The Heguang Guild Hall

Our internship wraps up this week, and we've been trying to cram in a lot of last-minute sightseeing before our departure. On Thursday we say goodbye to Western China, heading to Hong Kong and then Beijing. I'm going to try to post some short, picture-heavy updates in the next few days so I'll be all caught up before we leave!

We visited the Heguang Guild Hall when Tony and Jenni were in town. This site is pretty impressive in it's scale, and even more so because it's inconspicuously tucked away into high-rises on the southern edge of the Yuzhong peninsula. Built during the Qing dynasty, the complex now houses several different structures along with a museum documenting the history of immigration to the Chongqing region (unfortunately, entirely in Mandarin). Some of the buildings date back to the late 18th century, but have been restored more recently. The buildings on this site serve as a great example of some of the varieties of traditional Chinese architecture.

Here are a some pictures from the Guild Hall:

Tucked into the high rises, nestled below the bridge.

Dragon sculpted railings, adorned with colorful ribbon.

Entrance into the temple on the Guild Hall complex. 

Traditional Chinese lanterns 

Some re-creations of scenes from back in the day.

Different style building; same site.

I want a door-knocker like this!

New/old. 

Gardens on the site. 

All the elements that define Chongqing: bridges, mountains, rooftops. 

Some more dragon sculpture!

Ciqikou and Visitors from Shanghai

This past weekend, my friends from Shanghai came to visit. I stayed with Tony and Jenni earlier in the summer for a week after landing in China, and in return I tried to show them a good time around Chongqing, now that I have my bearings.

After catching up a bit, we headed to Ciqikou, the old redeveloped part of Chongqing that's known to be touristy, or as my colleague here put it, "crowded, dirty, and not good." We didn't find it to be nearly that unpleasant, and actually had a pretty good time wandering around two of the main sites: the Zhong Residence and Baolun Temple.

We sort of accidentally visited the Zhong Residence, thinking at first that it was the Baolun Temple. Only realizing after we paid the 5 yuan apiece that it was not, we stayed to look around and it was pretty worthwhile. The Zhong Residence was built about 120 years ago, at the end of the Qing Dynasty. The residence used to have 46 rooms but only about 20 have been maintained, the ones that surround the central courtyard. Here are some photos.

The Courtyard of the Zhong Residence

Some antique furniture

Jenni photographing the ornate bed

More furniture

Can I have one of these awesome bed/rooms?

We ultimately did make it to the Baolun Temple, which is considerably older than the Zhong Residence - built over 1000 years ago. Probably the oldest thing we have seen so far in China, even older than the Dazu Caves! This temple manages to stay quietly separated from the snack shops, noodle shops, knick-knack shops, and hoards of people in Ciqikou.

Chongqing Sightseeing: Hua Yan Tourist Spot

Last weekend, our friend Frank offered to take us to his favorite temple in Chongqing. This turned out to be a fantastic afternoon, if a little hot. The temple complex, called Hua Yan Tourist Spot, was not listed in the Lonely Planet, so Lucia and I felt pretty lucky to have found out about it from someone in the know.

It was about an hour and a half away from our house, via two metro transfers and a bus transfer (almost feels like living in LA!). We stopped mid-way for some noodle lunch with Frank after meeting up with him at the appointed metro stop.

The most incredible thing about this "tourist spot" is how tucked away it is, yet how firmly it remains in the urban landscape. It doesn't look like much from the street, albeit a beautiful gateway.

Hua Yan Temple on the approach...

Lucia, Frank and I in front of the entrance gate to the Hua Yan Tourist Spot

 Once inside, though, the intricacies of the extensive temple grounds begin to present themselves.