Complete Guide to an 8-Day, 7-Night Independent Trip to Chongqing

Day 1: Fly from Nanjing to Chongqing, visit Luo Zhongli Art Museum, Mafangwan Colorful Alley, Hong'en Temple, stay at Galaxy Hotel.

Day 2: Visit Fairy Mountain, Wulong Tiankeng, stay at Milu Hotel.

Day 3: Visit Miao Jiuli City, Wujiang Gallery, stay at Country Garden Phoenix Hotel.

Day 4: Visit Republic Street, Ciqikou, Liziba, Jiefangbei, Bayi Delicious Street, Qiansimen Bridge, stay at Pinle Hotel.

Day 5: Visit Graffiti Street, Traffic Teahouse, Zhongshuge, Garden Expo Park, Guanyinqiao Delicious Street, stay at Pinle Hotel.

Day 6: Visit Dazu Beishan Rock Carvings, Dazu Rock Carvings Museum, Baodingshan Rock Carvings, Chaotianmen, Hongyadong, stay at Pinle Hotel.

Day 7: Visit People's Grand Hall, Three Gorges Museum, Guotai Art Center Chongqing Art Museum, Van Gogh Star Art Center, Haitangxi Tube Building, Eighteen Steps, stay at Pinle Hotel.

Day 8: Visit Zhazidong, Baigongguan, Danzishi Old Street, fly back to Nanjing.

Throughout history, Chongqing has been labeled with many tags, such as Mountain City, Fog Capital, River City, Furnace, Bridge Capital, Hotpot Capital, 8D Magic City, etc., which perfectly summarize Chongqing's characteristics. In recent years, with the rise of short videos online, Hongyadong, Chaotianmen and other places have become new internet-famous check-in spots. This city that baffles all navigation software, the most vibrant place in China today, it's time to arrange it into your itinerary.

Chongqing is an ancient city with a history of over three thousand years. In the Zhou Dynasty, it was the capital of the Ba State, later renamed Jiangzhou and Gongzhou. In 1189, Zhao Dun of the Southern Song Dynasty was first enfeoffed as the Prince of Gong here, then ascended the throne. Having encountered double joy within a year, he renamed Gongzhou to Chongqing. From then on, this auspicious and festive place name appeared on China's map.

On the way to the subway station, I saw a roadside eatery with booming business, so I went in and had a bowl of wontons. Perhaps considering that many people can't eat spicy food, the shop specially prepared small bowls for dipping chili sauce, which was very thoughtful. The wontons tasted authentic, and I felt a bit unsatisfied after finishing.

Chongqing is a mountain city, relying mainly on bridges for ground transportation. But for most people, the subway is the best choice. Chongqing's subway system extends in all directions and can reach almost all scenic spots.

Luo Zhongli, many years ago I saw his oil painting "Father," the old man with a bowl and wrinkled face touched many people. Now he has become the president of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute.

On the slope next to the art museum stands Michelangelo's "David," a famous Renaissance sculptor. "David" was painstakingly carved from a single block of marble over three years by Michelangelo. The statue, including its base, is over five meters tall, with exquisite detailing. The vivid eyes, muscular lines, and raised veins and tendons on the skin are all carved to perfection, leaving people in awe. Michelangelo was one of the few artists deified during his lifetime, which is not unrelated to his high emotional intelligence. It is said that after the statue was completed, a local nobleman came to visit. To show his expertise, he claimed that David's nose was carved too high. Michelangelo did not argue; he grabbed a handful of stone powder, picked up a chisel, climbed a ladder, pretended to carve the nose for a while, and sprinkled the stone powder down, making the nobleman feel honored.

The original "David" is now kept at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy. In Florence, there are two replica statues of David displayed in public places: one bronze statue in the center of Piazza Michelangelo, and one marble statue in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. The David at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute is the fourth David in the world, using molds that were made from the replica of the "David" statue in the center of Florence's Piazza Michelangelo, which have a history of 108 years. Its bronze material and dimensions are completely consistent with the David statue in Florence's Piazza Michelangelo.

June is graduation season, and the art museum is hosting an exhibition of works by graduates of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute. The themes are diverse, and the imagination is unrestrained, opening up the mind.

