Chongqing City Core
Ciqikou Old Town
Perched on a hill overlooking the Jialing River in the west of the city, Ciqikou Old Town dates back to the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The main road is lined with teahouses, shops and restaurants; but there is still an air of authenticity about the place, most probably because behind the shop fronts lies a living, breathing "real" village. Several teahouses feature daily performances of traditional Chinese music and art.
Chongqing People's Liberation Monument
Chongqing People's Liberation Monument was built in 1945 to commemorate the victory over the Japanese in WWII. It was renamed in 1950 to commemorate the Communist conquest of the area. It is in a large pedestrian shopping plaza that is in the Yuzhong District that is regarded as the commercial center and financial center of Chongqing. There are a lot of stores, bookstores, theaters, hotels and office buildings around it. A snacks street where people can go to eat is 300 meters away. The Chongqing People’s Liberation Monument area is the city’s main shopping and business area.
Three Gorges Museum
The China Three Gorges Museum was opened in 2005. It is a newly built museum with a construction area of about 40,000 square meters. It is near People’s Square and the Great Hall of the People. It is also called the Chongqing Museum. There are displays of Chinese art and of artifacts saved from the construction of the 3 Gorges Dam and the artificial lake. It instructs on the 3 Gorges region, the 3 Gorges Dam, the history of Chongqing and the surrounding area, Chinese history, and prehistoric times.
Great Hall of the People
Chongqing People's Hall was built between 1951 and 1954. It was called the Sino-Soviet Building. It is a big building. Its dome resembles that of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. It has a 4,000 seat auditorium. It is still considered one of the symbols of Chongqing. In front of it is a large square decorated with fountains and lights.
Ronghui Hot Springs Resort
This hot springs spa/resort is one of Chongqing's favorite tourist attractions. It is easy to reach in the city in the Shapingba District. Snacks, Western and Chinese restaurants, Chinese herbal teas, and comparatively low prices help to make your visit enjoyable. Chongqing is known in the country for its hot spring spas. There are about ten hot spring spas scattered around the city. This is generally considered the best in the city by foreigners.
Chongqing Zoo
Chongqing Zoo was built in 1953 and lies in the southern suburb of Chongqing. It occupies an area of 45 hectares (112 acres), making it one of the biggest urban zoos in China. The panda house alone is about 2 hectares (5 acres) in size. The zoo is home to more than 230 different animal species, and contains a total of more than 6000 animals. The zoo serves as both a reserve and the base of the breeding program for giant pandas, lesser pandas, South China tigers, and other endangered species.
Outer Chongqing
Dazu Rock Carvings
The Dazu Rock Carving is located in the southeast of the Sichuan Basin, 271 kilometers away from the west of Chengdu, 167 kilometers away from the east of Chongqing. The Dazu Rock Carving lies in Dazu County, which is 167 kilometers away from the urban area of Chongqing city. It's a general designation of the stone statues distributed in 76 places in the whole Dazu County. The number of the stone statues amounts to 60,000.
The Dazu Rock Carving is a piece of great work of China's grotto art. It's not only rich in content but also carved with marvelous technique.
Wulong Karst Region
Wulong with its stunning natural scenery and hiking highlights is listed on UNESCO World Heritage List. It has become one of the major attractions around Chongqing for people interested in primitive scenic areas, gorges, wildlife, and caves. Wulong, along with Libo and Shilin karst, are the three regions named on the World Heritage List’s South China Karst. Weathered karst hills, cliffs, rocks, deep gorges and stone bridges are the main attractions in Wulong Karst Region. The rugged scenery is beautiful and unusual like that around Guilin in Guangxi Province.
Fengdu Ghost City
A popular stop on Yangtze River cruises has been the Fengdu “Ghost City.” It used to be a burial area with scores of temples and shrines and a small ancient town. Due to the construction of the 3 Gorges Dam, the ghostly city is underwater. However, a hill and dozens of temples remain in the big artificial lake behind the dam. So that part can still be visited. It is a large burial and temple area. The area above the “Door of Hell” remains. It is interesting that Chinese have traditional conceptions of hell that are somewhat similar to Western ideas. At the site, people can see statues and frescoes about hell with brightly painted images of demons, etc.
Lesser Three Gorges
The Lesser Three Gorges are three valleys of the Daning River in Wushan County. They are called Longmen (Dragon Gate) Gorge, Bawu (Misty) Gorge, and Dicui (Emerald) Gorge. They are a destination of some Yangtze River cruises, and you can book a trip that will take you there. Now that the Three Gorges Dam is built, large cruise ships can go in. The gorges are in a forest with wild animals, and there are sheer cliffs and steep hillsides.
Langzhong Ancient Town
Langzhong enjoys a long history. In the Warring States Period, it was the national capital of the State of Ba. From Han Dynasty to Tang Dynasty, it was the astronomical research centre of China. In Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, Langzhong had been the temporary provincial capital of Sichuan for 19 years at a time. Because of its unique geographical location, Langzhong has been the political, economic, military and cultural center of Sichuan Prvince all along. Langzhong is one of the birth places of Chinese nation's original culture, and it was found that human beings multiplied and lived there early in the Neolithic period.
White Emperor City
BaidiCheng (White Emperor City) is situated at the entrance of Qutang Gorge, north of the Yangtze River. The mini city sits on top of Baidi Hill and has many temples and gates. It is within the boundary of Fengjie County, Chongqing. BaidiCheng is surrounded by water on three sides, and by mountains on the left side. Standing among magnificent and steep mountains and waters, BaidiCheng is extremely beautiful with imposing images. There are nearly 1000 steps to reach the top of the mountain—BaidiCheng Top. From there, the view is that of the majestic Kui Gate (the western tip of Qutang Gorge) and the Caoting River winding down from BaidiCheng Mountain into the Yangtze River.