Vacation in Chongqing China with Asian Vacations, Inc.

Statues in various shapes in Dazu Grottoes

Chongquing ATTRACTIONS

Zoological Garden
Chongqing Zoological Garden is situated in the western suburbs of Chongqing with undulating green hills, wriggling ravines, and clear waters. In the Garden, the zigzag paths lead to seclusion. An artificial lake is built at the foot of hills, with all kinds of birds either flying above or resting on the lake, and the plants on the island in the middle of the lake are strikingly verdant. Construction of the zoo began in 1953. This attraction is the largest zoological garden in southwest China and one of the largest in the whole country. In these years when many rare birds and animals are on the verge of extinction, zoological gardens have become the most important sites for their protection. Now Chongqing Zoological Garden is raising over 1,000 birds and animals of 170 species. In the Panda Ground at the foot of a hill and by a little stream, visitors can see charmingly naive giant and lesser pandas and their offspring. The pandas, together with the golden monkeys, have visited the United States, Canada, and Japan as good-will envoys of the Chinese people. When the two-year-old giant panda, Star of Sichuan, who had been born and raised in this garden, visited South Korea, people there gave her a warm welcome. At the same time, the giraffes, flamingos, lion-tailed monkeys, ostriches, mandrills, and Arabian baboons from the United States, Canada, and Japan have come to settle in this Chinese garden. In the zoo. there are some teahouses, restaurants, snack counters, and middle-and small-sized entertainment facilities to provide visitors a joyful and elegant touring environment.

Dazu Cave in Chongqing

A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Dazu Grotto Art
Dazu Grottos, 160km northwest of Chongqing, include over 60,000 figures scattered in more than 100 places. They are primarily Buddhist cave sculptures noted for unusual domestic detail as well as purely religious themes. They were carved during the times of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), Five Dynasties (907-960), and Sung Dynasty (960-1279 AD). The two major sites are Beishan (North Hill) and Baodingshan (Baoding Hill). The Beishan sculptures and inscriptions, 1km northwest of Dazu County town include over 10,000 figures of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in various poses; they are famous for their elegance and exquisiteness. The development of Chinese grotto art is obvious as one compares figures from earlier and later periods. The figures carved during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) are decorous, full and round in appearance, and simple and honest in temperament. The sculptures carved during the period of the Five Dynasties are ingenious, subtle, and dainty, with natural and unrestrained looks. The images from the time of the Sung Dynasty are graceful in posture and well-proportioned in physical build; their garments are gorgeous beyond description. These works were finely wrought with human beings and deities ingeniously and skillfully merged in the sculptures. exactly conforming to traditional Chinese aesthetic standards. The Baodingshan sculptures and inscriptions, located 15km northeast of Dazu town, were carved during the Southern Sung Dynasty and are the only extant Buddhist Secret Sect Bodhimandala carved on stone in China. Statues in various shapes in Dazu Grottoes Baodingshan figures are centered around a magnificent 100-foot A carving with lifelike a facial expression reclining Buddha. More than 10,000 figures were carved and inscribed along a nearly 400 m long U-shaped cliff bend, very much like a long picture-story scroll. The overall structure is imposing and magnificent and the composition is wonderful and ingenious These sculptures are very impressive with the skillful combination of scientific principles and artistic models, and with rich social content and flavor of life. These figures are realistic for. they originated from life. They provide rich historic materials for they vividly reflected the life. thoughts. and feelings of the ancient people. The grottoes represented by sculptures on Beishan and Baodingshan Hill outline the development of the grotto art from later Tang Dynasty to later Sung Dynasty Pushing Chinese grotto art to a new summit with distinctive national and local characteristics, they are masterpieces of the later period of Chinese grotto art. Dazu Grottoes are now a renowned tourist attraction.