The works in the art museum's collection exhibition are more classic.

The exterior wall of the art museum is covered with colorful mosaics, and the architectural form is a pile of irregular geometric shapes, appearing unconventional.

Next was a visit to the internet-famous Mafangwan Colorful Alley. Many recommendations for Chongqing trips include this place. After visiting, I felt it was just average—a cluster of old houses and broken alleys repainted with colorful coatings, hung with portraits of popular celebrities and stickers of cats and dogs, turning into a colorful fairy tale world, attracting many young women who love to take photos to check in there.

At the entrance of the Colorful Alley, "Mafangwan No. 66 Jianghu Cuisine" is recommended by many Chongqing food rankings. The decoration here is relatively rustic. We ordered four dishes, not daring to order anything that looked too spicy. We ordered small crispy pork, garlic tofu, pig trotters, etc. The taste left no special impression. Maybe Chongqing cuisine is mainly spicy; if you can't eat spicy, you definitely can't taste the characteristics.

After eating, we saw that it was getting dark, so we headed to Hong'en Temple to enjoy Chongqing's night scenery.

Hong'en Temple Forest Park is a free mountain forest park. Out of breath, we climbed layers of steps and walked a long winding mountain road before finally reaching the Hong'en Pavilion at the top. This is the highest viewing platform in Chongqing's main urban area. Unfortunately, the area visible from here is not the most prosperous part of Chongqing. But when the lights of Hong'en Pavilion itself came on, the antique building with carved beams and painted rafters, set off by various lights, looked like an ethereal fantasy, splendid and magnificent.

After taking photos from Hong'en Pavilion, it was already nearly nine o'clock in the evening. Although it gets dark late in Chongqing, it was pitch black around us by then. Relying on the sparse streetlights on the mountain path, we retraced our steps down the mountain and returned to the hotel by bus.

Early the next morning, we went to the Fairy Mountain scenic area in Wulong District of Chongqing. After lunch, we had a special bamboo-cage banquet and then took the scenic area's small train to Fairy Mountain.

At the top of the mountain, about 1,800 meters above sea level, there is actually a vast green grassland. Because of the high altitude, summer temperatures here are about 15°C lower than in downtown Chongqing, so it is known as the "Mountain City Summer Palace" and also called the "Switzerland of the East."

The entire Fairy Mountain scenic area is a natural pasture. During the small train ride, you can see herds of cattle, sheep, and horses grazing leisurely. But on the large lawn for tourists, there is not a single cow or sheep to be seen, which is a pity.

We played and took photos on the grass, as if back in childhood.

After leaving Fairy Mountain, we continued to visit Wulong Natural Three Bridges. This is a typical karst landform. The Three Natural Bridges consist of Tianlong Bridge, Qinglong Bridge, and Heilong Bridge. They are majestic and are the largest group of natural bridges in Asia. The height, width, and span of the three bridges are over 150 meters, 200 meters, and 300 meters respectively. The three bridges are arranged longitudinally, spanning horizontally across the Yangshui River Gorge, connecting the mountains on both sides. Having such three grand natural stone arch bridges within a few hundred meters is rare in China and rare in the world, truly a precious treasure left by nature to humanity.

Take the sightseeing elevator directly down to the bottom of the valley, then follow the repaired steps to the foot of Tianlong Bridge. On the cliff face in front, you can see a vivid "Elephant Welcoming Guests" picture. Continuing down, you can see the Tianfu Post Inn built by Zhang Yimou for filming "Curse of the Golden Flower" at the bottom of the valley. At this point, look back up at the path you came down, and you will see sheer cliffs all around, huge stone beams spanning the sky, forming natural bridges. The giant rocks on the bridges are jagged, and water droplets occasionally fall from above, making people nervous, fearing that some huge rock might suddenly fall and crash down.

In the past, the sky was described with words like boundless or limitless. But standing at the bottom of the valley looking at the sky, it feels like a frog at the bottom of a well—only a small irregular piece of sky can be seen. From this angle, the sky outside Tianlong Bridge looks like a thumbs-up.

Continuing forward is Qinglong Bridge. The sky in the canyon here looks like a Green Dragon Crescent Blade. Everyone posed with their hands up as if holding a big knife for photos.

