Chongqing is a port city with the largest municipal area and population in China. It is situated in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers in southwest China. Chongqing attracts visitors from home and abroad for its cultural heritage and other tourist attractions. The city is the starting point for the Yangtze River Cruise, which explores the stunning scenery of the Three Gorges. Other attractions include the Dazu Rock Carvings , valuable works of art carved during the Ninth Century, Gold Buddhist Mountain, a rich repository of diverse animals and plants; and Fishing Town, one of three ancient battlefields in China. Ancient Ci Qi Kou village lures tourists to linger in its streets to buy handicraft souvenirs. Chongqing is famous for its hot Sichuan cuisine and world-famous hotpot dishes. Street vendors as well as restaurants feature exciting spicy delicacies for the adventurers.
Porcelain Village
Situated on the bank of the Jia Ling River Yangtze is the ancient village of Ci Qi Kou, formerly known as Long Yin. The majority of the houses date from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, periods during which many masterpieces of Chinese architecture were created. Much of the two and three storey construction is of bamboo and timber. Blue bricks and pillars set off the snow-white walls that contrast in turn with vermilion doors and lattice windows. The quietly flowing waters of the Jia Ling River pass by the front of the village and have been its lifeblood for as long as anyone can remember.. The three notable attractions of the village are the tea bars, the artists' studios and the Shu Embroidery workshops. Surprisingly, there are more than a hundred tea bars each with their own particular characteristics. Here friends enjoy a chat or meet to discuss business. The ateliers, where you may see the work of the local artists will be of great interest. You will find the local residents dedicated to their traditional way of life, unaffected by modern influences to be found in the larger towns and cities.
Dazu Rock Carvings
The Dazu Rock Carvings contains all the cliffside carvings in Dazu County. The collection is composed of the rock carvings in Beishan, Baodingshan, Nanshan, Shimenshan as well as Shizhuanshan, all of which are of the highest artistic attainment and demonstrate the most exquisite skills. Dazu County, reputed as 'the county of rock carving' is located at the southeast of Sichuan province. It is 271 kilometers (about 168.4 miles) from Chengdu on its west and 167 kilometers (about 103.8 miles) from Chongqing on its east. The whole county has an area of 1,400 square kilometers (about 540.5 square miles), and it covers a history of 1,230 years since it came into existence in 758 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Among the rock carvings, there are more than 5,000 statues and over100, 000 Chinese characters of inscriptions and epigraphs. The Buddhist statues dominate in this rock carving group, and the Taoist and the Confucian stone figures can also be seen.
General Joseph W. Stilwell Museum
The General Joseph W. Stilwell Museum is situated in the Yuzhong Region of Chongqing. It was founded in memory of Joseph W. Stilwell, an American general who contributed a great deal to the Chinese people.. General Stilwell participated in a series of political and military affairs in the CBI Theatre of World WarⅡ, and cemented a profound friendship with the Chinese people fighting side-by-side in the Anti-Fascist War in China. In July 1944, campaigns in Northern Burma succeeded and a road between India and China was built under his direct supervision, which made ammunitions and weapons accessible to China and brought an end to the blockade of the fascist state. The road was later named Joseph W. Stilwell Road. The main building of the museum is the former residence of General Joseph W. Stilwell. It is a three-storied house, including an office, an adjutant room, two meeting rooms, bedrooms and a basement. Simple furniture is shown as it was during the time that he lived there, and more than one hundred articles such as household goods, manuscripts and the uniform which was used by the general are displayed. In the residence's courtyard, a monument stands in the center on which is engraved a passage of epigraph in both English and Chinese.
Three Gorges Museum
The Museum is situated opposite the Chongqing People's Hall. It is not only the largest monographic museum, but is also a public undertaking for the preservation, education, scientific research in respect of cultural relics and the natural environment of Chongqing and the Three Gorges area. The four basic displays are the Glorious Three Gorges which reflect the cultural and historical spirits of Three Gorges, ancient Ba-Yu which introduces the origin and development of Chongqing history, Chongqing: the City Road which describes the changes of Chongqing City in the 20th century, and the Anti-Japanese War (1937-1945) which records the wartime ordeals of the people in Chongqing. The six themed displays are paintings and calligraphies through the ages, porcelains of various dynasties, coins of various dynasties, sculptures of the Han Dynasty (206BC-220), folk customs of the people of southwest China, cultural relics donated by Li Chuli, and sculptures of the Han Dynasty. Another important exhibit is a 180 panorama of war torn Chongqing depicting the city, when as the provisional capital of China, it was subjected to substantial bombardment by the Japanese over several decades. There is also a 360cinema of Three Gorges that mainly shows the natural and social sceneries of Three Gorges prior to the construction of the dam project.
