Chongqing Travel Guide

WulongTiansheng Three Bridges is a Unesco World Heritage Site located about 20km away from Wulong County and a filmmaking location for the films “Curse of the Golden Flower” and “Transformers 4”. It is a precious eco-system site which is famous for the karst topography expecially the Tiankeng or natural sinkhole in the world. The site has three stone arch bridges that are deemed as " natural arch bridges in the world". They are namely Tianlong(Sky Dragon) Bridge, Qinglong (Green Dragon) Bridge, and Heilong (Black Dragon) Bridge. It is the largest natural stone bridge group in Asia.

Yangtze River Cableway has developed into a must-visit attraction for tourists in Chongqing. The cableway starts at Chang'an Temple (Xinhua Road) in Yuzhong District and crosses the Yangtze River to Shangxin Street (Longmenhao) in the Nan'an District. As you take the cableway and travel to the other side of the river, you can see the scenery of the skyscrapers, the Yangtze River, and the south bank of the river. There is a saying that “If you don't see the night view, you have not been to Chongqing”. So take the Yangtze River cableway so have a glimpse of Chongqing's night skyline. The Yangtze River cableway has also become a favourite for many filmmakers in Chongqing. Whenever there are cableway footages in domestic film and television dramas, the audience will know that it was shot in Chongqing.

The White Emperor City Qutang Gorge Scenic Spot is located on Baidi Mountain along the northern bank of the Yangtze River at the entrance of Qutang Gorge in Fengjie County, Chongqing. Situated at the western entrance of the Three Gorges, it faces Kuimen to the east, Baiyan Mountain across the river to the south, Fengjie County to the west, and Jigong Mountain to the north, approximately 10 km east of Fengjie County. Covering an area of 6 km², the attraction primarily consists of two major sections—White Emperor City and Qutang Gorge—featuring numerous historical sites that blend nature with culture, poetry with wartime legacy, serving as the starting point to experience the grandeur of the Three Gorges. Officially opened to the public in 1978, it was among China's first batch of nationally opened attractions.

The attraction was originally named White Emperor City Qutang Gorge Scenic Spot. During the late Western Han Dynasty, Gongsun Shu built a fortified city in this strategic location. In 25 AD, he proclaimed himself the White Emperor and renamed the city White Emperor City. In 36 AD, the White Emperor Temple was constructed on White Emperor Mountain to worship Gongsun Shu. During the 12th year of Emperor Jiajing's reign in the Ming Dynasty (1533 AD), the temple began honoring Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang instead. Throughout the Tang and Song dynasties, renowned poets such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, and Liu Yuxi visited, resided, or served as officials here, leaving behind numerous immortal poems, earning it the reputation as the "City of Poetry." After the Three Gorges Dam project raised the water level to 175 m, the White Emperor City, now surrounded by water on all sides, has become a "green island" in the "high gorge flat lake."

Qutang Gorge, adjacent to Baidi City, spans 8 km and combines grandeur, wonder, danger, and steepness as the shortest, narrowest, and most perilous section of the Three Gorges. On its northern bank at Chijia Mountain, visitors can explore three cultural sites—Laoguanmiao, Daxi, and Wushan Ape Man—along with attractions like the Laoguanmiao signal tower, Chijia Tower, ancient cannon platforms, cliffside plank roads, and hanging coffins in Fengxiang Gorge. The southern Baiyan Mountain features remnants of Mengliang Ladder's ancient path, cliff carvings, Rhinoceros Gazing at the Moon Peak, and Ape Man Peak—showcasing 2 million years of China's human development history.

Kuimen, also known as Qutang Pass, is a spectacular sight within the Qutang Gorge, renowned as "the most majestic under heaven." Located at the western entrance of Qutang Gorge, it has historically been a strategic military stronghold, guarding the passage between Bashu in the west and Jingchu in the east. The towering cliffs on both banks rise steeply like axes and knives, standing upright with the mighty Yangtze River flowing through the middle. The narrow gorge forms a natural gate, locking the river within its embrace—this is Kuimen. Celebrated for its grandeur, Kuimen was praised in ancient times as "the most majestic gate under heaven" and is now honored as "China's gateway of landscapes." It is featured on the background of the CNY 10 note in the fifth series of RMB.

Stand higher, see more, the view changes with altitude, endless scenery awaits at high altitudes.

