Hidden in a secluded narrow passage between the limestone cliff faces, sheltered beneath a towering natural arch as tall as the mountains that conceal it from the outside world, the "ancient" Chinese way station down below not only looks as if it has always been there for centuries but also adds entrancing magic to this mystifying sanctum.
This is such a sight that people with imaginative minds can spend hours just watching. It looks so perfect it could be the setting of an epic movie.
And actually, it was. This is where Zhang Yimou, the world acclaimed Chinese film director, shot the only outdoor scene of his 2006 epic drama Curse of the Golden Flower that features Chow Yun-fat and Gong Li as emperor and empress of the Tang Dynasty.
The centuries-old-looking structure was built for that purpose. Although it was shown only briefly in the movie, its presence somehow helps enhance the beauty of the natural site where it is located, so much so that it was left there to become one of the attractions at Wulong Geological Park in Southwest China.
The park is part of the South China Karst, which is an expansive area of limestone landscape listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. It is known for a group of three massive natural bridges that stand within easy strolling distance from one another, all linked by a narrow walkway. The one that towers above Zhang Yimou's way station, the Tianlong (Sky Dragon) Bridge, is 235 metres tall and spans 34m, while the others, the Qinglong (Green Dragon) and the Heilong (Black Dragon) bridges measure 261m and 223m in height, 31m and 28m in span, respectively.
To reach the vantage point where you can enjoy the magnificent sight shown in the main photo you must first walk from the ridge of the Tianlong Bridge to the glass elevator that takes you down a tall, steep cliff; then follow a walkway right underneath the rocky arch. Before long you'll find the impressive scene, which despite the fact that it is partly obscured by the heavy shadow cast by the giant bridge and the surrounding mountains, promises to always glow in the memories of its beholders.
By now, having followed so deep into the text, you're probably curious to know exactly where this place is and how on Earth you can get there.
The good news is it is not so difficult to reach from Bangkok. And with a new, cheap, air link between the Thai capital and Chongqing, the gateway to Wulong Three Natural Bridges Geological Park, the Dazu Rock Carving Grottoes (another World Heritage Site, shown in the smaller photo) and numerous other interesting and less-known places in Southwestern China, you don't need to make as much money as Zhang Yimou to enjoy a vacation there.
Just flip straight to the centre spread to find out more.
Chengdu
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province and amorefamous city for international travellers, is one of the destinations you can use Chongqing as a gateway to. Chinese trains are modern and fast. The rail service between the two cities, which are 505km apart, takes only about three hours. A high-speed rail system is now under construction. Once it is completed, travel time would be cut at least by half.
TRAVEL INFO
- Budget airline Air Asia (www.airasia.com) recently launched the first daily direct service between Bangkok and Chongqing. The morning flight from Bangkok leaves Suvarnabhumi Airport at 6.20am and takes about three hours to reach the Chinese destination. The return flight leaves Chongqing at 11.10am.
- To get to Wulong Three Natural Bridges Geological Park from Chongqing, take a bus at Chaotianmen Bus Station to Wulong County and hire a taxi from there.
- To get to the Dazu Rock Carvings from Chongqing, take the bus at the city's West Bus Station to Dazu County and transfer to a local minibus or a taxi from there.
Chongqing (pronounced Chong-ching) may be an unfamiliar name to many Thais and other non-Chinese natives but in China it’s one of the country’s four municipalities directly controlled by the central government, sharing the same rank as Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. Chongqing (once known as Chungking) was China’s wartime capital during the Koumintang government’s fight against Japanese occupation that began two years before World War II and lasted until 1945 when the Japanese finally surrendered, marking the end of the global military conflicts the empire was involved with. Under Communist rule, Chongqing was part of Sichuan province; but in 1997, it was upgraded as a ‘‘directcontrolled municipality’’ in an effort to bring development to the western part of the country as well as to tighten the central government’s control of the far inland region. Chongqing’s economy and urbanisation have been growing at a very fast pace as a result. The municipality is now home to 32 million people, many of whom live in highrise apartments. For tourists, several hotels, including those of international chains, are available. The city also serves as a transportation hub, with highway, rail and air links to other cities in western China and other parts of the country. Two World Heritage Sites are within a couple of hours’ drive from Chongqing, not to mention places of interest within the city itself. Chongqing’s location on the upper reach of the Yangtze River makes it a good place to embark on a cruise down the legendary river to the Three Gorges Dam in the adjacent province of Hubei.
