1、Dazu Rock Carvings
Recommended reason: World Cultural Heritage, the “last monument” of Chinese grotto art, Baoding Mountain Thousand-armed Guanyin, Reclining Buddha, and Cowherding Picture, one look will shock you for a lifetime!
Recommended route: Drive to Shengshou Temple, which is the back door of Baoding Mountain Stone Carvings. Enter from here, and after the tour, exit from here, which is the most time-saving and physically demanding, and does not require sightseeing bus tickets and parking fees. It is much better than the official guided route.
Beishan Stone Carvings (recommended for night tour): Statues from the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty are more mysterious under the lights at night (tickets must be purchased separately).
Must-do operation: Ask the tour guide to interpret in depth and feel the Buddhist aesthetics of “one niche, one world”.
2、Longshui Lake
Recommended reason: “Chongqing West Lake” is well-deserved, with 108 islands scattered all over the lake. You can ride around the lake, explore the islands by boat, or play the high-altitude cable car to scream and release!
Highlights: Lake and mountain scenery, boat trips, cycling around the lake, hot springs in winter (Tianlai Valley/Longshui Lake Hot Spring).
Special experience: Camping on Songhe Island in the middle of the lake, jet skiing (in summer).
3、Changzhou Ancient City
Recommended reason: Replicating the grand scene of Changzhou in the Tang and Song dynasties, with blue bricks and black tiles, wine flags fluttering, wearing Hanfu to visit the market, and instantly becoming an extra in “Dream of Hualu”.
Night tour highlights: The light show lights up the ancient city wall, as if traveling through a thousand years.
4、Lotus Villa
Recommended reason: Thousands of acres of lotus ponds with lotus leaves reaching the sky, bamboo rafts through the sea of flowers in summer, lotus picking and lotus root digging in autumn, full of rural wildness!
Holy place for filming: Lotus plank road + ancient pavilion, a harvester of likes in WeChat Moments.
5、Dazu Hardware Museum (Urban Area)
Recommended reason: Exquisite material selection, unique craftsmanship, and exquisite products. Longshui hardware has a history of more than 1,100 years, and was born with the famous world cultural heritage – Dazu Rock Carvings.
Highlights: Learn about the history of Dazu as the “Hometown of Hardware in China” and display traditional forging knife craftsmanship.
Dazu Culture: Stone Carving Craftsmanship and Hardware Legend
The “craftsman spirit” is engraved in Dazu’s DNA – both the grandeur of stone carvings and the exquisiteness of hardware.
Stone carving art:
Experience the making of rubbings at the Dazu Stone Carving Research Institute and touch the texture of thousands of years of history with your own hands.
Hardware crafts:
See how the “millennium iron hammer” forged the reputation of “China’s hardware hometown” at the Longshui Hardware Museum, and buy a handmade kitchen knife as a family heirloom!
Lotus culture:
At the “Hehe Academy” in the Lotus Villa, experience the making of lotus tea, praying with lotus lanterns, and feel the oriental aesthetics of “coming out of the mud without being stained”.
Dazu Travel Tips
Self-driving: Start from the main city of Chongqing, take the Dazu East/Dazu West exit of the Yurong Expressway (G5013), and drive for about 1.5 hours. You can stop at Bishan to pick grapes along the way.
Bus: Take a bus from Chenjiaping/Caiyuanba Bus Station/Chongqing North Station to Dazu Bus Station (about 2 hours).
Stone carving protection: Do not touch the statues, and flash photography is prohibited.
Seasonal restrictions: Lotus banquet is only available in summer, and Longshui Lake Hot Spring is open in winter.
Self-driving tips: Township roads are narrow, and some sections of Zhongao Town and Baoding Town require careful driving.