Chongqing cyberpunk in 30 seconds
- Where: the Yuzhong peninsula around Xiaoshizi metro (Lines 1 and 6), plus Liziba Station and Eling a few stops west.
- Must-sees: Liziba monorail, Hongyadong, Jiefangbei, Kuixinglou, Raffles City, the Yangtze River Cableway, Eling Trestle.
- When: after dark for neon; spring and autumn for weather; weeknights for smaller crowds.
- How long: 2–3 nights. About 1–2 hours from Chengdu by high-speed train.
- Pay: set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you arrive.
Chongqing sits on steep hills where the Yangtze and Jialing rivers meet, and it has nowhere to grow but up. Roads are stacked on roads, buildings have front doors on several different floors, and one monorail line runs straight through an apartment block. After dark the towers light up in neon, the river mirrors it all, and the whole city looks like a science-fiction film set. That is why the internet calls it China's "cyberpunk city" and the "8D city."
The videos work. According to Chongqing government data reported by CNN, the city received about 1.3 million inbound tourists in 2024, up 184% year on year. CNN's feature followed Canadian creator Joshua Guvi, who had worried the city couldn't live up to social media and found it exceeded his expectations. This guide shows you exactly where to go to see it for yourself.
Where Is the Cyberpunk Area of Chongqing?
The cyberpunk core is the Yuzhong peninsula (渝中半岛), the tongue of land between the two rivers. Get off at Xiaoshizi station (Lines 1 and 6) and you can walk to Jiefangbei, Kuixinglou, Hongyadong, Raffles City at Chaotianmen and the Yangtze River Cableway. Liziba Station and Eling Trestle sit a short metro ride west. For the full-skyline panorama, cross the river to Nanbin Road in Nan'an.
The Best Cyberpunk Spots, With Metro Stops
| Spot | What you'll see | Best time | Nearest metro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liziba Station 李子坝站 | A Line 2 monorail running straight through a residential building | Daytime; trains every few minutes | Liziba (Line 2) |
| Hongyadong 洪崖洞 | Stilted, 11-level cliffside complex lit gold after dark | After dark, ideally weeknights | Xiaoshizi (Lines 1, 6) |
| Qiansimen Bridge 千厮门大桥 | The classic view back at Hongyadong across the Jialing | Blue hour and night | Xiaoshizi (Lines 1, 6) |
| Jiefangbei 解放碑 | Neon canyon of towers around the WWII victory monument | Evening | Xiaoshizi / Jiaochangkou |
| Kuixinglou 魁星楼 | Plaza where "ground level" is really a high floor | Evening | Xiaoshizi (Lines 1, 6) |
| Raffles City 来福士 / Chaotianmen 朝天门 | Towers linked by a sky bridge above the two-river confluence | Sunset | Xiaoshizi (Lines 1, 6) |
| Yangtze River Cableway 长江索道 | Cable car over the river with the skyline below | Dusk or night (expect queues) | Xiaoshizi (Lines 1, 6) |
| Eling Trestle 鹅岭栈道 | 460 m cliffside steel walkway above rail lines | Daytime; check opening hours | Eling (Line 1) |
| Nanbin Road 南滨路 (Nan'an) | Skyline panorama of the whole Yuzhong peninsula | Night | Taxi from Yuzhong |
The Landmarks That Broke the Internet
Liziba Station 李子坝站
China's first straddle-type monorail station built into a residential and commercial building. Stand on the free viewing platform below and watch trains glide in and out of the tower every few minutes. It's the single most photographed scene in Chongqing.
Hongyadong 洪崖洞
A stilted complex stacked up the cliff, with shops, snacks and bars on every level. Lit gold at night, it's often compared to the bathhouse in Spirited Away. For the best photo, walk onto Qiansimen Bridge and look back.
Kuixinglou 魁星楼 & Baixiangju 白象居
Two classic "which floor am I on?" places. Kuixinglou's plaza feels like street level but sits many floors up; Baixiangju is an old residential block where walkways connect to different floors from different streets. A viral post about a building where you think you're on the ground floor but are really on the 12th passed 17 million views.
Yangtze River Cableway 长江索道
A cable car that has carried commuters over the Yangtze since 1987, now one of the city's favorite ways to see the skyline. Go at dusk or after dark, and expect a queue on weekends.
Eling Trestle 鹅岭栈道
A steel walkway along the cliffs that links nearly 30 cultural sites, threading between rail lines below and power cables above. At its highest it's 28 m up, with open views over the Jialing River. Pair it with Eling Park and Liziba.
Raffles City 来福士 & Chaotianmen 朝天门
Towers linked by a horizontal sky bridge rise above the point where the two rivers meet. At sunset, Chaotianmen gives you both the rivers and the megastructure in one frame.
A One-Night Cyberpunk Route
- Afternoon — Liziba Station. Watch the monorail from the platform below, then ride one stop through the building.
- Late afternoon — Eling Trestle and Eling Park. Walk the cliff trestle in daylight; check the day's opening hours before you go.
- Sunset — Chaotianmen and Raffles City. Metro to Xiaoshizi and watch the rivers change color.
- Blue hour — Hongyadong from Qiansimen Bridge. The classic shot, just as the lights come on.