Arhat Temple
The ancient Buddhist monastery Arhat Temple, which is in the busiest downtown area of Chongqing, a key Buddhist temple in the Han people region, is a historic site protection unit of the Municipal level. This temple began to be built in 1064-1067 when Emperor Zhiping of the Northern Sung Dynasty (960-1279 AD) reigned over China and in 1885 in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD), Monk Longfa reconstructed the Temple and sculptured the figures in imitation of the Arhat Hall in Baoguang Temple in Xindu, and he resumed the former name of the temple Arhat Temple earned in the Chenghua years of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). Though the Zhiping Temple does not exist any more we can trace its former existence form the present name of Zhiping Alley. During the Anti-Japanese War and the Ten Years Upheaval (1966-1976), the temple was ruined for the second time. The present Arhats were molded in spring of 1986. Now the construction work of the Depositary Of Buddhist Texts and the Meditation Room have just been finished, and the carving and molding are under way. Among the attractions are the Four Guardians of the World, the Stele Kiosk of the Ming Dynasty, and the ancient Buddhist cliff inscriptions of the Northern Sung Dynasty. After stepping into the temple proper and ascending some stairs, the visitor may view the imposing Sakyamuni Hall and then visit the Depository of Buddhist Texts and the Meditation Room. On the temple grounds, there is also a vegetarian restaurant and a stand for sales of incense and candles.

Huayan Temple
Huayan Temple lies at the foot of Dalaoshan (Big & Old Mountain) in the west of Chongqing. The temple was built around a cave in the mountain cliff. Water from the mountain stream splashes all year round just like scattering flowers--the image is rooted in the ancient Chinese word for flower, which is hua--and thus the temple is named Huayan Temple. The grandeur and fame of the temple are composed of three parts: the Huayan Cave, the Reception Hall and The Imposing Sakyamuni Hall. The halls and the houses are solemn and the Buddhist figures are stately and respectful. It is one of the most renowned temples in Sichuan. The temple has had a long history. yet there is no way to trace when it first came into being. From accessible records it is only known that there began to be religious activities in 1599 in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) and in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) the activities increased and many considerably prestigious monks gathered there to practice Buddhist Rituals from many parts of the country to have gradually formed a religious community. Together with the addition of houses and renovations to the old buildings. Huayan Temple finally formally came into existence and Master Shengke became the first abbot. From then on 400 years has passed. When the temple was formally founded. thousands of Buddhist worshipers donated money for enlargement and renovation of the temple. Now it is strikingly magnificent and splendid with numerous vivid old Buddhist figures inside. Outside, the temple is sheltered by countless big and old trees, and the overall view is just like a picture. The eight scenes of "Moonlight on the Pond", "Soughing Pines on the Paling Hill", "Evening Bell from the Temple", "Night Rain in the Trees", "Verdant Twin Peaks", "Rosy Glows on the Winding Stream Water", "White Snow on the Cliff", and" Sounds by Fishes in old Cave "impress every tourist. Nearby is the newly built Huayan Lake which is 250 m wide and 1km long. The lake water is mirror-even without a single ripple. The water view and the mountain scenery help each other to achieve the best effect. Birds are flying, fluttering and singing in the wood and spring water joyfully flows in the little gully among the bushes. You can also swim to your heart's content in the lake. This is the best place for travelers. Once you are here, you can never forget it. Since its formal foundation in the Qing Dynasty, the temple has had 64 abbots who directed the work there. In these years the religious activities have been carried on more and more prosperously. The temple now has a rich store of relics, musical instruments (for religious purposes), Buddhist classics, poems and paintings by famous celebrities, embroidered horizontal inscribed boards, couplets written on scrolls, and so on. From the Qing Dynasty on, personages such as Gong Qing-gao, Gong Bing-quan, Lin Sen, Jiang Jie-shi, Feng Yu-xiang, Dai Ji-tao, Ju Zheng, Weng Wen-hao, etc. have visited the temple and left some inscriptions there.

