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Traveling to the Autonomous County of Tujia and Miao of Youyang, near Chongqing

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Traveling to Youyang

Located to the southeast of the Municipality of Chongqing, the most extensive and populated of the four Chinese municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing), the autonomous county of Tujia and Miao of Youyang (酉阳土家族苗族自治县) is the largest county of the Municipality.

Called Youzhou in ancient times, Youyang represents a real cultural cradle for the 18 ethnic minorities that live there. Among these, the most consistent is the Tujia ethnic minority (whose history might go back to the Ba people who occupied the area of the modern province of Chongqing about 2,500 years ago), followed then by the Miao, Han, Hui, and other ethnic minorities.

Without a doubt the crown jewel of this county is Taohuayuan, 桃花源, or “The peach blossom spring”, a scenic area that got the highest rating of 5A (AAAAA).

How to get to Youyang

There are two main ways to get to Youyang, both starting from Chongqing: the first is to take the train from the north station of Chongqing (Chongqing Beizhan, 重庆北站) and the second is to take a bus from the west station in Chongqing (Chongqing Xizhan Qichezhan, 重庆西站汽车站). [Read more…]

Traveling to Chongqing, the “Spicy” City

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Traveling to Chongqing

I decided to write this article to pay homage to one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited: Chongqing (重庆). My history with this city began in February 2016. Every time I think about the days I spent in Chongqing I get a lump in my throat… and think that the first day there wasn’t even the best!

Climate and topography in Chongqing

Chongqing is a hot and spicy city in all senses: high temperatures, spicy food and, especially, hot people! The lifestyle is different than any other city in China, full of energy and life in all aspects, maintaining its uniqueness. It’s an unforgettable city that leaves a beautiful memory in the hearts of those who visit.

Chongqing represents one of the four cities directly controlled by the central government, along with Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. It’s also the independent city with the most inhabitants, since the data from 2014 lists a population of 29,914,000 inhabitants.

Being located at the point of convergence between the river 长江, “Long River” (better known by its old phonetic transcription Yangtze and the name “Blue River”) and the river 嘉陵江, “the Jialing River”, Chongqing is a huge industrial city with a very active port – divided into 8 parts – 重庆港, the “Port of Chongqing”.

The confluence between the Long River and the Jialing River is called 朝天门, “The gate that goes through heaven”, an area where there’s also the famous Chaotianmen Bridge, which is also where many tourist ferries depart. The most beautiful thing about Chaotianmen is being able to see the point where the two rivers converge in differing colors,
a unique panorama! [Read more…]