorge, cliffs on both sides seemed to crack, looking up, the sky appeared as a single thread. A babbling stream flowed out from the gorge. Going upstream, it wound and twisted, now bright, now dark. Suddenly, I recalled the Qing Dynasty literati Zhou Kaifeng's lavish praise for Tongjing: "Tongjing has many wonders; seeking the source, the scenery is endless. Beautiful mountains are especially secluded; winding paths are even more lush. A thousand apes leap on trees; peeping at the sky, a line goes through. Where peach blossoms fall, several times it fools the old fisherman."
When the bamboo raft docked at the opposite pier, dozens of monkeys dashed out from high places, looking left and right. Perhaps accustomed to human contact, they showed no fear at all, instead stretching out their furry little hands to beg for food from the guests, causing laughter and joy.
Though the scenery was beautiful, the air was indeed cold and biting. So after the boat ride, everyone chose to soak themselves in the warm spring water to nurture themselves. Going from cold to warmth, even if only a few hundred meters, brought an incomparable sense of enjoyment—as soon as we entered the hot spring area, heat rushed to our faces, cold was mercilessly shut outside, the pool area was steaming hot, and springs bubbled up.
At that moment, only warmth and comfort existed here.
05 Aside from temptation, I can resist anything
Night began to fall. The originally light rain was also dispelled by the enthusiasm of the hot spring hot pot private feast. The sky revealed a dark blue hue, spreading out with the twilight.
Before the main course of the hot spring private feast, Jiangji Winery brought professional bartenders who mixed four kinds of cocktails on site using Jiangji sorghum liquor: jasmine, osmanthus, strawberry, and cranberry.
Family members from all over the world, with a carefully crafted cocktail and small snacks, chatted in twos and threes—maybe about work, maybe about life, or more likely about this joyful trip.
Pots of hot pot, some with red soup bubbling, some with clear soup boiling, in the cold night, released aromatic hydrocarbons from chili peppers, stimulating everyone's nasal passages and taste buds. Together with the aroma of sesame oil dipping sauce (80% purity), it was like a devil tempting saliva secretion, reaching out its claws to everyone.
Such a night is not like last night. Under the night sky, Jiangji Sorghum Liquor Handcraft Brew No. 1 and Golden Meijian from Jiangji Winery captured everyone's hearts. No. 1 was mellow, Meijian was refreshing, and the cocktails were enchanting…
I must say that Lian Er Ye, who never drinks, under such circumstances, surprisingly had countless strange thoughts of "I can drink a bit more tonight."
When the beautiful host announced the official start of the hot spring family banquet, the whole place almost boiled over—
You could tell everyone was hungry.
06 In Chongqing, it's also extremely professional hot pot
Actually, this was the second season of the Tongjing Gorge Hot Spring Hot Pot Private Feast. It's hard to imagine that besides the unique atmosphere, the hot pot tasted exceptionally good, far better than one would expect to find in such a place.
It is said the base was handmade by a professional hot pot chef. The chili peppers must be last year's or this year's Shizhu Red No. 3, cut and then stemmed and seeded; the best Maowen Sichuan peppercorns, only the first branch peppercorns of the year (first branch peppercorns are 30% more expensive than similar ones not from first branches); beef tallow from a certain Xi'an factory that produces products without added chemical flavor enhancers…
During the frying process, the chef always has a temperature gun hanging at his waist, occasionally pulling it out, aiming at the pot bottom, and pulling the trigger—the action somewhat resembles the deformed gun silhouette in the 007 opening scene, or like Li Xiangyang, the Mauser pistol shooter from the Plain Guerrilla Unit, with one disabled arm—according to him, every step of frying the hot pot base requires controlling the oil temperature; otherwise, the flavor layers of the base won't come out…
From high heat to low heat, then from low heat to high heat, a spatula as large as a monk's staff swings thousands or even tens of thousands of times in a huge wok. After nearly ten hours, a pot of handmade hot pot base is finally completed.
How many vicissitudes and hardships were involved, and how much painstaking effort was expended, we do not know.
As for the taste, when we saw the family members of the hot spring family banquet sitting at the hot pot table feasting heartily, we knew. Whether they were distinguished guests from Ascott Raffles City Chongqing or seasoned hot pot eaters who grew up in Chongqing, in front of this rich red soup, they clinked glasses while never putting down their chopsticks, because the other end of the chopsticks was constantly picking up crispy tripe, thick luncheon meat, soft potatoes…
Delicious beyond words.
