Ciqikou Ancient Town

Ciqikou Ancient Town in Chongqing's Shapingba District sits on the north bank of the Jialing River and traces its origins to the Song dynasty, when it grew as a river port known as Longyin Town; it took its present name, meaning 'porcelain port,' during the Ming and Qing dynasties after local kilns began firing and shipping porcelain along the Jialing River trade routes. The town preserves a dense grid of stone-flagged lanes lined with wood-and-tile Ming- and Qing-style buildings, many now occupied by teahouses, snack stalls, and craft workshops, alongside surviving historic structures including the Baolun Temple, a working Buddhist monastery dating to the Song dynasty, and Zhong's Courtyard, a restored Qing-dynasty merchant residence with carved wooden screens and a central courtyard typical of Sichuan basin architecture. Exhibits inside Zhong's Courtyard and several small museums along the main street document the porcelain trade, riverine commerce, and the town's role as a supply point during the Republican era, when Chongqing's status as wartime capital drew refugees and industry upriver. Curatorial presentation is loosely thematic rather than strictly chronological, organized around individual buildings and craft demonstrations rather than a single narrative arc, reflecting the town's character as a living commercial district as much as a heritage site. Ciqikou underwent major restoration beginning in the 1990s as Chongqing expanded around it, with reconstructed shopfronts added along the main street to a design matching the surviving Ming and Qing structures; the core lanes around Baolun Temple retain the most original fabric, while the main tourist street is substantially rebuilt. The town remains an active residential and commercial area rather than a preserved-in-amber museum piece.