Chongqing: about 32 million people, and around 40 years ago there was almost nothing here. They call it the "8D city", because however far down you go there is always another ten floors below you. Part one of our visit.
Ten hours on the bullet train
We left early in the morning for ten hours on the high-speed train, our first time on the Chinese railway. After everything I had read I expected it to be complicated. It was actually easy to use. The only hard part is the size of the stations: you often walk a kilometre indoors to reach your gate. The train was new and spotless, just a little short on legroom for me.
A small mystery: the girl next to me kept her mouth covered for the whole trip and wouldn't even look at me. (In part two I worked out why, thanks to your comments.)
Hongyadong at night
Our hotel was within walking distance of Hongyadong, so that's where we went first. It used to be a military fortress and a busy dock. Today it's an 11-storey complex of traditional stilt houses, famous for glowing at night like the bathhouse in Spirited Away. The atmosphere was magical, with crowds everywhere and wild street food. I ate a whole fried crab, and the kids tried everything on a stick.
People stopped us every ten metres to take photos with us. Not many Western tourists come here yet, but I'm sure that will change quickly.
Museums, temples and getting lost
On the first full morning we went to People's Square, with the Great Hall of the People and the Three Gorges Museum, then on to the Chongqing Grand Theatre. Luohan Temple was a surprise: a thousand-year-old sanctuary hidden among the skyscrapers of the Jiefangbei business district, famous for its hall of 500 arhats.
Next we went looking for the famous "22nd-floor square" (Kuixing Tower Square). There are no good directions online and we got completely lost, which turned out to be the best part. That's my advice for the whole of China: plan your list, but don't forget to get lost. The road there was more interesting than the square itself. When we finally found it, it was impressive. In the video I even give "backwards" directions to help you.
A city that breaks your sense of ground level
Whatever you're looking for in Chongqing, you're always going up and down, and you lose track of where ground level is. Just when you think you've reached it, there are another ten floors below. I was struck by the community life of the elderly in the neighbourhoods, a sense of togetherness I wish we had in Italy. The girls found doll-style dresses for next to nothing and wore them to dinner. We didn't get our hot pot that night, but we found a great noodle place.
China is family-friendly, polite and safe. We never felt insecure. It's a place that needs to be seen with your own eyes, not through the headlines.