A Century of Lianglukou (Part 1): Intersection, Academy, Parachute Tower, International Friends, and Librarian Jin Yong

Living in the city of Chongqing, it is actually very easy to overlook many things: a small alley, a cliff face, an intersection, a sculpture, a set of escalators, an old factory. Today, when Chongqing has become an internet-famous destination, these places that are chased and popularized in the online world or in the eyes of tourists are just part of daily life for locals. Lianglukou is precisely such a hidden treasure.

Photo courtesy of Lianglukou Subdistrict Office

Once the administrative center of the entire city in the early days of the People's Republic, the transportation hub and economic center in the early reform period, and now the cultural and leisure center of the new era, Lianglukou has presented a different face in each historical stage, embodying the soul of Chongqing. What it carries is the past of the mother city Yuzhong, witnessing the history of Chongqing's development. Over the past century, Lianglukou has left its mark on the stage of China and even the world more than once.

Chongqing Soong Ching Ling Memorial Hall, Photo by You Like

But Lianglukou is also serene and easygoing; this sentiment has even influenced all the people living here. They seem never to remember the glory and honor that this land once had. They just grow up here calmly. Occasionally, when outsiders pass by and talk to them, they say, without a hint of worldly concern, 'Yes, here is where the foreign embassy groups in China were; that small building, Soong Ching Ling lived there for a long time; that library, Jin Yong worked there as a librarian...'

Former U.S. Embassy Site Exhibition Hall, Photo by You Like

No Chongqing native forgets these things; they simply store their pride and pride deep in their bones. Compared to that, they prefer to wander through the streets and alleys of Lianglukou, climb to the rooftops to watch the sunset, greet neighbors who live close by with ease, and watch old people sit under trees after returning from the market, enjoying the cool breeze. Small shops steam with hot air, where children and cats can be seen.

Fat Girl Noodle Shop, Photo by You Like

Lianglukou's body is down-to-earth and warm, but its soul is sophisticated and artistic. Many people rush to Lianglukou, and some are reluctant to leave. Every day of Lianglukou's century belongs to it.

01 The Starting Point for Leaving the City and the Endpoint for Entering the City

Located in the upper part of Chongqing, Lianglukou was historically a fork where travelers left the city: one road led to Chengdu, and the other to northern Sichuan. At this 'three-way intersection,' no matter which direction you looked ahead, there were always two roads ahead. That is how the name Lianglukou (Two Roads Intersection) came about. In the last feudal dynasty of China, the Qing Dynasty, this area was still a desolate wilderness. Based on the terrain around Lianglukou, it was mostly hilly farmland, occasionally interspersed with graves. The urban area of Chongqing had not yet extended here; at night, wild animals appeared more frequently than humans.

But the name Lianglukou was still widely known in the Chongqing area at that time, because for those Chongqing locals who traveled, it was the starting point for leaving home and also the end point for returning home. Here, there were two roads, and they were the most important forks for leaving the city.

The cable car from Lianglukou to Caiyuanba in the 1980s, image from the internet

Coming out of Tongyuanmen, you walk along Xinglong Street, passing through Chundong, Chating, Feilaici... and then arriving at Lianglukou. From there, you had to choose: one road went north, leading to the waterway. You could go to Niujiaotuo to take a boat to Jiangbei Hall, or further down the river to Langzhong, and if you wanted to go further, you had to change boats at the dock. The other road led to the East Road of Chengdu and Chongqing, going west along it, passing through Foguan, Shiqiaopu, Baishiyi, Bishan County, all the way to the provincial capital: Chengdu Prefecture.

Former Lianglukou Cable Car Station, image from the internet

When seeing people off, they would wave goodbye at Lianglukou. Those entering the city would also rest here for a while, tidy their luggage and clothes, take a breath, and then climb up the slope behind Lianglukou in one go.

