[2025 Chongqing ] Travel Guide for Changle Yongkang Shichaomen (Updated Jul)

Banyan trees thrive on cliffs, evergreen all year round, resilient to high temperatures and humidity, much like the personality of Chongqing locals. "The landscape shapes its people"—how true these words are! As a Chengdu native, Chongqing was always close by, yet as a child, I never felt any curiosity about this neighboring city, never had the urge to visit. It wasn't until high school when I read Han Suyin's novel *The Mountain Is Young* that a burning desire to explore Chongqing was ignited in me! But life kept getting in the way, delaying the trip year after year—until today, when the dream finally came true! My first impression of Chongqing was awe-inspiring! The mountainous terrain creates dramatic elevation changes, making buildings that are actually far apart appear startlingly close. No matter where you stand, the city looms like a colossal entity, with everything stretching upward in height or plunging downward in depth. Visiting Chongqing is sure to impress, but living here might feel overwhelmingly crowded and oppressive—perhaps explaining the locals' fiery temper, with little room for ease! Chengdu, in contrast, is flat and open, fostering a more laid-back attitude. Many Chengdu folks love saying, "Take it slow, no rush." A Chongqing local meeting a Chengdu native might just feel like dying of impatience!

||. Chongqing｜Shancheng Lane, a "3D maze" on the edge of a cliff |||Walking up the bluestone road along the cliff, you will find a mountain city alley that combines natural landscape and cultural history. Shancheng Lane, how to describe it? It feels more Chongqing than Shibati. Going all the way up from the foot of the mountain, there is a cliff on the left side of the main street, overlooking the market landscape and the Yangtze River; on the right back, there are several streets and unique residential buildings, quiet courtyards, unique stilt houses, and deep air-raid shelters. Wherever you go, there is a unique cave where you can feel the mellow history and culture of Pakistan and Chongqing. It is said that a long time ago, Shancheng Lane was a very ordinary residential alley. Its history can be traced back to 1900, when French missionaries lit lanterns for passers-by here, hence the name "Sky Lantern Lane" and "Sky Lantern Street". In 1972, it was renamed "Shancheng Lane", becoming the only street in Chongqing named after "Mountain City". Check-in recommendation: ️Shanchengxiang Memory Museum The Shancheng Memory Museum is located on the right side of the entrance to Shancheng Lane. The museum has collected a large number of old objects, old photos and architectural models, recording the development history of old Chongqing. ️Walk around the city wall There is a cliff on the outside of the pedestrian plank road around the city wall, and the inside is close to the ancient city wall with a history of more than 2,000 years. Going up along the road to the mountainside, the platform displays many old objects preserved in the mountain city alleys, including old house numbers and abacus, cattail leaf fans, washboards, old sewing machines, etc. Climb to a high place and look down from the railing to take in the beautiful scenery on both sides of the Yangtze River. ️ Changle Yongkang Shichaomen The front door is 4 meters high and about 2 meters wide. It was built in the late Qing Dynasty. There are four characters above the front door: "Changle Yongkang", which means eternal happiness and eternal health, and reflects people's high hopes for life. The entrance is a teahouse with the characteristics of old Chongqing, and there is a deep air-raid shelter that leads directly to the scenic area. ️Tixintang Zhou Jiansan is the real estate of Liu Xiang, the adjutant of Sichuan military general and one of the founding shareholders of Meifeng Bank. It is a brick and wood structure on the first floor, with a hard mountain roof and small green tile pavement. There are many exquisite gray plastics and carved doors and windows. It is a typical traditional southern residential courtyard. Tixintang was once a famous relief hall, but has now been converted into a B&B. ️The old site of Ren'ai Hall This typical European building was built between 1900 and 1902 and stood in Shancheng Lane for more than 100 years. Traditional Chinese hip roofs with dormers in some parts include churches built by the French Catholic Church, priests' and nuns' quarters, the Ren'aitang Hospital and the bell tower. ️Houlu The Shikumen-style Houlu next to the Ming Dynasty Shichaomen may be the largest historical building in the area. It was built in the 1930s, with an eight-character door, a stone front door, a hanging hillside roof, a brick and wood structure, and a U-shaped courtyard pattern of the official residence of the Republic of China.

Chongqing, known as the mountain city, the city of bridges, and the river city, has many nicknames, each symbolizing the typical image of Chongqing. However, there is only one street named after the mountain city in Chongqing, which is Shancheng Lane located in Nanjimen Street, Yuzhong District. Shancheng Lane starts from Nanjimen and ends at Consulate Lane. The entire old street is built along the mountain and is almost entirely composed of steps, reflecting the characteristics of the mountain city and is a microcosm of Chongqing as a historical and cultural city. Walking in Shancheng Lane, you can still see the Renai Hall with a history of hundreds of years, the Shichao Gate left over from the Qing Dynasty, and modern residential buildings, etc. Nowadays, many people also call Shancheng Lane as Shancheng Pedestrian Street, which is also one of the places that best reflect the original appearance of Chongqing. In Shancheng Lane, two arch Shichao Gates are still preserved today. The first one encountered along the way is the Changle Yongkang Shichao Gate built during the Qing Dynasty. It sits northwest and faces southeast, with a height of 4 meters and a width of about 2 meters. The four characters of Changle Yongkang are engraved on the gate, symbolizing constant joy and eternal health. The inscriptions and stone carvings on the gate are severely weathered, and the courtyard and buildings inside the gate are hard to find due to years of disrepair. Although the main body of the building has disappeared, the preserved gate witnesses the history of Shancheng Lane, tells the past glory, reflects the local architectural style and cultural environment, and has certain significance for studying local social history.