Chongqing: City History, Museums and Hotpot

Explore Chongqing through a range of themes: sightseeing from above, distinctive city landmarks, Bayu culture, local cuisine, and museums covering history and natural sciences. If you’re looking for hotels in Chongqing, these themes can help you plan your trip: Which sights would you like to visit, and what themes would you like to shape your stay? The places below offer specific points of reference to help you choose.

Views and distinctive city landmarks

The Yangtze River Cableway is a national 4A-rated tourist attraction and a destination for sightseeing from above in central Chongqing. It is also a protected cultural heritage site in the city. For travel on the Chongqing Rail Transit, Xiaoshizi Station is a useful point of reference: Exit 5B is about 20 meters from the cableway, which is served by Lines 1 and 6.

Liziba Station has a dedicated viewing platform with photo areas, a glass walkway and pedestrian access. The extraordinary sight is trains that appear to pass through a building. Hongyadong offers a different connection to the city: it is located at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers and features the traditional Chongqing stilt-house architecture known as diaojiaolou. Visitors can also enjoy Chongqing hotpot there; individual food and drink businesses may change.

Jiefangbei is one of Chongqing’s defining landmarks and is among the city’s ten most important cultural symbols. Visitors who organize their trips by theme rather than by individual sights alone can consider this urban cultural connection alongside architecture, river scenery and cuisine.

Bayu culture and Chongqing’s food history

Ciqikou Ancient Town is considered one of the best places to experience traditional Bayu residences, folk customs and local life. Ciqikou was also one of the first historic and cultural urban districts in China to be placed under national protection by the State Council. For travel on the Chongqing Rail Transit, Ciqikou Station on Line 1 is a useful point of reference.

The history of Chongqing hotpot also leads to specific places in the city: it originated in the late Ming and early Qing periods (1600–1644) as a simple meal for boatmen and trackers on the banks of the Jialing River and at Chaotianmen Wharf. Tasting it can also give visitors insight into Chongqing’s local eating habits. This dish therefore offers a glimpse into both food culture and its historical connection to life on the water.

The Huguang Guild Hall has an immigration museum and a museum of commemorative plaques open to the public. The two museums add different areas of focus to the city’s historical themes, while Ciqikou highlights Bayu residences, folk customs and local life.

Museums covering city history and natural sciences

The Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum, together with the adjacent Chongqing People’s Square and the Chongqing Great Hall of the People, forms an urban cultural complex of particular significance. As a comprehensive history and art museum, it explores Bayu culture, Three Gorges culture, wartime culture, immigration culture and urban culture. In addition to the main museum, the institution includes four other facilities: the Chongqing Baiheliang Underwater Museum, the Chongqing Soong Ching Ling Memorial Museum, the Tushan Kiln ruins site, and the Chongqing Three Gorges Cultural Relics Science and Technology Protection Base.

As a multidisciplinary museum, the Chongqing Natural History Museum is dedicated to the study and public communication of natural sciences, and is a national 4A-rated tourist attraction. Its new building houses six permanent exhibitions that highlight the relationships between natural resources, the environment and human activity. Its focus therefore differs clearly from the urban and cultural history covered by the Three Gorges Museum.

Transport and practical information

A visitor information notice dated January 23, 2025, describes Chongqing’s bus network, “Urban Sightseeing · Roaming Chongqing,” as connecting several popular attractions, including Jiefangbei, Hongyadong, Chaotianmen, Ciqikou and Nanbin Road. Routes and services may change, so check the latest information before traveling.

For a broader travel overview: Chongqing.