Shengshou Temple
The Shengshou Temple is located in Dazu County. through which Chengdu-Chongqing Railway and Chengdu-Chongqing Highway pass. From the county town to the Temple, it only takes about 20 minutes bus drive. The temple doctrine is based on Zen beliefs. First built in 1178, its mission is to protect the valuable relics of Buddhist culture; to conduct regular religious activities and organize national and international conferences; to train Buddhist personnel and offer opportunities for scholastic research of Buddhism; to satisfy the need for religious belief of different peoples; and to provide the best service to tourists and visitors. The abbot now is Master Shi Daguo. The temple is one of the major temples which are announced to be open to foreign guests in Sichuan Province. As one of the 12 scenes in Chongqing, it is a religious sport famous at home and abroad for its sacredness. and it is also a renowned place of Buddhist culture in Southwest China.

The Three Gorges
The Three Gorges offer some fantastic scenery on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The gorges are named Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge, and Xiling Gorge. Chongqing is at one end of this route, which extends a total distance of 189km to Nanjing Pass in the east. Unfortunately, these sights of the gorges will soon exist only in memory as the government has begun building a dam that will reduce the splendor of the most dramatic gorge views. Three Gorge Cruise going downstream originates in Chongqing. See Yangtse River for more information.

North Hot Springs Park

North Hot Springs Park The North Hot Spring Park is situated at the foot of the Jinyun Mountain on the Southern bank of the Jialing River. It is an important part of the Jiajing Mountain Scenic Area, one of the first group of nation-level scenic spots established in 1982 by the State Council. The park was named after he spring which runs incessantly all the year round. The flow volume is about 6,000 tons per day and the temperature is between 35 and 37. Now there are in the park 75 bathrooms, a swimming pool (50 m long and 16 m wide), one indoor triangle swimming pool, and a pool for children to play water in. The park is crowded with tourists in all four seasons. Major scenic areas include ancient sites, a stone carvings park, and a fish viewing pool and lotus pool. The quiet place has many springs and valleys as well as temples of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD). The Guanyin (Bodhisattva) Palace was built with iron tiles and stone pillars. There are also a stone Buddha of the Sung Dynasty (960-1279 AD), and a dragon pagoda of the Ming Dynasty.

South Hot Springs Park

South Hot Springs Park was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) and is located at the south of the Yangtze River amid very pleasant scenery. The most famous springs are the "Lung Quan" (Dragon Spring), "Yu Quan" (Jade Spring), and "Wuhu Quan" (Five Lakes Spring). The sulfurous waters have a temperature of almost 100C.

Eling Park Eling Park
Located at Eling Hill, the park was built in 1909, which was originally the home of Lee, a rich businessman, also known as "courteous park", with special plant species and a newly built tower (Liangjiang Pavilion) providing the view of the entire city. In 1958, large-scale of restoration was carried out on the site of Lee Garden and the park was renamed "Eling Park". Located at Changjiang Lu, Yuzhong district, Eling was originally named Edingling (Goose Nape Hill), for its narrow and steep shape resembling a nape of a goose.

People's Assembly Hall
Architectural symbol of Chongqing built in 1951 and designed in the traditional symmetrical and beautifully-proportioned style of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) palaces, containing a 4,000-seat auditorium.

Pipashan (Loquat Hill) Park
Chongqing's highest point rises 208m, the tower "Hongxing Pavilion" built on the top of the hill, provides an excellent view of the city, the rivers and the surroundings. Chongqing also has the Southern Hot Spring Park, a botanical garden, the Longevity Lake and other places of beauty. The view of Chongqing, the mountainous city, is most attractive at night. Pipa Shan was, until 1950 a private garden. The Hong Xing Ting Tower was built on the top of the hill and provides an excellent view of the city, the rivers, and the surrounding area.