After crossing Qinglong Bridge and looking back at the canyon, the big knife has transformed into the shape of a carp jumping over the dragon gate, with the sky above looking like a carp.

Next is Heilong Bridge. In the bridge cave, several hanging springs fly down three thousand feet. Because the waterfalls are too thin, they are not easy to notice, but the sound of falling water drops is very clear. Over the years, the drips have nourished thick moss on the rock surface, lush green and pleasing to the eye.

After crossing Heilong Bridge, look back at the cliffs on both sides, some say it looks like an eagle, and not far away there is a gorilla.

The water in the canyon is very clear. Does the boat on the water surface feel like floating in the air?

After visiting Wulong Tiankeng, we huffed and puffed back to the ground, took the bus back to the Milu Hotel in Fairy Mountain Town for rest.

The Miao long-table banquet at noon was quite distinctive. Although the dishes were average, the dining atmosphere was good. The Miao rice wine was strong, making us tipsy.

In the afternoon, we took a boat tour of the Wujiang Gallery. The Wujiang River originates in Weining County, Guizhou Province. After entering Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County in Chongqing, it becomes the most essential part of the thousand-li Wujiang River: the "Wujiang Hundred-li Gallery."

The Wujiang Hundred-li Gallery has a bit of the flavor of the Lesser Three Gorges. During the boat tour, the mountains on both sides were forced into stories like lions and snails, which were not very attractive. But a few sections where "mountains seem split by axes, water is like emerald" were somewhat interesting, especially the surging white waves at the stern, spreading layer by layer to the shore, creating a scene of waves crashing against the rocks.

In the evening, we checked into the Country Garden Phoenix Hotel and had duck hotpot for dinner. The hotel room had an independent balcony and a large bathtub, where I enjoyed a nice bath.

The next day, we visited Republic Street, a characteristic block themed on "Republic of China history" and "Bayu characteristics," located in the Chongqing Liangjiang International Film City. Feng Xiaogang's film "Back to 1942," the first film invested by the Chongqing Film Group, used this street as an important filming location.

There are many photo props and scenes built for movie filming in Republic Street for photo-taking.

Ciqikou is one of the most famous ancient towns in Chongqing, first built in the Song Dynasty. Originally called Baiyanchang, it was renamed Longyin Town because of the legend that Emperor Jianwen of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yunwen, once sought refuge here. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, due to the development of the porcelain industry in the town, and because the characters "ci" (porcelain) and "ci" (magnetic) are homophones, it was also called Ciqikou.

Now it has become an imitation ancient street, with shops lining both sides, crowded with tourists, bustling and lively.

After leaving Ciqikou, we went to Liziba to photograph the light rail passing through the building. The shooting spot here is very small, with a sea of people. It's almost impossible to take a photo without others in the frame.

The light rail passing through the building at Liziba looks like the rail transit and the residential building are integrated, but in fact, the building and the rail transit were designed and constructed simultaneously. They use separate structures that do not overlap, avoiding vibration impact on the residential building.

In the evening, we checked into Pinle Hotel in Peninsula Business Building.

After dropping off our luggage, we went to Bayi Delicious Street, ate grilled meat skewers, freshly made shrimp balls, sweet potato skin with tofu, and drank Chongqing-style milk tea. Then we walked to Qiansimen Bridge, went to the stone beach on the other side, and admired the incomparable night view of Chongqing.

The stone beach was crowded with people. Only in Chongqing can you feel that the bustle of life has truly returned.

Standing on Qiansimen Bridge, we took photos of the internet-famous Hongyadong, with a bird's-eye view that left nothing hidden. Hongyadong's lights are on from 8 pm to 11 pm. During the day, it is ordinary, but at night when the lights come on, it becomes a beautiful fairyland.

Early the next morning, we had a bowl of Chongqing noodles near the hotel, then took the subway and bus to Graffiti Street.

Huangjueping Graffiti Art Street was initiated by Luo Zhongli, president of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, and under the direct leadership of Chongqing Creative Office, it was built as a large-scale cultural and creative industry project by the government and Sichuan Fine Arts Institute. The entire graffiti project involved more than 800 workers, students, and artists, and took 150 days of meticulous production to complete. The appearance of the entire block changed significantly.