This gives a flavor of 'Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, green grass stretches to the sky.' Unfortunately, the Chongqing city at that time did not have a Li Shutong—then Chongqing Prefecture was under the jurisdiction of Sichuan Provincial Administrative Commissioner's Office, remote and sparsely populated, with a low level of education, truly a typical fourth- or fifth-tier city.

Under the large banyan tree at the fork of Lianglukou, enterprising ancestors set up tea stalls, selling cold tea and baked flatbreads. Depending on the season, they also sold mung bean porridge and roasted sweet potatoes. If a traveling merchant had a few extra coins, the owner might bring out a bowl of muddy wine and a few slices of pig ear—for those leaving their hometown from Chongqing city, or for those returning after months or even years of travel from afar, this was a ritual full of meaning.

There is a solemnity called entering the city, and a desolation called leaving home.

Today's Lianglukou has long been incorporated into the core area of the main city, but geographically it remains a fork: coming out of Tongyuanmen along Zhongshan First Road through the Cultural Palace, turning right leads to Shangqisi and Zengjiayan, while turning left leads to Eling and Daping.

No matter how big the city, directions are eternal.

02 The Cultural Vein of Lianglukou

The 21st day of the first lunar month in the 17th year of the Guangxu reign, March 1, 1891, is an unavoidable date in Chongqing's history. On that day, Chongqing officially opened its port. Around that time, 'foreigners' began to swarm into Chongqing. Among them were explorers, missionaries, colonialists, and merchants.

Although Lianglukou was not within the city walls at that time, it was close enough to strike a balance between distance and connection, so churches often set up their churches and even church schools in this area and in what is now Shangqisi. The churches' efforts to develop believers, eager to attract more people to participate in religious activities, led to a gradual increase in the flow of people throughout Lianglukou and Shangqisi.

The real push for Lianglukou to enter the urban circle began in 1921. At that time, Yang Sen, the Superintendent of Chongqing Commercial Port, focused on the construction of Jiangbei New District with the renovation of Chongqing's main city as a supporting measure. He expanded the new urban area, demolished Linjiangmen, and developed transportation between the city and its outskirts.

Lianglukou, only a few miles from the old Chongqing city, also began its urbanization. Although it did not happen overnight, changes did occur. The roads of Lianglukou were no longer stone-paved paths, and transportation became convenient. Coupled with the fact that residences were more spacious than those in the city center, setting up homes or workplaces in Lianglukou gradually became a choice for many people at that time.

The first to make this choice was the highest institution of learning in eastern Sichuan at the time: the Eastern Sichuan Normal School.

Former gate of Eastern Sichuan Normal School, image from the internet

This was the first formal normal school officially established by the Qing government in Chongqing and also the earliest new-style school in Chongqing's history. After the Xinhai Revolution, due to frequent wars, the school had to relocate multiple times, which was very troublesome. In 1930, Principal Gan Jiyong proposed selling the old school site and finding land to build a new school. This was approved by the school board, so they chose to purchase land at Shima Gang outside the main city of Chongqing to build new school buildings. At the end of the year, the entire school moved there.

This Shima Gang is the location of today's Cultural Palace.

Old photo of the Cultural Palace gate, image from 'A Century of Shangqisi'

Cultural Palace gate, Photo by Ping Fan, courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture and Tourism Commission

At that time, this area was farmland. Today, the original buildings can no longer be traced. On the slope behind the 'Honor Board' at the Cultural Palace, there is a stone carving that records the school's history: Yang Angong, Zhang Wentian, Xiao Chunü, Tong Yongsheng, Qi Nanxun, Yang Bokai, and others taught at the school successively. Diligent students studied to save the nation, full of enthusiasm, and rushed to the education front.

Guihua Garden Zhuangyuan Mansion, Photo by Pu Degui, courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture and Tourism Commission

Actually, 15 years earlier, a new school had already moved into the Zhuangyuan Mansion at No. 12 Guihua Garden, just a few steps away.

