Travel in China
The neon heart of Chongqing - the 27-metre Liberation Monument ringed by malls, billboards and the loudest hotpot streets in China.
Jiefangbei (Liberation Monument) is a 27-metre stone tower at the intersection of Minzu Road, Minquan Road and Zourong Road in central Chongqing. Built in 1940 as a wooden 'Spirit Fortress' to boost morale during the Japanese bombing campaign, it was rebuilt in stone in 1946 and rededicated in 1950 as the 'People's Liberation Monument' - the only memorial to victory in the War of Resistance located in the heart of a downtown commercial district.
Today the monument is ringed by some of the densest commercial development in western China: luxury malls (Global Harbor, Times Square, IFS), neon billboards, and the entrance to Bayi Road Food Street - arguably the best street-food corridor in China. At night, the intersection becomes a canyon of light, with the monument's own illumination reflected in the surrounding glass towers.
Jiefangbei is the beating heart of Chongqing's night economy - within a 15-minute walk are Hongyadong, the Yangtze River Cableway, and the Eighteen Stairs historic district. It is the place to start an evening, end an evening, or simply stand and watch the city pulse.
Highlights
The Liberation Monument
The 27-metre tower commemorating victory in the War of Resistance - the only such memorial in a downtown shopping district.
The Neon Canyon
The intersection's surrounding billboards and screens - a canyon of light after dark.
Bayi Road Food Street
The best street-food corridor in Chongqing - hotpot, skewers and everything between.
The Luxury Malls
Global Harbor, IFS and Times Square - window-shopping at its most extravagant.
The Night Crowd
The intersection after 20:00 - a cross-section of Chongqing's youth culture.
The Gateway Position
Within 5 minutes walk of Hongyadong, the cableway and the Eighteen Stairs.
Photo Gallery
Comments