The Ghost City in Fengdu
fengdu.jpg (14094 bytes) The Fengdu County lying in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. is on the southeast border of the Sichuan Basin. and its area lies on both sides of the Yangtze River. To the west. the county is 172km from Chongqing. and to the east, it is 476km from Yichang City. The county covers 2,901 sq.km with a population of 740,000. Fengdu is an ancient city built in the hills facing the Yangtze River. In the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC) in Chinese history. it was called "The Other Capital of the Ba nationality" In the second year of Yongyuan in the Eastern Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) when Emperor He reigned over China. the area was specially separated out from the then Zhi County and a new county named Fengdu County was thus established. It has a history of over 1900 years now. As the place of nether world, Fengdu, a pearl along the Yangtze, a renowned, distinctive historic and cultural city from the ancient time on, is famous at home and abroad for its rich ghost culture. There many ghost stories spread far and wide Many famous literary works such as "The Pilgrimage to the West", "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", "The Stories of Zhongkui" etc. have vivid legendary descriptions about the ghost city Fengdu. The main scenic spots in Fengdu are the Mingshan Hill which was appointed as one of the national key relics in the Three Gorges area along the Yangtze River, Shuangguishan National Forest Park which is famous for its gardening beauty, "the Ghostland & God Palace" and "the Judicial Street in the Nether world" modeled after its ancient structure which are the largest ghost culture spots in the country and which are also the largest dynamic tourist spots in Southwest China. the Huinan Han Graves with their grand and peculiar structure, high density, wide time span, and high cultural value, the Grand Ghost Stone Carving under construction, the Siping Forest Park with low sea level (only 380,520m above the sea level), Sanfu Virgin Forest Centre, Longhe Scenic Spot (stalactite cave, boating), and other natural scenic spots. The unique travel resources are attractive to billions of Chinese and millions of foreigners. Up to now Fengdu has received 250,000 foreign guests and about 6,000,000 domestic guests. Fengdu Ghost City has become the hottest tourist, attraction in the Three Gorges Scenic Area along the Yangtze River.

The Beautiful natural Scenery in Wansheng
Wansheng District, 130km south of Chongqing in the border region of Sichuan and Guizhou, and renowned for its abundant travel resources and rich produce, is the only experimental tourist district of Chongqing municipality. On its 565 sq. km area are scattered forests, rivers, fountains, waterfalls, stone forests, and stalactite caves. The municipal-level Heshan Carp River Scenic Spot is famous for dense virgin forest, rare plants and animals, hunting, and coasting down the hills on grass. Tourists may experience the thrilling drifting in the Carp River without any practical danger. The rare, monstrous, and quaint Wansheng Stone Forest is known as the second largest in China. The Wansheng Hot Spring (41 degrees C) is famous for its health-keeping and medical effects. Now Wansheng District has had the prerequisites and capacity of receiving tourists. The "Wansheng Stone Forest" express tourist train is especially set up for the tourists to Wansheng. and the Sichuan Guizhou and Sichuan Huan highways pass through the district. Transportation from the city proper to the scenic. spots is very convenient. Politics, economy, commerce, and trade are well developed in this region. The tourist facilities there include a two-star hotel, 60 restaurants and hotels of the middle and ordinary level, dance halls, karaoke halls and other recreational places which can accommodate 3,000 tourists at the same time. Wansheng is one of the best places for visitors to make a trip to and to carry out scientific inspections in.

The Red Crag Revolutionary Memorial Museum
The Red Crag Village is the site of the Chongqing Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Eighth Route Army during the Anti-Japanese War and the early period of the War of Liberation. The construction work of the memorial museum started in 1955, and in 1959, Mr. Dong Bi-wu inscribed the name of the museum" The Red Crag Revolutionary Memorial Museum", In 1961, it was for the first time in the country announced as one of the national key relics preservation unit. Zhou En-lai, Dong Bi-wu, Ye Jian-ying, Wang Ruo-fei, Qin Bang-xian, Deng Xiaoping etc. lived and fought for a long time. During the Chongqing Talks between KMT (the Nationalist Party) and the Communist Party in 1945. Mao Zedong also stayed there. The Red Crag, now a renowned sacred place of the revolution and a tourist attraction, is famous in China and the world for the glorious militant achievements gained and the Red Crag Spirit initiated by senior revolutionists such as Mao Zedong and Zhou En-lai. Now it has been appointed by Sichuan Provincial Government and Chongqing Municipal Government one of the first patriotic education bases. The Red Crag Revolutionary Memorial Museum now is in charge of the following historic sites. The Red Crag Village, the Zhou Mansion in 50#, Zengjiayan; the Osmanthus Garden in 65# Zhongshansi Road where the Chongqing Talks and the signing ceremony of "Double-ten Agreement" (the agreement was signed on October 10, thus double-ten) took place. These sites are open all year round. The open hours are 08:30 - 17:30.