"Peak of the Mountain City · Eye of Chongqing" Yangtze River Cableway Sky View Deck is a gathering place for urban landscapes from a divine perspective and a popular photography spot in Chongqing's photography circle. It also features "Cloud Radio" and "Cloud Blessing" projects.

From the 67th floor indoor observation deck and the 72nd floor helipad observation deck, visitors can enjoy a 360° unobstructed panoramic view of Chongqing's urban forest and the scenery along both rivers. During the day, gaze up at the vast blue sky and look down at the endless cityscape. At night, marvel at the starry sky above and the glittering city lights below, offering a unique "Skywalker" experience in this city in the sky.

The Dazu Rock Carvings in the Dazu District of Chongqing City is a world cultural heritage site. The Dazu Rock Carvings include Baoding Mountain, Beishan Mountain, Nanshan Mountain and others. Here, you can enjoy seeing the well-preserved stone carving art from the Tang and Song Dynasties. Among the many stone carving groups, the Baoding Mountain and Beishan Stone Carvings are the most famous. Baoding Mountain's “Picture of the six stages of reincarnation” and “Picture of the retribution for the ten deadly sins” are worth savoring in detail. The Buddha statues in Beishan Mountain include both the simplicity of the Tang Dynasty's sculpture and the beauty of the Song Dynasty's sculpture.

Peak of Three Gorges is located at the summit of Chijia Mountain, above Kuimen. The attraction stretches over 10 km, starting from Zuofangcao in the north, overlooking Baiyan Mountain in the south, facing Baidi Poetry City in the west, and bordering Wushan Airport in the east. Named after Du Fu's poem "Kuizhou Songs: Ten Quatrains" which describes "Chijia and Baiyan piercing the sky, with winding paths reaching the mountain peak," it officially opened on May 1, 2020, and was rated as a National AAAA-level tourist attraction in October 2020.

Located in one of the birthplaces of ancient Kuile music from over 4,000 years ago, this attraction honors Kui, a legendary musician and the originator of ceremonial music in Chinese history. It seamlessly blends lush landscapes with cultural roots, music, and dance, vividly portraying the timeless beauty of "green mountains as an eternal painting, clear waters as an ageless zither." The site features sacred music landmarks including the Kuile Drum Altar, Siwang Music Platform, Statue of the Music Ancestor, Kuile Gate, Bamboo Rhythm Pavilion, and Welcoming Dragon Terrace.

The highest point of the attraction stands at an elevation of 1,388m, representing the pinnacle of the Yangtze River Three Gorges in physical form, the most breathtaking view, the highest cultural significance, the supreme spiritual level, and the ultimate in green development. Ascending to this spot, you'll find yourself surrounded by swirling clouds and radiant sunsets. Gazing into the distance, you'll see endless mountain ranges and towering peaks. Looking down from above, the Yangtze River winds like a jade ribbon. Step onto the glass walkway to experience the unparalleled sensation of "standing atop the highest peak and surveying all smaller mountains below," taking in a panoramic landscape painting that intertwines suspension, thrill, awe, and wonder.

The 816 Project Scenic Spot is located in Baitao Street, Fuling District, Chongqing City. It is a nuclear raw material production base independently designed and constructed by the People's Republic of China and deployed in a cave. It has the top-secret code name "816". The construction was approved by the Central Military Commission in 1966. Its full name is the "Third-line Construction Atomic Energy Reactor and Chemical Reprocessing Project." It is a typical representative of more than 1,100 projects in the "Third Line Construction" of New China. That year, more than 60,000 construction troops from across the country were mobilized to Baitao to start the 18-year project construction. The project has gone through three stages: emergency construction, delayed construction, and construction suspension. The total excavation area is 104,000 square meters. The tunnel consists of 18 large holes and more than 130 pilot tunnels, branch tunnels, tunnels and shafts. The main cavern is as high as 79 . 6 meters. By 1984, 85% of the construction work had been completed, and about 60% of the installation work had been completed. The total investment reached 746 million yuan (price in that year). Due to the complexity and arduousness of the engineering design and construction, it is known as the "Three Gorges in the Cave, the Underground Great Wall" and the "Heshi Bi buried deep in the mountains". It also has the characteristics of the "Three Gods" of magic, mystery and sacredness.

