Hongya Cave Folk Customs Area

Built on a 79-metre cliff above the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, Hongyadong is an 11-storey stilted-house complex of 65,000 m² designed by He Yongzhi in 2006. Inspired by Bayu traditional architecture, its tiered wooden pavilions, flying eaves and grey brick walls have become a viral symbol of Chongqing's "Mountain City" nightscape. The complex is a national night-time cultural-tourism zone linking Chaotianmen Square, Jiefangbei and the Qiansimen Bridge.

The City Balcony crowns Hongyadong at level 11 (~79 m above the river). Facing north, it overlooks Jiangbeizui's skyline; south, the Yangtze–Jialing confluence ("yin-yang hotpot") and the Chaotianmen Rafles complex; east, the iconic photo spot combining the stilted houses with the Qiansimen Bridge. With cafés, souvenir shops and small exhibitions, it is the prime night-photography point.

Located on the western side of Hongyadong's City Balcony plaza, the Xinhai Monument is a black-granite relief wall honoring the 1911 Revolution in Chongqing. The relief depicts Zhang Peijue, Yang Cangbai and Xiang Chu — leaders of the November 22, 1911 uprising that established the Shu Army Government — alongside soldiers, banners and the old Chaotianmen docks. It anchors Hongyadong's role as a civic-historical landmark.

Distributed across the corridors of Hongyadong's 11F-to-1F levels, this bronze-relief cluster re-imagines late 19th- to mid 20th-century Chongqing life: the Chaotianmen cable car, sedan-chair porters, stilted-house kitchens, riverside laundry and the famous "bangbang" porters. Produced over two years by a Sichuan Fine Arts Institute team, it functions as a "Chongqing Along-the-River-During-the-Qingming-Festival" of the old Mountain City.

Placed on the riverside terrace beside the 1F Dichiui Plaza, this bronze fort sculpture commemorates the river-defence system of the upper Yangtze from 1891 through the 1937–1945 war years. The main piece is a Krupp-style coastal gun aimed downstream; the relief base depicts the Battle of Yichang, the Shiplap Defense and the Great Yichang Retreat, flanked by three Sichuan Army soldiers and a bugler. A rubbing of Feng Yuxiang's "Return Our Land" calligraphy is inscribed at the rear.

The 10th-floor central atrium is anchored by six 8-metre carved bluestone pillars designed by the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, tracing Ba civilization from its mythic origins to the Qin–Han era. Topics span Ba migrations, fishing/hunting/agriculture, salt and cinnabar trade, the "Xialiba" war-dance, the white-tiger totem and the eventual disappearance of the Ba script. Bronze bird-zun replicas top each pillar, and bilingual Ba/Han inscriptions line the walls.

The 120-metre Exotic Flavors Street on Level 9 is divided into four themed zones — Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas — housing about 30 themed restaurants, cafés and craft stores. Facades mix Ottoman arches, rattan lanterns, Islamic geometric tiles and Mayan motifs. Weekend afternoons (16:00–17:00) feature a rotating program of street music and dance; the level forms a "Chongqing meets the world" counterpart to the Ba culture pillars above.

Zone 78 on the 8th floor (~4,000 m²) is Chongqing's Gen-Z hangout: a streetwear district (INXX, Randomevent, ROARINGWILD), a blind-box and figure district (Pop Mart, TOPTOY, 52TOYS), six headquarter murder-mystery and escape-room stores, plus a skate/dance/b-box shared space. Weekend "Zone 78 Street Culture Festival" mini-markets have made it the city's primary Gen-Z check-in spot.

The 7F is the lower half of Zone 78, linked to 8F by the central atrium. It adds a "Guochao / ACG / e-sports" identity: Zone E hosts 20+ national-style brands (Hanfu, intangible-heritage crafts and Cha Yan Yue Se tea); Zone F is a 1,500 m² ACG hub hosting BJD doll shows, Lolita tea parties and ComiC Chongqing sub-venues; Zone G is the 78 E-sports Arena, with 12 five-seat rooms, 8 streamer booths and a 60-seat LPL-themed viewing hall — the main campus-league venue in central Chongqing.

Located on the 6th floor, this 1,800 m² immersive art space was co-curated by the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute's new-media team and invited teamLab artists. Ten permanent themed rooms include the radar-sensor "Rain Room," interactive "Flower Field," 180° dome "Star Room," koi-filled "Deep Sea," 36-mirror "Mirror Palace" and a 360° Chongqing-night panorama. Exhibits rotate every 6–12 months and the venue hosts the annual Chongqing International Light & Shadow Art Festival.

Reunion 1980 on the 5th floor (~5,000 m²) is a 1:1 recreation of 1980–1989 Chongqing life by the Qi Chou Hou creative team. Six themed sets — an old hotpot shop, a Shiba-ti barbershop, the Jiefangbei Xinhua Bookstore, a "Mountain City" wide-screen cinema, the Chaotianmen cable station and a teahouse — host 30+ interactive rooms (80s living room with a black-and-white TV, sewing machine and enamel basin; classroom with abacus and Little Red Book; photo studio with Haiou camera). Period-costume rentals and roving "ice-cream vendor / knife-sharpener / popcorn man" performers (15:00–16:00) make it a nostalgia, family and influencer destination.

The 350-metre Grand Feast Food Street on Level 4 is Hongyadong's culinary core. Section A serves classic Chongqing dishes (hotpot, Miaojiang chicken offal, Bishan rabbit, Laifeng fish); Section B offers Sichuan street snacks (sour-spicy noodles, cold noodles, bo-bo chicken, guokui, chuanchuan); Section C imports 30+ national brands (Shunde congee, Nanjing Da Pai Dang, Guizhou Siwa Wa, Hunan cured meat, Shaanxi biangbiang noodles). A covered arcade echoes the stilted-house façade; the daily 18:00–21:00 "Jianghu Cuisine" long-table banquet seats up to 200 guests.

Named after the old Tiancheng Lane of the historical Chongqing city, this 280-metre street is the intangible-heritage core. The east section hosts 12 workshops (Shu embroidery, Rongchang fans, Rongchang pottery, Liangping bamboo curtains, Chengkou lacquer, Youyang Miao embroidery) with master demonstrations; the central section gathers Chongqing geographical-indication brands (Qiaotou hotpot base, Ciqikou Chen mahua, Hechuan taoshan, Jiangjin mihuatang, Fuling zhacai); the western section carries 30 local designer brands. The level is Hongyadong's main souvenir economy.

The 220-metre Zhi-Yan River Bar Street on Level 2 — named after the historic paper-and-salt-trade dock lane — is one of Chongqing's three great nightlife strips. Section A hosts cocktail, single-malt and sake bars with floor-to-ceiling glass over the Jialing River and Qiansimen Bridge; Section B gathers 8 live-music brands (SPACE, MAO LiveHouse, Nut Club, etc.) with 20:30–23:00 shows nightly; Section C houses clubs (SOHO, SPACE MIX, MUSE) open until 04:00.

The 3,500 m² Dichiui Plaza on Level 1 is Hongyadong's ground floor and main access hub, linking Cangbai Road (north) to the Jiabin Road riverside (south). A sunken "Mountain-City Green Island" with stacked rocks, banyan and maple trees anchors the center. Tiered steps lead down to the riverfront walkway; to the south stands the "River Fort" bronze sculpture; to the north lies the Qiansimen Bridge east-abutment — the spot for the classic Hongyadong-at-night shot from the Grand Theater side.