←All destinationsChongqing Mountain City
River City · Heritage
OVERVIEW
Layered nightscape where two rivers meet
Stairways, monorail, bridges and riverbank interlock at different heights, and the city only makes sense once you walk it.
“The mountain city is not a flat map; it is a walk that keeps changing altitude.
— From a ramp into a stairwell, then through a residential block out to the riverbank — your sense of direction is rewritten at every turn.
HIGHLIGHTS
Two rivers after dark
Read the city lights from two heights: the bridge and the bank.
Cut through the old streets
Let walking connect the ramps, the markets and the riverside blocks.
HISTORY
From Jiangzhou to Chongqing
In the Warring States period the state of Ba made its capital where the two rivers meet and called it Jiangzhou. After Qin took Ba it garrisoned troops here and walled the Ba commandery city, on the ground near today's Chaotianmen — the founding of Chongqing. In 581 the prefecture was renamed Yuzhou after the Jialing's old name, the Yu, which is why the city's one-character name is still Yu. In 1189 Zhao Dun was made Prince of Gong and then took the throne, called it a double blessing, and raised Gongzhou to Chongqing prefecture. Treaty port at the end of the Qing, wartime capital in the 1930s and 40s, directly administered municipality again from 1997 — the city has always been changed by its rivers.
GETTING THERE
How to arrive
High-speed rail
Chongqingbei and Chongqingxi are the main hubs, where the Chengdu, Zhengzhou and Wanzhou lines meet.
By air
Jiangbei International connects to the centre on metro lines 10 and 3 in about 40 minutes.
Getting around
Favour the metro and your own feet. Two places with the same name may sit at different heights, and a map's straight-line distance often means nothing here.
GOOD TO KNOW
Before you go
Seasonal Guidance
- Spring and autumn suit long walks across the city
- Winter mist gives the river city more depth
Getting around
- Favour the metro and your own feet
- Two places with the same name may sit at different heights
When to look
- Reach the bank before sunset
- Allow extra time for the ramps at night