Livin’ in The Chonx

Ba Guo Cheng 巴国城
• Free admission

This area is actually an apartment community with a twist. All around the towering apartment buildings clustered in the center is an encircling neighborhood of low buildings built in the style of ancient Chinese architecture. Ba was the name for the region and the people who lived in the Chongqing area in ancient times, and this neighborhood is meant to bring some of that history back to life. The newly constructed “ancient” town is complete with stone bridges, a cultural history square, and a museum.

Bus Tip: 巴国城 [the long name is 绿韵康城南(巴国城)]

Light Rail Tip: 马王场 (Mawangchang) + a 5-10 RMB taxi

Da Du Kou Gong Yuan 大渡口公园
• Free Admission

Perhaps because of its remote location (almost the southernmost section of the city), this park is remarkably well kept. The water and landscaping looks clean and relatively litter free. This is a nice place to escape the city and feed the ducks.

Bus Tip: 大渡口区府(文体路)

Light Rail Tip: 大渡口 (Dadukou)

Sichuan Mei Shu Xue Yuan 四川美术学院
• Public Area—Free admission; No opening/closing hours
The neighborhood surrounding Chongqing’s art school and the campus itself is quite a sight. The old Communist standard concrete apartment buildings have all received a radical facelift. Bold colors have been liberally splashed upon the walls in abstract swirls and zigzags or in some cases in the form of larger than life cartoons. Inside the campus the buildings have toned down a bit, but there are sculptures dotting the landscaping.

Art Museum: Mei Shu Guan 美术馆
• Admission 10 RMB; Open 10-5; Closed on Mondays
Located within the campus is a sizable art museum with regularly rotating collections of art from around the world.

Bus Tip: 黄桷坪[川美老校区] or 杨家坪 (change buses or 10 RMB taxi)

Dong Wu Yuan 动物园
• Admission 20 RMB

The zoo is located directly across from the only Walmart in Chongqing. If you are living in Chongqing it might be worth it to visit the zoo at least once. Unlike many of the zoos here, this one is relatively well kept, the animals look healthy, and some attempt has been made to make their habitats more natural. The main attraction is the pandas, which are front and center upon entering the zoo. Depending on when you arrive you just might get lucky and they will be moving about doing the cute panda things that they do to entertain humans and keep their species around.

Bus Tip: 动物园 [区府] or 杨家坪
Light Rail Tip: 动物园 (Dongwuyuan)

Hua Yan Si 华岩寺
• Admission 15 RMB for the scenic area; free admission for temple

This temple sits upon a large scenic area on the far southwest side of town. There are two stories for how the place got its name, both relating to flowers which in Chinese is pronounced “hua” (different tone and character from the one that is actually used in the name of this temple though…). As one would expect from a temple, the surroundings are serene and ideal for getting back in touch with your spiritual side.

Bus Tip: 华岩寺 or 华岩 (Most buses pass through the Daping & Shapingba areas of town—instead of going through the Yangjiaping area that it is actually closer to)