Museum of Natural History
Chongqing Museum of Natural History. established in 1930. is located on the Loquat Hill in central Yuzhong District. It has over 80,000 valuable natural specimens of, for example, animals, plants, ancient living beings, and ancient human being, especially the fossils of dinosaur skeleton, footprint, and eggs. It is well-known in China and even the world for the large numbers and great varieties of specimens there. The collection is noted for dinosaur remains discovered in the area in the 1970s.

Residence of General Joseph W. Stilwell
If you have time, the Residence of General Joseph W. Stilwell, 4.5km southeast of the downtown is worthwhile a visit. General Stilwell (1883-1946) was chief commander of US forces in the China-Burma-India Theatre during World War II. In 1942, ranked as a major general, he was dispatched to CBI and was regarded as the best field commander in the entire United States Army. General Stilwell was a true friend of the Chinese people as well as a Chinese linguist. He first came to China on Nov. 23, 1911, not long after the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) was overthrown, and paid a visit to Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen and Wuzhou for seventeen days. He came back for a second time in August 1920 as the first language instructor of the US Army in China. Between 1921 and 1922, he worked as Chief Engineer of road construction in Shanxi and Shaanxi province. On one of his journeys to the north-eastern part of the country, General Stilwell witnessed the civil war between warlords over the land. He also sensed out the superiority of the Japanese over other races in that area. One year later, his four-year term of office in China expired. In Aug 1926, he visited China for a third time and served first as Battalion Commander, then Acting Chief of Staff of the 15th Infantry of the US Army in Tianjin. Just one month before the inauguration of the general in Tianjin, Northern Expedition was launched under the joint action of the Nationalist and Communist Parties. Stilwell was sent to the battlefield in Nanjing and Shanghai. This time, he got a further understanding of the turbulent China. In 1928, at the age of forty-five, Stilwell was raised to lieutenant and, in August of the next year, he left his post in China and returned to the States. His fourth visit to China was in Jan 1935. This time, he was named Military Attach� to the US Legation in China and had interviews with Zhou En-lai, the representative of the CPC and Mrs. Chiang Kai-shek. From 1935, the Japanese precipitated its invasion into China and in 1937, Japan officially declared war on China and the nationwide Anti-Japanese War started. General Stilwell managed a loan of twenty-five million dollars for China granted by the American government. However, in the middle of 1939, he had to go back home after the expiry of his service. On 5 May 1942, the general came to China for fifth time. He stayed in Chongqing and served as the US Army Commander of the CBI Theatre while supervising the implementation of Lend-Lease in CBI. Mr. Chiang-Kai-shek appointed him as Chief of Staff of the China Theatre under the Allied Army. In early 1942, he led the Chinese troops fighting strenuously against the Japanese invaders in Burma. After the Allies' defeat, the general organized the retreat of the Chinese, American and British forces to India. There he helped training the Chinese troops. Between March and June of 1944, the general commanded the Sino-US Army to fight against the Japanese in the north of Burma and they won the battle. Afterwards, Stilwell was promoted to a four-star general. While preparing the counteroffensive into Burma, he directed the project of road construction via Ledo, India, Burma to Yunnan. The road was open to traffic in 1945 and it was named after Stilwell. When staying in China, Stilwell kept in contact with Zhou En-lai through the political advisor Davis. He detested the corrupt government of the Nationalist Party led by Chiang-Kai-shek, for whose passive resistance against the Japanese and active fighting with the communists. All this resulted in a serious disagreement between Mr. Chiang and the general. US President Roosevelt recalled him in 1944. In refusal of the award conferred by Chiang-Kai-shek on Oct. 20, General Stilwell decided to leave Chongqing. Before his leave, he paid a farewell call to Mrs. Song Qingling, the wife of Sun-yat Sen and sent a farewell telegram to Zhou En-lai.