ChinaRoam
ChinaRoam
Metro routes that work, tickets you can actually book, food you can order, and the payment hacks no guidebook prints — city by city.
The mountain megacity of neon bridges and nine-level 'ground floors' — cyberpunk meets Sichuan hotpot on a river gorge.
Jiangbei (CKG): Line 3/10 metro to downtown ~40 min. High-speed rail from Chengdu (1–1.5h) makes it an easy add-on to a Sichuan trip.
The famous lines that dive through buildings and cross the river gorge — Line 2 is the scenic one (Liziba station passes through an apartment block). Alipay metro QR works.
DiDi is cheap; the city is too hilly for walking. Cross the rivers by metro, bridge or the Yangtze cableway 长江索道 (¥20 one-way).
The cliffside stack of 11 glowing stilt-house floors above the Jialing River — Chongqing's postcard, best after dark. Free, but the evening queues are huge.
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The downtown shopping core and pedestrian streets — Chongqing's Times Square.
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An old riverside town of tea shops and snacks, packed but atmospheric.
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The metro that runs straight through an apartment building — view it from the platform below and get the classic shot.
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A 5-minute cable car over the Yangtze — the classic old-city crossing and a great river view.
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The original fiery hotpot — beef tripe, intestines and everything else in a seething chili pot. Say 微辣 for mild. Chains like 珮姐 and 大龙燚 take cards.
The breakfast noodles crowned with chili oil — the city's soul dish, ¥6–10 from any corner shop.
Bold 'jianghu' cooking — big flavors, big spice, big portions.
The late-night street-cart culture — grilled everything with beer.
Alipay everywhere; tiny noodle shops are cash-only — carry ¥100.
The city has levels — a hotel 'first floor' may be nine floors up from the street. Give yourself extra time and use Amap, not Google Maps.
Autumn (Oct–Dec) and spring (Mar–May). Summer is brutally hot — one of China's 'furnace cities'.
Chongqing hotpot is genuinely fierce. Cool down with 冰粉 iced jelly or yogurt; say 不辣 for no chili at non-hotpot places.
ChinaRoam is a crowdsourced guide to traveling China, built for foreign visitors. We started with the city guides that everyone needs but nobody could find in English: how do I actually pay? How do I book a museum with my passport? Which metro line goes where?
Unlike tourist agencies and travel portals, every entry here is written by travelers who have been on the ground — and every guide is open for anyone to correct and improve. It's a living guidebook, not a static one.
Prices, opening hours, and visa rules change. Treat every entry as a strong hint, not gospel — check official sources for things that matter. And if you spot something wrong, correct it: that's the whole point.
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