Caravan Travel Service

Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG; [1]) is served by flights from Nagoya, Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, Bangkok, Munich, and and other Chinese cities, as below: Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Sanya, Xiamen, Wenzhou, Lhasa, Zhuhai, Haikou, Urumqi, Shenyang, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Xi’an, Jinan, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Taiyuan, Nanning, Kunming, Ningbo, Panzhihua, Guiyang, Changchun, Jinjiang, Hefei, Chengdu, Yichang.

By train

Trains arrive daily at the Chongqing station, including the daily T9/T10 express train from/to Beijing, a 25-hour ride.There are three train stations in Chongqing: Caiyuanba (in Yuzhong District), Shapingba (in Shapingba District), Chongqingbeizhan (in Jiangbei District)

Where to go

Chongqing Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street (Jiefangbei Shangye Buxingjie)

Jiefangbei stands in the most prosperous downtown of Chongqing. Jiefangbei, or the People’ s Liberation Monument, formerly known as the Monument of Victory in the War of Resistance, is a 27.5 meter highs structure. It is the Center of the city marked as Chongqing’s commercial heart. It is isolated by broad, paved pedestrian square and glassy offices. The shopping square, completed at the end of 1997, is 400 meters from east to west, and 350 meters from north to south, covering an area of 24,400 square meters.

Around the square are more than 3,000 stores and shops of various kinds, with two dozen large malls and shopping centers, a dozen star-grade hotels, and over 300 establishments and offices such as banks, stock markets, postal and telecommunication services and places for entertainment.

[edit] Great Hall of the People

Chongqing’s Great Hall of the People (and the People’s Square in front of the Hall) is an architectural symbol of Chongqing city. Its construction began in 1951, but its design is traditional and mirrors those of China’s ancient classical dynasties. It somewhat resembles an enlarged version of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. The People’s Square was only completed in 1997 and is decorated with trees and flowers. The ground of the square is paved with smooth marble tiles; there is magic music fountain; at the southern end of the square stands a stage for performances in the open air. You may see thousands of people dancing on the square in the numerous beautiful lights in the evening.

[edit] Zha Zi Dong

This is one of two Guomingdang prisons located in Shapingba, the other being Bai Gong Guan. Both are located at the base of Ge Le Mountain in Lie Shi Mu. Za Zi Dong offers a unique look at a 1940’s era prison and the horrors that took place there when nearly 300 communist political prisoners were massacred at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. The entire area was also once the location of the Sino American Cooperative Organization (SACO), a camp where Jiang Jie Shi’s (Chang Kai Shek) elite troops were trained. Unfortunately the attrocities that took place and the American presence are often connected, while it’s not universally agreed they are.

What to Buy

Food:

Preserved Dried Beef (Niu Rou Gan)

Spicy Fine Beef Threads (Deng Ying Niu Rou ) (highly recommended)

Curiously Flavoured Horsebean (Guai Wei Hu Dou)

Souvenirs:

The local “Tan Mu Jiang” (Carpenter Tan) carpentry shop is worth a visit for its fine wood artwares.

Chongqing is a harbor city and with this comes what is called “matou wenhua” or “dockside culture”. This culture is blamed for a lot of things from cursing to…Hot Pot.

Hot Pot, called huoguo, or “firepot” in Chinese is one of Chongqing’s claims to fame. In cities across China, one can find hot pot restaurants, but only Chongqing people can really stand a real hot pot, so if you want authenticity, get it while you can in Chongqing.

When ordering Hot Pot you have a a choice between three kinds. First, the spicy version called “hong tang” or “red soup”. Then there is one without any spices. This is basically a bone soup, and it is tasty. To get this, simply ask for “yuan wei” or tell them “wo bu yao la” which means “I don’t want the spicy stuff!” Finally there is a compromise with Yuan Yang Huo Guo (Yuan Yang Hot Pot), which is basically a pot split down the middle with the spicy stuff on one side and the mild on the other.

For those who like spicy but don’t like it too spicy, it is possible to order “wei la hong tang” which is “red soup without the jolt”. It’s a nice mild experience.

For those who can not speak Chinese, it would be best to grab a Chinese friend to take you, though be warned, you’ll have to put up with a lot of drinking, you’ll be forced to smoke more than you normally would, and some of the things they go slipping into the pot might not be your cup of tea.

Drink:

There are many bars in Chongqing, but most are underpopulated. Several branches of the Newcastle Arms offer the closest thing to proper beer, but be sure they get your beer from the pump and not the slop tray. A pint of McEwan’s will cost you ¥25, but during happy hour you can get two for one. The best Bar in Chongqing is Dee Dee’s bar located in Nanping south of the Yangtze river near to the Holiday Inn. You will usually find some non-Chinese there most nights. The local bottled beer is ¥10, and the variety includes several local beers and even Guinness on occasions. If you go to one of the small restaurants to eat, you can buy bottles of local beer at ¥3 upwards.