Now anyone can scribble a few strokes on Graffiti Street. The lower parts, originally painted by professionals, have been completely covered with multicolored inscriptions like "So-and-so was here," leaving only walls full of paint to appreciate. Only some graffiti on the outer walls of buildings still show their original appearance.

After Graffiti Street, we visited the internet-famous Traffic Teahouse. Located on Huangjueping Main Street, it is the only teahouse in Chongqing that retains the style of the 1970s and 1980s. The teahouse is not large, with old wooden frame structure, uneven beams, gray-black tiles, and mottled walls revealing a unique sense of time. In 2005, the teahouse, on the verge of bankruptcy, was taken over by Professor Chen Anjian of the Oil Painting Department of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, who often came to sketch. He preserved the business style of the 1970s and 1980s to the greatest extent. Today, Professor Chen's special seat is still there. The film "Crazy Stone" was shot here. Many works created by Professor Chen with the old teahouse as the theme have become classics.

Zhongshuge is the name of a bookstore. It has become a must-visit place in Chongqing because of its unique style. When we arrived, it was about 9:45 am, and the bookstore opened at 10 am. The floors of the shopping mall where the bookstore is located were empty, with only a few young people waiting to enter Zhongshuge.

The lampshade-shaped bookshelves at the entrance, reflected by mirrors on the ceiling, appear endless, adding depth to the space.

Walking into the book-mountain-shaped display wall inside, I was truly shocked by the unique design. The staggered steps were symmetrical and orderly. The already tall bookshelves and steps, reflected by the mirrors on the ceiling, became even more magnificent, cluttered but not messy. The bookstore space is very similar to Chongqing's crisscrossing bridges and countless stairways, perfectly matching the magical atmosphere of the mountain city.

The next stop, Chongqing Garden Expo Park, is a place that can make your legs feel like falling off. The entire park is divided into more than a dozen large exhibition areas, including the Northern Garden Area, Jiangnan Garden Area, Lingnan Garden Area, Fujian-Taiwan Garden Area, and Western Garden Area. Each area is further divided into about ten city exhibition areas. Seeing them one by one is impossible without extraordinary stamina.

We spent almost the entire afternoon there, walking through almost the entire scenic area. I had to admire our own physical strength.

In the evening, we went to Guanyinqiao Delicious Street, ate grilled meat and pig liver rice. These lighter dishes suited our tastes better.

After dinner, we took the subway to Nanbin Road, walked a long way to the front of the Raffles City building in Chaotianmen, and photographed the night view of Raffles City.

Some say that the high-rise complex of Raffles City is like a sail for Chongqing to set sail, the feng shui of modern Chongqing, beneficial to the city's development. But others say its existence has destroyed the city's feng shui.

Early the next morning, we took a car to visit the Dazu Rock Carvings. The Dazu Rock Carvings were carved during the Tang, Five Dynasties, and Song dynasties, with continued carving in the Ming and Qing dynasties. They are a World Cultural Heritage site and one of the eight great rock carving sites in the world.

We first went to Beishan Rock Carvings. They were carved from the first year of the Jingfu period of the Tang Dynasty to the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song (892-1162 AD). The sculptured cliff is about 300 meters long and 7-10 meters high, with niches densely packed like honeycombs, divided into southern and northern sections.

The figure carvings at Beishan are distinctive in character, elegant in posture, well-proportioned, luxuriously dressed, adorned with necklaces and beads, exquisitely crafted, and highly decorative. The statue of Samantabhadra is known as the "Venus of the East," Manjusri as the "Handsome Man of the East," and the Avalokitesvara with Counting Beads is nicknamed the "Coquettish Avalokitesvara." Hence, Beishan Rock Carvings are called the "Exhibition Hall of Chinese Avalokitesvara Statues" and are recognized as "a pearl on the crown of Chinese grotto art."

After lunch, we went to Baodingshan. First, we visited the Dazu Rock Carvings Museum, which systematically introduces the past and present of the Dazu Rock Carvings and displays a large number of artifacts.

