Hechuan

Introduction

Hechuan is a district in the northern part of Chongqing Municipality, sitting where the Jialing, Fu and Qu rivers meet. Its history runs back some 1,500 years, and it lies about 54 kilometres from downtown Chongqing's Yuzhong District.

Before you go

Getting there

Hechuan is served by two main arrival points. The long-distance bus terminal, Hechuan Bus Terminal, sits on Beihuan Road and receives services from several bus stations across central Chongqing, including Chenjiaping, Chongqing West, and Hongqihegou. Buses from Chongqing Jiangbei Airport also terminate here, making it a straightforward option if you are flying in. Local public buses stop outside the terminal, so you can continue into the city without much trouble.

If you are coming from Chongqing, the train is a convenient alternative. Hechuan Railway Station, on Gaoyang Avenue, has frequent services from both Chongqing North and Chongqing West Railway Stations, with the journey taking roughly half an hour to forty minutes.

Getting around

Hechuan is a compact, river-focused city, and its transport options are straightforward. Public buses cover the main urban areas and many of the tourist attractions, and they are an inexpensive way to travel around. If you arrive at Hechuan Bus Terminal, multiple public buses stop outside the station, including bus nos. 118, 128, 528, 632, 808A, 808B, 813, 815, 825, 919, 959A and 959B — handy for continuing into town after a long-distance arrival.

Taxis and ride-hailing services are convenient for travelling between the railway station, the city centre and the tourist attractions, and they are a good choice when you are carrying luggage, arriving late, or heading somewhere that is not directly on a bus route. Bicycles can be rented for exploring the riverside areas, and cycling along the rivers is a good way to enjoy Hechuan's scenery; given the city's setting at the meeting point of three rivers, the riverside is where self-powered exploring pays off most.

Where to stay

Your main option in Hechuan is the Chongqing Gongzhou Jinke Hotel, a four-star property on Wenfeng Ancient Street, right next door to the Chongqing Hot Pot Museum. Staying here puts you on the old street itself, so you can step out directly into its lanes and have the hot pot museum as your neighbour.

Food & drink

Hechuan has several local specialties worth seeking out. Hechuan Taopian is a traditional sweet made from glutinous rice, walnuts, sugar and candied rose; it is thin, soft and sweet, one of the city's best-known specialties, and also a popular souvenir. Hechuan Roupian is a traditional dish made mainly with pork and vegetables, fried until golden and crispy on the outside while remaining tender inside. For something simpler, Hechuan Yangroufen is a local rice noodle dish served with mutton in a savory broth, commonly eaten as a breakfast or casual meal. In Sanhui, try Sanhui Pidan Douhua, soft tofu combined with preserved egg and a savory sauce. In Laitan Ancient Town, Laitan Yinmi Wuji Zhou is a traditional chicken and rice porridge made with black-bone chicken and local yinmi rice.

For drinks, traditional tea houses are found around Hechuan, especially in older streets and riverside areas, and serve as common social spaces where you can drink tea, relax and experience the slower pace of local life. One tea house sits along Wenfeng Ancient Street in the central area, and another, v8 Tea House, is on Jiaotong Street. If you prefer coffee, KUDI Coffee in the Caifu Plaza area offers coffee and other cold drinks, a convenient stop while shopping or exploring the surrounding commercial area.

What to see and do

Hechuan's headline sight is the Diaoyu Fortress, one of the best preserved of the mountain fortresses built during the Song Dynasty to resist the Mongol invaders. It withstood repeated assaults before finally falling, and Mongol leader Möngke Khan was killed here during the Siege of Diaoyucheng. If the history grabs you, follow up at the Diaoyu Fortress History and Culture Museum, which is run by a local college and can close over major holidays. In town, the Hechuan Art Museum sits on the west side of Dongjintuo Riverside Park and closes on Mondays, while the Chongqing Hot Pot Museum occupies a 1930s warehouse that once stored salt.

For a mix of old and rebuilt, wander Wenfeng Ancient Street, where the genuine draw is the Wenfeng Pagoda, a 13-storey structure from the early 19th century that you can climb. Further out, Laitan Ancient Town is a walled town whose standout site is the Erfo Temple, founded in the Tang Dynasty and rebuilt in the Qing. Closer to the centre, Hechuan Binjiang Park runs along the Fujiang and Jialing Rivers and is open around the clock for riverside strolls. To get out on the water, cruise boats leave from a pier in the middle of Dongjintuo Riverside Park, including an evening Three Rivers Night Cruise past the lit-up riverbanks; a round trip reaches the old fishing town of Caojie. You can also rent a bicycle and follow the riverside routes through the parks and urban stretches, or, in season, head to Yangliu Village in Tuchang Town for blueberry picking, countryside walks and local rural markets.

Three days in Hechuan

Day one: Base yourself in Hechuan, the district at the meeting point of the Jialing, Fu and Qu rivers in Chongqing Municipality. From Chongqing, the easiest approach is by bus from Hechuan Bus Terminal on Beihuan Road, or via Chenjiaping, Chongqing West, Hongqihegou, Chongqing Jiangbei Airport, Hechuan Railway Station on Gaoyang Avenue, or Chongqing North and Chongqing West Railway Stations. Public transport, taxis and bicycles help you get around once you arrive. Settle in near Wenfeng Ancient Street, where the old lanes set the tone for the trip, and try Hechuan Taopian and Hechuan Roupian for your first local meal.

Day two: Give the day to the Diaoyu Fortress, the mountain stronghold where the Southern Song held out against the Mongols. Plan to spend several hours on the site, walking the walls and reading the story of the battle. Back in town, the Chongqing Hot Pot Museum explains the city's signature dish, and Hechuan Yangroufen makes a warming bowl for dinner.

Day three: Head out to Sanhui to see another side of the district, then return for a last wander through Wenfeng Ancient Street. If you are staying at the Chongqing Gongzhou Jinke Hotel, it works as a convenient base for the final night before you continue to Yuzhong District or back toward Chongqing.