- Dinner — Jiefangbei. Hotpot or small noodles in the neon canyon, then climb to Kuixinglou.
- Night — Yangtze River Cableway to Nan'an. Ride across and finish with the full skyline from Nanbin Road.
Three Rules for Surviving Chongqing
Rule 1: Don't trust the blue dot
"Street level" is relative here. You can walk into a building on the ground floor and walk out on the 10th, onto a different street. Your map app may say you've arrived while you're staring at a cliff. Use Amap (高德) or Apple Maps, allow extra time, and ask a local; people are used to lost visitors.
Rule 2: Wear comfortable shoes
There's almost no flat ground. You'll climb stairs, ride long outdoor escalators and cut through buildings. Expect a high step count.
Rule 3: Go at night
Daytime Chongqing is impressive; nighttime Chongqing is the one in the videos. Book a two-rivers night cruise, or find a rooftop bar with a skyline view, and walk Hongyadong late when the day crowds thin out.
American expat Matthew Blair, who moved to Chongqing in 2009, told CNN that the city's concrete, mountain terrain and industrial design make it feel like a futuristic movie set, and that at night it becomes a true cyberpunk dream. — Paraphrased from CNN
The Food: Sichuan Spice on a Mountain
Chongqing shares Sichuan's love of chili and numbing Sichuan peppercorn, and turns it up. Its signature is hotpot: a bubbling pot of beef-tallow chili broth where you cook meat, vegetables and tofu at the table.
- Chongqing hotpot: spicier and oilier than the Chengdu style. Ask for a split pot (鸳鸯锅) if you want a mild side.
- Chongqing small noodles (小面): the city's favorite breakfast. Spicy, cheap, everywhere.
- Ciba (糍粑): glutinous rice cakes rolled in toasted soybean powder and sugar.
- Grilled fish (烤鱼): a whole fish grilled, then simmered in chili oil and vegetables.
- Air-raid shelter restaurants: Chongqing was China's wartime capital in WWII, and some of the tunnels dug into its hills now house hotpot restaurants and bars.
More dishes in our China food guide.
How to Get There
- By air: Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG) has direct flights across Asia and from major Chinese cities. From the US, most travelers connect through Beijing, Shanghai or another hub.
- By high-speed rail: Chengdu → Chongqing takes about 1–2 hours depending on the train. Xi'an and Guilin are roughly 5–6 hours. Book on Trip.com or the 12306 app.
- From the airport: about 30–40 minutes by taxi, or take the metro (Line 10 or Line 3) into the city.
- Visa: citizens of 55+ countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can use 240-hour visa-free transit if flying on to a third country, and Chongqing is an eligible port. Many other nationalities can enter visa-free for up to 30 days. Check our China visa guide for your passport.
- Stay 2–3 nights. One evening for the night route, one day for Liziba, Eling and food, and an optional day trip to the Dazu Rock Carvings or Wulong Karst.
Add Chongqing to Your China Trip
We build Chongqing into custom itineraries, often paired with Chengdu: hotels with a view, a local guide for the night route, hotpot bookings, trains, VPN and payment setup handled before you land.
Plan My China TripWhy Chongqing Looks Like This
The cyberpunk look isn't a theme; it's what happens when a huge city is built on mountains between two rivers. The monorail runs through a building at Liziba because the terrain left little room for anything else, and the station was designed together with the tower. The stacked roads, cliff walkways and multi-level entrances all come from the same problem: too little flat land for too many people. The nighttime lighting is deliberate too, part of the city's push to build a night economy along the rivers.
The result is a city that feels futuristic and very lived-in at the same time, and, thanks to the hotpot, extremely delicious.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the cyberpunk city in China?
The "cyberpunk city" is Chongqing, a megacity in southwest China where the Yangtze and Jialing rivers meet. The most photographed cyberpunk scenes are concentrated on the Yuzhong peninsula: Jiefangbei, Hongyadong, Chaotianmen and Raffles City, plus Liziba Station and Eling a few stops west.
Why is Chongqing called a cyberpunk city?
Chongqing is built on steep hills split by two rivers, so roads, rail and buildings are stacked on many levels. At night, neon-lit towers, layered highways and a monorail running through a residential building create scenes that look like science fiction, which earned it nicknames like "cyberpunk city" and "8D city."
Where is the cyberpunk area of Chongqing?
Start at Xiaoshizi metro station (Lines 1 and 6) on the Yuzhong peninsula. Within walking distance you'll find Jiefangbei, Kuixinglou, Hongyadong, Raffles City at Chaotianmen and the Yangtze River Cableway. Liziba Station (Line 2) and Eling Trestle (Line 1) are a short metro ride west.
When is the best time to see cyberpunk Chongqing?
Go at night for the neon and in spring or autumn for comfortable weather. Summers are very hot and humid, and winter often brings fog, which some photographers love. Weeknights are far less crowded than weekends and Chinese public holidays.
How many days do you need in Chongqing?
Two to three nights: one evening for the cyberpunk night route, one day for Liziba, Eling and food, and an optional day trip to the Dazu Rock Carvings or Wulong Karst.
Is it free to see the Liziba monorail?
Yes. Watching the train from the public viewing platform below the building is free. Riding through the building costs a normal metro fare, payable with Alipay or WeChat Pay.