The cliff carvings at Baodingshan began in the Southern Song dynasty. Within a radius of 2.5 kilometers, buddha images are carved all over the rock faces. All carvings are illustrated and annotated, with no two niches the same. There are more than 360 giant carvings, among which the most famous include the Nirvana of the Buddha, the Three Holy Ones of the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Ox-Herding Picture, and the Nine Grades of Rebirth.

Unlike the other four major grottoes in China, the Dazu Rock Carvings include many carvings in the form of comic strips, such as the Ox-Herding Picture and the Nine Grades of Rebirth, which are interlinked and form a continuous narrative. It is said that the Dazu Rock Carvings, hidden in the southwest corner, were first discovered in the 1940s. At that time, Liang Sicheng and other members of the Society for the Study of Chinese Architecture first investigated the cliff carvings at Beishan and Baodingshan in Dazu. Later, Yang Jialuo and others organized the "Dazu Rock Carvings Investigation Group" for a more comprehensive investigation and demonstration. They first announced to the country that the Dazu Rock Carvings could stand alongside Yungang and Longmen as the third major site, laying the foundation for the fame of these carvings that had been lost in historical records.

The "Three Holy Ones of the Avatamsaka Sutra" show Vairocana Buddha in the center, with a snail-shaped bun from which two rays of light emerge. His left hand forms a mudra, and his right hand extends forward. On the left is Samantabhadra, wearing a tall floral crown, holding a stupa in front of his chest with both hands. On the right is Manjusri, also wearing a tall floral crown, holding a seven-tiered stupa with his left hand in front of his chest, and his right hand supporting the tower. All three statues are about 7 meters tall and 2 meters wide, with kind and serene expressions, eyes looking downward, and feet on lotus pedestals.

The hands of the three main statues extend forward, leaning nearly 20 degrees, so that viewers nearby can look directly at their faces. In particular, Manjusri holds a 1.85-meter-high seven-tiered stupa, with his arm extending 1.2-2 meters into the air, and the combined weight of the stupa and hand is nearly a thousand jin. To prevent the arm from breaking, the craftsmen successfully applied the principles of architectural mechanics, boldly carving wide-sleeved monastic robes that drape over the shoulders and hang down, connecting with the body, cleverly shifting the center of gravity to the main statue.

At Baodingshan Grotto in Dazu, there is a 1,000-handed Avalokitesvara cliff carving, with a history of over 800 years, known as a unique wonder in the world!

This true thousand-handed Avalokitesvara created by ancient Chinese artists has arms crisscrossing like a peacock spreading its tail. Upon closer inspection, no two arms are exactly the same, presenting a myriad of postures.

The Nirvana of the Buddha is one of the most spectacular parts of the Dazu Rock Carvings. The huge Buddha is only partially carved, with only the upper body visible, the lower body blended into the mountain. The Buddha looks serene and compassionate, with a clear, handsome face.

In front of the reclining Buddha, there are fourteen figures, including sravakas, bodhisattvas, Sakra, and protectors, standing solemnly with their upper bodies exposed. They are the disciples who came to the Buddha's side upon hearing of his nirvana. These disciples have sorrowful expressions, reluctant to part. Different from other carvings of Buddha's nirvana, this one includes two figures on either side of the Buddha: Zhao Zhifeng, the promoter of the Dazu Rock Carvings, and his master Liu Benzun, both practitioners of Sichuan Tantric Buddhism.

In the evening, we went to the Sichuan City 22 Sichuan Restaurant and ate spicy chicken, candied glutinous rice balls, etc. The "22" refers to the fact that the restaurant is on the 22nd floor. It was packed with people, but the dining environment was nice. After eating, we went up to the rooftop garden to enjoy the view.

In the evening, we walked to Hongyadong and truly experienced its popularity. The streets were crowded, and it was almost impossible to move.

The next morning, we took the subway to Chongqing People's Grand Hall. The Chongqing People's Grand Hall, built in 1954, is a complex modeled after the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. It is a masterpiece combining traditional Chinese palace architectural style with the large-span structure of Western architecture and is one of Chongqing's landmark buildings.

The large dome inside gives a feeling of being in a foreign country. The large red pillars on both sides of the stage are said to be made of golden-thread nanmu. Such thick and straight golden-thread nanmu must be invaluable now!