Northern Hot Springs Park
No stay in Chongqing is complete without a visit to the Northern Hot Springs Park as it has so much to offer the visitors and is rightly considered to be a pearl of the Jialing River. There are four main palaces at the center of the park where you can feel something of the religious culture. To the east of the four palaces there is the Guxiang Garden as well as the Stone Inscription Garden, Fish Pond and Water Lily Pool. Guxiang Garden is the original site of the Hot Springs Temple. To the north of the palaces the park has caves and five ornamental ponds. Naturally, the hot springs are the main feature of the park. There are ten springs altogether in the park and the temperature of the water is a constant 35C-37C (95.0F-98.6F). The water contains alkali minerals that are considered as having beneficial medicinal properties. The warm water offers an excellent way to relax from the stresses of day to day existence and it also benefits those who suffer from skin problems, arthritis and many other common ailments.
People’s Assembly Hall
In 1951, under the leadership of Marshal He Long, an auditorium was to be built at Chongqing to accommodate domestic and overseas guests. Completed in 1954, it was named into the Chongqing People's Assembly Hall in 1955. The hall complex is a cluster of attached structures which contain of the hall and three attached buildings respectively to the east, south and north. Collectively, they cover 66 thousand square meters of which the hall accounts for 18.5 thousand square meters. The hall is 65 meters high and has a capacity of more than 4,000 seats. The hall is in the architectural style of the Ming and the Qing dynasties. It is spanned by greenish glazed tile dome supported by scarlet columns. The dome, its parapet railing and brim gleam under the sun. The building's pillars and other structural members are sculpted ornately. The entire assemblage is nestled round gorgeous lush trees complementing the building visual experience. Another way to experience to the hall is to visit it in the early evening when nearby Chongqing People's Square, in front of the hall, is bustling and thriving. The square is a relaxing casual attraction with a musical fountain and evergreen meadow.
Wulong Karst
Wulong Karst, an important part of South China Karst, is situated at the lower reaches of the Wujiang River southeast of Chongqing. It was named as a world natural heritage by UNESCO in 2007. Wulong Karst features spectacular karst landscapes, including the three main parts of Furong Cave, Three Natural Bridges and Houping Tiankeng (Houping Giant Doline). Wulong Karst is a valuable treasure that nature created. It is a cluster of several karst landscapes, consisting of gorges, natural bridges, caves, eroded dolines, shafts and underground streams. These karst landforms developed in the carbonate rocks, vividly recording the development and evolution of karst terrain in the Three Gorges area since Pleistocene Era. Furong Cave, Three Natural Bridges and Houping Tiankeng are the three representative karst landforms, developing under the condition of intermittent uplifting movement of the earth. The Furong Cave abounds with various karren sediments forming many splendid natural wonders. Houping Giant Doline is the prime example and the largest tiankeng cluster formed by erosion in the world, and the longest underground cavern system in Asia.
Qutang Gorge
Qutang Gorges is the first of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River. The gorge is 8 kilometers long, beginning from Kuimen in the west and ending at Daxi in the east. With vertical cliffs of some thousand meters high as its two flanks, the Qutang Gorge is only a few dozens of meters wide just like a narrow gateway. With swash and rumble, the surging Yangtze River pours into the gateway with great momentum. Looking up towards the tops of towering precipitous mountains along the Gorge, one sees from a boat only a narrow strip of clouds and sky, but under foot the River tears on violently. It is noted for its grandeur and beauty.
Wuxia Gorge
Wuxia Gorge is famed for its deep valley, in another words, deep valley means high mountains aside. This gorge are 45km long, from the Daninghe river of Wushan county to Guandukou of Badong. On a cruise down the Wuxia Gorge, tourists and tour guides' mind are generally on the twelve peaks. Six of the 12 peaks line the north bank: Shengquan, Jixian, Songluan, Shennu, Zhaoyun and Denglong. The other six peaks are on the south bank, three are visible: Juhe, Cuiping and Feilong. Another three of Jingtan, Qiyun and Shangsheng are hidden behind the peaks on the right of Qingshi Stream, a tributary of Yangtze River. The Shennu peak is the most famous one, but it is very small from the ship view.