Chongqing, Wulong & Dazu Rock Carvings
China\'s most cyberpunk city, a natural limestone bridge formation that looks like Pandora, and 50,000 Buddhist statues carved into cliffs.
Route Overview
Chongqing is China\'s most dramatic city — built on steep hills at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, with a skyline that rivals Hong Kong and a metro line that runs through a residential building. Wulong\'s Three Natural Bridges are colossal limestone arches featured in Transformers 4. Dazu Rock Carvings are 50,000 Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian statues carved between the 7th and 13th centuries — less famous than Dunhuang but arguably more impressive in scale and preservation.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Chongqing City
Morning: Ciqikou Ancient Town — a 1,000-year-old porcelain trading port with flagstone streets and river views. Afternoon: Hongyadong — an 11-storey stilt-house complex built into a cliff face, lit up like a Chinese fantasy film at night. Evening: Chongqing hot pot at a local place (NOT the tourist ones in Hongyadong). The real Chongqing hot pot is 90% chillies and 10% broth — locals say 'if you're not crying, it's not hot enough'.
Day 2: Wulong Karst
Take the 2-hour high-speed train from Chongqing North to Wulong (¥65). Wulong's Three Natural Bridges are three massive limestone arches — Tianlong (Sky Dragon, 235m high), Qinglong (Azure Dragon), and Heilong (Black Dragon) — spanning a 1.2 km gorge. You walk through the gorge floor looking up at arches big enough to fit a 30-storey building. The site also includes the Houping Giant Sinkhole, a 300m-deep limestone crater. Return to Chongqing by evening.
Day 3: Dazu Rock Carvings
Take the 1-hour high-speed train from Chongqing West to Dazu (¥45), then a 30-minute bus to the carvings. The Beishan (North Hill) site has 10,000 statues from the late Tang dynasty (9th century) — intricate, graceful, and well-preserved. The Baodingshan (Treasure Top Mountain) site is the masterpiece: a 500m cliff face with 10,000 figures carved into a continuous narrative of Buddhist hell and paradise, created between 1174-1252 under the monk Zhao Zhifeng. The 'Hell Scenes' panel is gruesome and unforgettable.
Day 4 (optional): Chongqing Deep Dive
Morning: take the Yangtze River Cableway (¥20) — a gondola across the river with skyline views. Visit the Three Gorges Museum (free, excellent overview of the Yangtze and the dam project). Afternoon: Eling Park for the best panoramic view of Chongqing's skyline. Evening: the 'ghost town' of Fengdu or prepare for your Yangtze cruise departure.
Planning This Route
Getting There
Chongqing Jiangbei Airport (CKG) has international flights from Seoul, Bangkok, Singapore, and domestic from everywhere. The metro connects the airport to downtown (Line 3, ¥7). Chongqing is also a major high-speed rail hub — Chengdu (1 hr, ¥150), Xi'an (5 hrs, ¥280).
Where to Stay
Jiefangbei area for the skyline views ($50-120/night). Nanbin Road (south bank) for river views of the Hongyadong skyline ($40-100/night). The Regent Chongqing has the best river-view rooms (¥1,200-2,000).
Chongqing Hot Pot Guide
Real Chongqing hot pot uses 牛油 (beef tallow) as the base, not vegetable oil. It is SIGNIFICANTLY spicier than Chengdu hot pot. Order: tripe (毛肚, 15 seconds), aorta (黄喉, 30 seconds), beef (嫩牛肉), and lotus root (藕片). Dip in sesame oil (not soy sauce) to cut the heat. The best local places are in the Shapingba and Nan'an districts.
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