Hongya Cave
Stilted golden stack of bars and shops; the 'Spirited Away' night view.
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- best 19:00-23:00
- Ticket
- free
- Suggested visit
- 1-2 hours
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
Why it's worth it
Eleven storeys of stilted Diaojiaolou architecture stacked against a cliff face — the traditional river-dwelling form scaled up into a vertical lantern-lit maze of shops and bars. At night, glowing amber above the Jialing River, it's the money shot of 'cyberpunk Chongqing'.
Don't miss
- The full facade from the Qiansimen Bridge walkway after dark — the classic angle
- Wandering levels 4-11 from inside: each floor exits onto a different street elevation
- Reaching the 11th floor road level and realising you're at street level, ground being a rumour here
Getting there
Line 1 or 6 to Xiaoshizi, Exit 9; eight minutes downhill, or Line 6 to Grand Theatre and walk the bridge back for the view first.
Tips
- Lights are best 20:00-22:00; crowds worst exactly then — hold your nerve or shift slightly later
- Enter from above (Cangbai Road) and descend, or from below and ascend — both work, don't loop twice
- The fourth-floor snack level is the honest one; the upper bar levels are priced for the view
Photos


More in Chongqing
- Liziba Monorail Station
The monorail that passes through a residential tower; viewing deck below.
- Ciqikou Ancient Town
Porcelain-port lanes with teahouses and chili-fragrant alleys.
- Three Gorges Museum
Yangtze history and the dam in miniature, opposite People's Hall.
- Hongya Cave
An 11-story stilted-building complex on a cliff face (completed in 2006) showcasing traditional Ba-Yu stilted-house craftsmanship: a 'magical 8D' structure where the top-floor platform links to Qiansimen Bridge and floor 1 leads straight to the riverside road; at nightfall it looks like a scene from *Spirited Away*, making it a global social-media…
- Liberation Monument (Jiefangbei) · Pedestrian Street
The Victory Monument of the War of Resistance (completed in 1947 on the site of the 'Spiritual Fortress') is the nation's only national monument commemorating victory in the nationwide War of Resistance: 27.5 m tall, its name inscribed by Liu Bocheng; the pedestrian street around it is western China's No. 1 commercial street, and Bayi Food Street gathers Chongqing…
- Chaotianmen · Raffles City
Ancient wharf at the confluence of the two rivers (Yangtze and Jialing): Chaotianmen was the foremost of Chongqing's ancient city gates, serving as a customs wharf after the port opened in 1891. Today the 'Chaotianmen' memorial archway and wharf square remain, offering real views of the two rivers' 'double-flavor hotpot' confluence (the Jialing is jade-green, the Yangtze muddy yellow)