Chongqing, with a population of 36 million, is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. It is also one of the four provincial municipalities, meaning it was directly under the Chinese central government and holds the same administrative level as a province. The other three cities at this level are Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin. Chongqing is located at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers. During the Sino-Japanese war (1937-45), my parents followed the Nationalist government and spent 8 years in this war capital. Chongqing is well known as “Furnace City” for its extremely hot summers. It is also famous for its distinctive cuisine, particularly its spicy hot pots. Most people didn’t realize that Chongqing food flavor is not “burning your mouth” hot but more “Mala” which is the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns. Fittingly, the first meal we enjoyed in Chongqing was at Pipa Yuan Hot Pot Restaurant. This restaurant is built across multiple levels of the Pipa mountain hillside and holds the Guinness record of world’s largest restaurant with a seating capacity of 6000 diners. With drizzling rain, we secured a table under a pavilion which was perfect weather for a hot pot meal. I was watching the servers running up and down the stairs bringing us foods and drinks. They are all in excellent physical shapes.
We stayed in the city center of Chongqing for the first two days. From our balcony, we could see where the Yangtze and Jialing rivers meet. Chongqing is a city built on rocks. When we took an elevator to the City Plaza, the building on the right side is 21 floors high, while the building on the left side is 12 floors high. This geological situation is unique in Chongqing. Its streets are multi-level and complex. We saw the light rail went straight through a building, and a taxi driver drove us through a maze of underground streets through garages. One thing I noticed on this trip to China is that most of the vehicles (rail, cars, and motorcycles) are electric, with no noise and no pollution. In addition to the extensive planting of trees and flowers in all major cities, the air quality in China has improved significantly since my last visit in 2018.
My memory of Chongqing comes from the stories my parents told me. Those were difficult years for Chinese people who lived there. I remembered my mom told me about the defense tunnel they had to hide in during the bombing by Japanese war planes. On June 5, 1941, in a prolonged Japanese bombardment, over 10,000 people sought refuge in the Jiaochangkou Tunnel, which was designed only to hold 4000 to 5000 people. The overcrowding, lack of ventilation, and blocked exits led to a stampede, suffocation, and resulted in over 2500 civilian casualties in this one incident. We visited this memorial site and understood why my parents never forgave what the Japanese did to Chinese people.
Chongqing has a wonderful landscape, and in the evening, with all the buildings lit up, this place is enchanting. We took a river boat ride and thoroughly enjoyed the breeze and scenery.
My last day in China, Yang Yang arranged for me to spend the day at her Yoga studio. The ZEN yoga studio is situated in a beautiful forest park. It offers Qigong, Yoga, Pilates, and sound treatment with gongs. Yang Yang booked a private session of pilates and sound therapy for us. This is my first time doing the sound treatment. It was an exciting experience; I thought I would be very relaxed under the sound, but the vibration of different gongs and sound bowls was actually quite loud, and it felt like I was inside a wind tunnel. It was believed that sounds and vibrations promote relaxation, reduce stress, and address various physical and emotional imbalances. Practitioners believe the vibrations can clear energy blockages and restore harmony within the body. I couldn’t quite tell whether this was true for me, but I definitely enjoyed the session and probably will try it again.
Time to say goodbye! After three weeks in China, Ray and I flew to Taiwan for my college class reunion. Thanks to my good friends Shiqui, Yang Yand, and Qiao Kai, this was one of our best trips in China. It was hard to say goodbye, especially to these two beautiful girls. We hope to see you soon again!