102 component storage pool

The location where CCTV's “Going to the Grassroots” special report “Remember” column covers an area of 1,326 square meters. Its main function is to accept components and non-working blocks removed from the reactor, as well as store and classify non-working blocks. The 102 factory building is divided into two parts: the operation room and the pool. Each pool is equipped with water gates (9 sets in total) for the pool to be filled and drained in turn. There are 400 bucket positions with poles in the entire pool for long-term storage of original parts and non-working blocks. After the components are stored for one year, they will be cleaned by special water. Send it down the corridor to Factory 818.

Ring Road 8

Located in the post-processing area of ​​the entire project. It is huge in size, majestic in surroundings, and the beautiful lights perfectly outline the majesty of the cave. You might as well come here to explore the mystery and magic of the original ecological cave.

Reactor pot bottom

Located on the third floor of the main reactor. There are many pipe corridors above the bottom of the pot, which is spectacular. The construction of the glass corridor allows visitors to have a better experience, walk quietly under the pot, and overlook the long nuclear light.

central control room

Located on the ninth floor of the reactor. The most advanced computer body in the country at that time was housed here, which was the "heart" of the entire military industry cave and the central hub for coordinating the entire nuclear fuel manufacturing process.

The 104 Nuclear Power Plant is 31.2 meters high and 25 meters wide. The reactor is a dual-purpose reactor for production and power generation. It uses its nuclear waste heat to generate electricity in accordance with the principle of "focusing on nuclear production and supplementing power generation, producing first and then generating electricity".

The Lesser Three Gorges of Wushan refers to the collective name of Longmen Gorge, Bawu Gorge, and Dicui Gorge along the lower reaches of the Daning River in Wushan County, spanning 45 kilometers. It is one of the first AAAAA-rated attractions in China. Recognized as one of "China's Top 40 Tourist Destinations," a "National Scenic Area," and a "Chongqing Civilized Attraction," it has been praised by notable figures as a "Chinese Wonder," "World-Class Spectacle," "Not the Three Gorges, Yet Surpassing Them," and the "World's Most Extraordinary Gorge." The saying goes: "After witnessing the vast sea, other waters pale in comparison; after visiting the Daning River, no other gorge can impress. Having seen the Five Great Mountains, no other peaks are worth seeing; after experiencing the Daning River, no other gorge can compare."

Exploring the Little Three Gorges by boat offers a scenic journey lasting about 4 hours. The attraction features diverse towering peaks, ever-changing misty clouds, serene waterfalls and clear springs, mysterious ancient caves on cliffs, and lush forests and bamboo groves, forming a delicate natural landscape. Visitors can spot playful monkeys climbing trees and cliffs, pairs of mandarin ducks, various waterbirds in flight, and fish swimming in crystal-clear waters, with birdsongs echoing through the woods—a true wildlife paradise. The area also preserves ancient Ba people's cliff coffins, boat coffins, and historic villages, serving as precious historical relics. This unique gorge scenery blends natural beauty with cultural heritage, shining as a brilliant gem along the Yangtze River's Golden Tourism Route.

The main attractions of Little Three Gorges include: Dragon Gate Gorge, Dragon Gate Bridge, Ancient Dragon Gate Village, Calligraphy Rock, Green Lion Guarding the Gate, Lingzhi Peak, Fairy Tossing the Embroidered Ball, Immortal Peach Peak, Lion Peak, Guanyin Sitting on Lotus Throne, Hanging Coffins, White Snake Entering the Cave, Emerald Green Gorge, Ox Liver and Horse Lungs Rock, Cliff Carved Buddha Statues, Heavenly Spring Flying Rain, Luo Family Village, Madu River, Sky-reaching Peak, Golden Monkey Peak, Red Cliff Touching the Sky, Boat Coffins, Twin Eagles Playing on Screen, and Flying Cloud Cave.

The Mini Three Gorges is the sister gorge of the Little Three Gorges, named for being even smaller than its counterpart. It consists of three sections: Sancheng Gorge, Qinwang Gorge, and Changtan Gorge, stretching 15 km in total.

Wushan County's Little Three Gorges earned its name from its exceptionally narrow waterways, strikingly steep mountains, and deep canyons. Within Little Three Gorges, peculiar peaks, mirrored landscapes, and breathtaking scenery create a mesmerizing view. Sheer cliffs stand face-to-face on both sides, with towering rock walls and a narrow river channel that reveals just a sliver of sky, exuding an irresistible wild allure. The oddly shaped stalactites hanging from the cliffs emit an ancient, primitive charm. Drifting through on a boat, one is surrounded by endless greenery and stunning vistas, evoking a pure return to nature and an embrace of its untouched beauty.