Guihua Garden got its name from the mansion's centenarian osmanthus trees, which were over 10 meters tall with lush foliage and fragrant blossoms. The old trees are no longer there, but under the red walls and black tiles, the words 'Zhuangyuan Mansion' are still clearly visible. With vermilion pillars and outer walls, a quadrangle layout, the Zhuangyuan Mansion consists of an entrance hall, a passage, a rear hall, and side rooms, with a depth of 45 meters, all single-eave overhanging gable roofs. According to data from the Yuzhong District Cultural Relics Management Office, this is a three-section hall with a combination of lifting-beam and column-and-tie construction, typical of eastern Sichuan architecture.

The Number One Scholar (Zhuangyuan) was surnamed Luo, the only Sichuan native to achieve this in the Qing Dynasty. The year he passed the imperial exam was the year of the defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War. In his court exam essay, Luo Chengxiang began with the line, 'When the sovereign is worried, the minister feels shame; when the sovereign is humiliated, the minister dies. This is the day I forget my meals in anger!' This sentence struck a chord with Emperor Guangxu, who personally appointed him as the top scholar, that year being 1895. The merchant Luo Ang was very proud of his clansman and in 1911 funded the construction of the 'Luo Chengxiang Zhuangyuan Mansion,' which is why this area is also called Luo Family Garden.

This Luo Zhuangyuan was quite modern. He opposed Yuan Shikai's attempt to become emperor, worked hard to establish Sichuan University, and also founded Chengdu University. Moreover, he was passionate about martial arts and advocated for 'strengthening the nation by strengthening the race.'

In 1918, Chongqing United County Middle School moved here. Famous figures such as Zou Rong, Yang Cangbai, and Tang Junyi studied or taught there.

Guihua Garden Zhuangyuan Mansion, image from the internet

After the founding of the People's Republic, in March 1950, the preparatory office of the Southwest Museum was established. In July of the following year, the Southwest Museum moved to No. 160 Guihua Garden, which was the main quadrangle of the Luo Family Garden Mansion, and built a cultural relic warehouse to the west of the courtyard. Later, this place was successively used by cultural units such as the Chongqing Teachers' Training School and Chongqing No. 52 Middle School. Today, it still serves as the office of the Chongqing Education Science Research Institute.

Lianglukou's cultural vein has a century-long origin.

03 Lianglukou Steps onto the Historical Stage

In February 1926, the Chongqing Local Executive Committee of the Communist Party of China was established, with Yang Angong as secretary. In August, the Military Commission of the Chongqing Prefectural Committee of the CPC, with Yang Angong as secretary and Liu Bocheng and Zhu De as members, was established to lead and organize the Luzhou-Shunyou Uprising. On March 24, 1927, warships of the British and American imperialists anchored on the Yangtze River at Xiaguan forcibly bombarded Nanjing, causing over 2,000 casualties among soldiers and civilians. Under the leadership of Yang Angong and others, on March 31, a citywide mass meeting was held at Daqiangba in Chongqing to protest the British and American imperialist bombardment of Nanjing. The Sichuan warlord Liu Xiang sent military police to suppress it, resulting in the 'March 31 Massacre' in Chongqing.

Statue of Yang Angong, Photo by Zhou Yongfu, courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture and Tourism Commission

After the massacre, Yang Angong was pursued by the reactionary authorities. On April 4, Yang Angong was arrested. The reactionaries used threats, bribes, and brutal torture against him, sparing no effort. When they got nothing, they decided to execute him. On the night of April 6, Yang Angong was taken to the execution ground at Foguan. Before his death, he denounced the warlords, shouting, 'Down with imperialism!' 'Down with warlords!' 'Long live the Communist Party of China!' The warlords cut off his tongue, chopped off his hands, gouged out his eyes, and finally fired three shots. Thus, he died heroically in front of Foguan, at the age of 29.

The wars brought more foreign humiliation.

On September 18, 1931, the Sino-Japanese War began. On July 7, 1937, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident marked the full-scale outbreak of the war. On November 20, 1937, the Nationalist Government issued the 'Proclamation on Moving the Capital to Chongqing,' and soon Chongqing became the wartime provisional capital.