The Huguang Guild Hall in Chongqing was first built some 250 years ago as a meeting place for immigrants from neighbouring areas to the east, namely Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi and Guangdong. It’s a huge, labyrinthine complex that comprises function halls, shrines, courtyards, theatres, residential quarters and spaces for other purposes. These days, part of the compound is used as a museum which tells the history of the city’s mixed population. This is an amazing legacy of old Chongqing that visitors to the city should not miss.
While much of Chongqing’s old town had to make way for modern development, in certain areas old-style markets and livelihood still thrive. If you find men walking around with bamboo poles, don’t mistake them for gangsters heading for a street war. They’re just porters who make a living by carrying refrigerators or other heavy items for anyone who’s willing to pay for the service rather than hauling the load along the city’s sloping roads and alleyways by themselves.
Chongqing prides itself on many things, one of them is the justified claim that it is home to some of China’s most beautiful women. It is even said that men from other parts of the country would feel regret that they got married too soon once they arrive in the city. One of the reasons behind that claim is believed to be the city’s foggy weather that shields people’s skin from getting darkened or damaged by direct sunlight. Another reason given is the fact that the city was built on a hilly terrain so people are forced to walk a lot in their daily life, which keeps them in good shape. The young couple in the picture was having their prewedding photo session at the city’s Huguang Guild Hall. Look at the bride-to-be and you might find it hard not to envy the groom!
Chaotianmen is Chongqing’s former city gate, a transportation hub and an 80,000-square-metre deck that serves as a public square overlooking the point where the sediment-rich flow of the Yangtze meets with the clearer water of the Jialing River. A lot of locals come to the square to enjoy a variety of activities, from simply soaking in the view of the rivers and taking pictures to making out with loved ones and flying kites of different shapes.
While the geological park in Wulong, east of Chongqing city, is regarded as a natural World Heritage Site, the Rock Carvings Grottoes in Dazu to the west earned its place on the Unesco’s list for its cultural value. More than 50,000 rock statues, most of them related to Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, were intricately carved on the cliff faces, ranging in age from the times of Tang Dynasty (7th century) to the early Song Dynasty (12th century). The photos shown here were taken at Bao Ding Mountain, one of the three such sites in Dazu.
Every evening at the rows of food stalls near Chongqing’s Liberation Monument (Jiefang Bei) you will find young women, each armed with an electric guitar and an amplifier, roaming from one table to another, offering to perform for the diners. I asked one of these street musicians to play my favourite Chinese song Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin (The Moon Represents My Heart). Well, her voice may not have been as sweet as Deng Li-jun, but perhaps she played the guitar better than the late original singer. By the way, she charged me 20 yuan (about 100 baht) for the song.
Like in neighbouring Sichuan, which it was historically and culturally a part of, Chongqing offers hot and spicy delicacies that are more to Thais’ liking than food from other parts of China. While the hotpot is one thing you must try, Chongqing also offers a wide variety of other tantalising dishes. And when it comes to a feast, people here tend to impress their guests with an overwhelming amount of food!
Bian Lian, the famous maskchanging performance, is one of Chengdu’s precious cultural assets. During the show, performers stun the audience with their ability to change the masks they are wearing, or even the entire costumes, literally at lightning speed. Look at the featured photos, one taken a few seconds after another, and you may notice that the man in the blue attire is wearing a different mask in each shot.
Sichuan is home to the giant panda. Even those at our Chiang Mai Zoo are borrowed from here. At the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, you can admire the cute creatures as well as the red panda (which is not related to the giant panda, although no less adorable) at a pretty close range.
