Hongya Cave

Hongya Cave, officially called the Hongyadong Folk Custom Scenic Area, is located in Yuzhong District, Chongqing, where the Yangtze and Jialing rivers meet. It’s one of the city’s most famous spots for visitors. At night, when the lights come on, crowds gather to take photos in front of Hongya Cave, drawn by its resemblance to scenes from Spirited Away.

Originally, Hongya Cave was a natural cave on the cliffs by the Jialing River. Local residents used the traditional stilted house (diaojiaolou) style common in southwest China, building wooden houses along the hillside. This gave the area its distinctive look.

The complex has 11 floors. The first floor, on Binjiang Road, is closest to the river and one of the most popular photo spots. Many local photographers work here, and visitors can dress in ethnic costumes from southwest China for pictures. The 4th and 9th floors are commercial streets filled with food stalls and specialty shops.

The 11th floor is the “City Balcony,” one of the best viewpoints in the area. From here, you can see the Qiansimen Bridge lit up at night, along with the Yangtze and Jialing rivers and the Yuzhong Peninsula across the water.