Three Gorges Museum
Yangtze history and the dam in miniature, opposite People's Hall.
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- 09:00-17:00, closed Mon
- Ticket
- free
- Suggested visit
- 2 hours
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
Why it's worth it
The square-facing counterpart to the Great Hall of the People — a 2005 museum whose backbone is the Three Gorges: the dam project's rescue archaeology, the drowned valley's towns and temples, and two million people's relocation, all documented beside Ba bronzes and Han figurines.
Don't miss
- The dam-relief and the rescued stone carvings from the flooded gorge temples
- The Ba people's boat-coffin burials — hung in cliffs, now under glass
- The rooftop view across Renmin Square to the Great Hall's colonnade
Getting there
Line 2 to Zengjiayan, Exit A; the museum faces the Great Hall across the square.
Tips
- Free; allow 2-3 hours — the Three Gorges floor alone holds attention
- English signage is decent on the main narratives, thin on the small finds
- Closed Mondays; combine with Renmin Hall (peek inside if open) in one square visit
Photos
More in Chongqing
- Liziba Monorail Station
The monorail that passes through a residential tower; viewing deck below.
- Hongya Cave
Stilted golden stack of bars and shops; the 'Spirited Away' night view.
- Ciqikou Ancient Town
Porcelain-port lanes with teahouses and chili-fragrant alleys.
- 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)