Shuāngjiāng

Introducing Shuāngjiāng

An awesome day trip from Chóngqìng, this sprawling village is packed with terrific sights, but you’ll need an adventurous spirit and plenty of patience to find them. No English is spoken here and even a Chinese tourist pulling out a camera can draw a crowd.

The old town’s main drag has fascinating nooks and crannies including two museums and an old teahouse.

On the outskirts, an active Catholic church serves the friendly Christian community of about six. A travelling priest calls his congregation every several weeks to tell them when he’ll be by for a service. To see inside, go to the mechanic’s shop out back and ask for a key.

Further afield, there’s an impressive Tang dynasty Buddha. Look for the nearby stone stairs, carved to imitate the Chinese tonal scale when stomped on. (Though centuries of pilgrims’ footsteps have considerably muffled the effect.) They’ll be some boulders to the left of them as you ascend. It’s said if you blow on these, you’ll hear your whistle inside the stone.

You’ll need to negotiate transportation with a villager to get here.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009