Chongqing (重庆) · 9 places · 8 cities
9 places in Chongqing, grouped by city. Under each one are two figures from the survey: how much daily life still goes on there, out of 100, and how far it has been turned over to visitors, out of 6.
Most common here: Old town (6), Old quarter of a city (2), Historic street (1). See all provinces, or the background on old towns.
2 places
Jiangjin (江津)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Zhongshan Ancient Town (中山古镇)A 1.5 km street of post-and-beam stilt houses along a stream, occupied. At new year the town lays one continuous banquet table down the length of it.Lived-in 80/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
| Baisha Ancient Town (江津白沙古镇)Eight hundred metres of Ming and Qing stilt houses along the Yangtze, still lived in. The town distils its own baijiu.Lived-in 78/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Hechuan (合川)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Laitan Ancient Town (合川涞滩古镇)Ming and Qing houses inside intact walls, still lived in. The Erfo temple below holds Song-dynasty cliff carvings.Lived-in 74/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Nan’an (南岸)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Xiahaoli-Longmenhao Historic Area (下浩里-龙门浩)Rebuilt but with some original residents kept, in the buildings that went up when Chongqing opened to foreign trade.Lived-in 72/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · little known abroad · some effort to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Qianjiang (黔江)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Zhuoshui Ancient Town (黔江濯水古镇)Rebuilt after a fire in 2013, with some original residents back. Qianjiang chicken offal, which started here, and Tujia brocade.Lived-in 72/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Shapingba (沙坪坝)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Ciqikou Back Hill Residential Area (磁器口后山生活区)The hills behind the tourist street, where people actually live. The contrast with the main lane is the reason to walk up.Lived-in 76/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · little known abroad · easy to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Youyang (酉阳土家族苗族自治县)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Gongtan Ancient Town (龚滩古镇)Three hundred stilt houses on a sixty-degree slope above the Wu river, seventy per cent of the residents Tujia. The whole town was taken down and rebuilt piece by piece when the dam went in.Lived-in 84/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Youyang (酉阳)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Longtan Ancient Town (龙潭古镇)Three kilometres of flagstone street, occupied. Tujia rice tofu and oil-tea soup.Lived-in 76/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Yuzhong (渝中)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Chongqing Mountain City Trail (山城步道)Cliff-side walkways through inhabited Chongqing: people drink tea on the landings, grow vegetables on balconies and hang washing over the path. Small noodles and tofu rice below.Lived-in 76/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · known abroad · some effort to reach | Historic street | Lived-in, quiet |
Which of These Is Still a Town
The two scores narrow the list, and the last step is local: which lanes are worth the walk, which day of the week the place is itself, and where to stay inside the walls. Tell our local team the provinces you will be in and they will say which of these hold up.