Amidst the billowing smoke, the heroic spirit at the Foguan execution ground made all of Chongqing magnificent.

Lianglukou officially stepped onto the historical stage at this time.

Foguan Park Bone Pagoda, Photo by Ping Fan, courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture and Tourism Commission

Many government agencies requisitioned civilian houses in Lianglukou for offices. The Zhongtong Bureau (Central Statistics Bureau) had several temporary office locations in Chongqing before finally converting the former library of Eastern Sichuan Normal School inside the Cultural Palace into an office building. At that time, the banyan trees had deep roots, their roots penetrating the stone steps. When students were there, there was laughter and greenery. When the Zhongtong Bureau was there, the deep green, silent trees with their gnarled branches and twisted roots inexplicably carried a sense of mystery and secrecy.

A ten-minute walk from there, across the street at No. 5 Lianglukou New Village, was Soong Ching Ling's residence and the former site of the 'China Defense League' Central Committee.

Chongqing Soong Ching Ling Memorial Hall, Photo by Zhan Jiang, courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture and Tourism Commission

Chongqing Soong Ching Ling Memorial Hall, Photo by You Like

In 1941, with the help of her brother T. V. Soong, Soong Ching Ling moved into this small courtyard with a two-story building in Lianglukou. The courtyard was generally simple, the rooms were not large, but had a certain fitting elegance. There were many spies outside the residence, but Soong Ching Ling continued to maintain external contacts, reporting the true situation of the Chinese people's War of Resistance, seeking international assistance, actively organizing fundraising, and providing relief to refugees, wounded soldiers, and children. She organized supplies and shipped large amounts of funds, medicines, medical equipment, food supplies, and other relief materials through various channels to the people in the Communist-led anti-Japanese base areas.

Chongqing Soong Ching Ling Memorial Hall, Photo by You Like

Additionally, Dai Li occupied and renovated a mansion next to Pipashan Park for training codebreakers, and also kept the famous actress Hu Die there; the Chongqing warlord Fan Shaozeng built the 'Yu Villa' for the famous Sichuan army general Yang Sen, which still remains in the Children's Palace; the 'Wang Garden' of Liu Xiang's teacher (Wang Lingji) on Pipashan is now called the Red Mansion... Lianglukou is a concentration of such history, gathering the winds and clouds of the time.

Former Yang Sen Mansion, Photo by Zhan Jiang, courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture and Tourism Commission

Former Wang Garden, Photo by Jiang Pai, courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture and Tourism Commission

Back then at Lianglukou, if you stood on the street and whispered 'Master' or 'Chief,' two or three out of seven or eight passersby would turn back and smile at you, while another two or three would warily tip their hats and walk away quickly.

04 The Library Amid the Bombing

From February 1938 to August 1943, the Japanese army launched a frenzied five-and-a-half-year bombing campaign against Chongqing. Lianglukou was not the center, but it was too close to the city to escape unscathed. As people living in peacetime, it is hard for us to imagine the horror and grief of those years—on May 3 and 4, 1939, during the Japanese bombing, countless Chongqing citizens were killed or injured, known historically as the 'May 3rd and May 4th' bombings.

Ruins after the bombing, image from 'A Century of Shangqisi'

The people of Lianglukou in the midst of such pain did not give up. Old people recall their parents' descriptions: after the planes left, everyone did not cry or make a fuss; they hurried to the ruins to salvage things. Every nail was saved, and a few stones and broken walls could be used to rebuild a home, with wildflowers planted in the stone cracks.

After the Japanese bombing, a Chongqing family hastily eats a meal, image from the internet

Such resilience in an entire city was astonishing. The bombing lasted five and a half years, and people's tenacity was unexpectedly strong. In 1940, an enemy plane was even shot down near Lianglukou, and it was joyfully put on display at the South District Park.

