Just 30 minutes from Chongqing by high-speed train, Rongchang feels like a quiet exhale after the city’s bustle. Recognized by UNESCO for its cultural significance, this riverside town rewards the curious with centuries-old crafts, soul-warming food, and the kind of beauty that whispers rather than shouts.
How to Get to Rongchang
Hop on a high-speed train from Chongqing to Rongchang North Station—a seamless 30-minute journey. It’s the kind of place that lends itself perfectly to a weekend of unhurried exploration.
Where to Stay
Rongchang’s newer districts offer plenty of budget-friendly stays with easy access to public transport. It’s the practical choice if you’re looking to move freely between sights without sacrificing comfort.
Summer Cloth Town – Where Threads Tell Stories
Entry Fee: Free
Here, visitors can witness an ancient process: ramie, peeled by hand and spun into thread, eventually becomes fabric with a shimmer like silk. The craft unfolds through 72 delicate steps, culminating in the threading—an art where over a thousand strands must align perfectly on wooden frames. One slip ruins the rhythm.
The exhibition hall features Qing Dynasty looms and a wall poem titled The Weaving Song, recalling days when cloth was bartered for rice.
Try your hand at indigo tie-dye—wrap fabric with rubber bands, dip it in a dye bath, and watch patterns bloom like flowers from the deep.
China Town – Pottery and Patina
Entry Fee: Free
Wandering China Town’s stone streets, you feel time soften. Clay-scented air drifts from open workshops, where potters’ wheels spin to life beneath steady hands.
One artisan, his fingers coated in slip, remarks: “Clay knows if your hands are nervous.” And it does. In every pot—some still bearing fingerprints—you’ll find warmth, imperfection, and the quiet precision of mastery.
Wanling Ancient Town – Slow Mornings and Misty Riverbanks
Entry Fee: Free
If it’s peace you seek, Wanling’s mossy cobblestones and earthen flower pots await. In the early hours, mist lingers over the rooftops, and the scent of firewood mixes with dew. A man tends his vines, birds chatter overhead, and a tea house near the Da Rong Bridge offers a seat, a cup, and silence.
Stand on the bridge and watch women rhythmically washing clothes in the stream. In that moment, you’ll understand the old Chongqing saying: “The creek flows for a thousand years; time walks slowly.”
Rongchang’s Must-Try Dishes
Food here comforts more than just the stomach. Try:
Xiao Luo Lu Goose – tender, spiced, and deeply satisfying
Chicken Soup with Flatbread – hearty and warming on cooler days
Zhu Er Ba – sticky rice with pig’s blood, wrapped in fragrant leaves
Cool Cake – a light, chilled dessert of mung beans and rice