Downed enemy plane, image from the internet

During the bombing, Lianglukou also did something cultural. Amid the hail of artillery, the construction of the National Central Library Branch began.

Former site of the Roosevelt Library and Central Library, Photo by Ping Fan, courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture and Tourism Commission

This building was located at No. 1 Changjiang First Road, covering an area of about 2,405 square meters. A T-shaped building with three floors and a ground floor, it had an open interior with black wooden staircases that were simple and grand. The slogan 'Stronger with More Bombing' from the ruins was a real action back then, a tenacity to come out of the air-raid shelter and go back to work on the construction site.

'Stronger with More Bombing' slogan, Photo by Zhang Song, courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture and Tourism Commission

In 1941, the library opened. When there was no bombing, people could come to read, accompanying thoughts and stories amid the gunpowder smoke, enduring the difficulties together.

In 1943, Jin Yong (Louis Cha) went to join Jiang Fucong, the then director of the National Central Library Branch (his cousin), used his connections, and became a librarian. Jin Yong was assigned to the reading section, responsible for registering book loans and returns. He worked from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day, which suited a writer's routine perfectly.

Former site of the Roosevelt Library and Central Library, Photo by Ping Fan, courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture and Tourism Commission

Jin Yong lived quite comfortably as a librarian in Lianglukou. Apart from occasionally having to run to the air-raid shelter, reading was much more convenient. He later told the famous Japanese writer Daisaku Ikeda: 'In the library, while managing books, I also read many books. I concentrated on reading a large amount of Western literary works, some of which were in the original English. I preferred Western 18th and 19th century romantic novels, such as those by Alexandre Dumas, Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Victor Hugo. This school of writing is passionate, thorough, not subtle enough; as one gets older, it seems a bit shallow. Later, I turned to reading Greek tragedies and the novels of Charles Dickens. Among Russian writers, I liked Ivan Turgenev, reading translations by Lu Li and Li Ni.'

Former site of the Roosevelt Library and Central Library, Photo by Ping Fan, courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture and Tourism Commission

Working amid the flames of war could not last long. In 1945, Jin Yong submitted his resignation. This library, built during wartime in Lianglukou, was later renamed the Roosevelt Library, becoming one of only five national libraries in the country. Since then, its collection has been characterized by books published during the War of Resistance.

05 The Many Uniquenesses of the Parachute Tower

Around the same time, in response to Japanese air raids, Chongqing began constructing military airports such as Jiulongpo Airport and Baishiyi Airport. Therefore, training pilots became an urgent task, and parachuting was included in the training plan.

In October 1941, construction of the parachute tower began in Lianglukou, and in 1942, the parachute tower was completed in Lianglukou.

Parachute tower documentation, image from 'A Century of Shangqisi'

The parachute tower is 38 meters tall, with a jump height of 28 meters, equivalent to about ten stories high, making it a super-tall building at that time. The base diameter is 3.35 meters, and the top diameter is 1.52 meters. The three rings on the tower originally held open parachutes, which could be raised and lowered mechanically. Trainees would be slowly lifted through the rings from the bottom, and when they reached the top, a mechanism would automatically release the parachute pack. Inside the conical brick tower, a spiral staircase leads to a mid-level platform. The proportions are symmetrical and elegant, the structure is clean, and the architectural language remains timeless. It is the only work left in Chongqing by architect Yang Tingbao.

At that time, the greatest architects were known as 'Southern Yang and Northern Liang'—Northern Liang being Liang Sicheng, and Southern Yang being Yang Tingbao. Starting from the 1920s, Yang Tingbao designed the Bank of Communications in Beijing, the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Music Pavilion in Nanjing, the Purple Mountain Observatory, and the expansion of Tsinghua University Library, all of which became masterpieces in Chinese architectural history. After the founding of the People's Republic, Yang Tingbao participated in the design of over a hundred projects, including the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, Beijing Railway Station, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, and the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge.

On the day the parachute tower was inaugurated, social figures from all walks of life, including Zhang Zhizhong and Bai Chongxi, gathered at the base of the tower to attend the opening ceremony. After the conference chairman Chen Lifu delivered a speech, he was the first to ascend the tower, open the door, and turn back, raising his arm and shouting: 'The tower door is open; let the youth of the nation go up!' The whole audience erupted in applause, and cheers rang to the skies.

According to the 'Dagong Evening News,' on August 14, 1942, Chongqing held its first parachute tower jumping competition, sparking a parachuting craze. From 1942 to 1946, nearly 80,000 people came to Lianglukou to participate in parachute jumping. Almost all the air force personnel of that time had received parachute training here. In the midst of intense air raids, parachuting might save a life.

How many of the pilots who once jumped from the parachute tower became heroic spirits in air battles? It is impossible to verify and hard to ask. A history of blood and tears moves future generations.

Lianglukou Parachute Tower, Photo by You Like

In the 1970s, middle school students in Yuzhong District all had memories of visiting the parachute tower. At that time, the tower was used to train parachute athletes, and students were all envious. For the people of Lianglukou, the earliest dreams of the blue sky, spanning almost three generations, were all about the parachute tower.

06 The International Village and International Friends

During the War of Resistance, Chongqing was not only China's wartime capital but also the Far East command center of the World Anti-Fascist War. Therefore, embassies and diplomatic institutions from all over the world gathered in Chongqing.

The International Village in Lianglukou was precisely the gathering place for foreign embassies and diplomatic institutions. At that time, the International Village area connected Changjiang First Road (near Eling) on one side and Health Road (Lianglukou) on the other, making it a natural important passage for international friends traveling through the mountain city. The former British Navy Club, American Journalists' Building, and Stone Fortress record Chongqing's history of foreign exchanges.

The British Navy Club was located on Guanshan Slope, a European-style villa facing south. During the war, it hosted many political figures. The American Journalists' Building is a gray American-style house with a history of over 80 years, with three rooms on each floor, stairwells and corridors on the second and third floors, and a small balcony on the east side. It once housed many American journalists. The Stone Fortress was a former air-raid shelter, built of reinforced concrete, overlooking today's Changjiang First Road, with gun slots and drainage channels inside. There were originally five such fortresses, arranged in a plum blossom pattern, called 'Plum Blossom Forts.' After liberation, four of the hidden forts were demolished, leaving only this one.

Former site of the International Village Stone Fortress, Photo by Chen Bing, courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture and Tourism Commission

The Soviet Embassy was also located in Lianglukou. A pseudo-Baroque style brick, stone, and wood structure at No. 104 Pipashan Main Street, built in 1936, it was lavishly decorated with all European architectural elements: verandas, terraces, pavilions, arched windows, Roman columns, stone carvings, sloping roofs.

Interior of the former Soviet Embassy, Photo by Jiang Tingju, courtesy of Yuzhong District Culture and Tourism Commission

In fact, this building was originally a mansion built by Sichuan army division commander Zeng Ziwei at great expense on Pipashan. After its completion in January 1938, he did not move in but ceded it to the Soviet Embassy. National interests came before personal interests. At that time, the 'Xinmin Bao' praised it, saying that the building 'backs on Pipashan, faces the beautiful Nanshan, leans against the majestic Foguan to the west, and hears the waves of the two rivers to the east,' calling it 'a fairyland in Chongqing.'

The farewell pavilion was once so elegant and peaceful,

The library amidst the cannon fire tells of hardship and indomitable striving.

Time passes, years flow,

The sea once, now mulberry fields.

The old sites are still there, the old events are past.

References:

'Chongqing Historical Architecture Map'

'Chongqing Past: A Jewish Person's Late-Life Memories'

'Chongqing Planning and Natural Resources Yearbook' (2020 Edition)

'Research on the Historical Expansion of Chongqing's Main Urban Space'

'Chongqing Folk Houses'

'Chongqing Old Alleys'