A city is a composite text of history and culture, a cultural prism of historical memory.

Just like the recently renovated and opened Zengjiayan Cliff Trail in front of us, once you step into it, you will feel like you have entered the memory roots of Yuzhong, the mother city of Chongqing, which are shining with new light.

Mr. Dai Rongli once said: Once you feel the awakening of ancient buildings or places, you will have reverence for this city.

The Zengjiayan Cliff Trail brings not only awe to this city, but also a unique humanistic spirit and urban temperament that blend seamlessly with modern cities, thanks to its unique natural endowment.

It connects the history of the mother city Yuzhong with today's ridgeline.

The Zengjiayan Cliff Trail is located in Jiadong Village, Shangqing Temple, on the north side of the Shangqing Temple turntable. It borders Daxigou Street to the east, Lianglukou Street to the south, Hualong Bridge and Daping Street to the west, and Jialing River to the north.

Speaking of which, the coordinates are densely packed here. Facing the alley entrance is the "brain" that has led the urban transformation of Chongqing for 80 years - the location of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Chongqing Municipal Government; Along the roadside, there is a street of anti Japanese war culture, which represents the past and present of Chongqing.

Image: Fan Xiaodong

On and around this road, revolutionary predecessors and democrats such as Zhou Enlai and Xianying have lived, as well as well-known cultural figures such as Guo Moruo, Lao She, Liu Yazi, Tao Xingzhi, and Xu Beihong. They learned about Chongqing from here and spread it to the whole of China and even the world.

The Zengjiayan Cliff Trail was first built in the 1960s, with an original length of only over 300 meters. It did not connect Zengjiayan with Shangqingsi Station, and due to years of disrepair, there were problems such as disorderly barriers, single landscape functions, and inconvenient travel for residents.

Since 2019, Shangqingsi Street has started systematic repairs and protective updates to expand this trail.

Before (left) and after (right) the renovation of the entrance to Jialing East Village

In fact, it is extremely difficult to renovate and expand this trail, as it is located on a steep cliff by the Jialing River, which is also the ridge line of what we call the mother city. The old trail used to have dead ends everywhere, some steep slopes, and even vertical slopes reaching over 80 degrees.

The renovation project is divided into two phases: in the first phase, the Zengjiayan Cliff Trail has opened up a dead end road, expanding from over 300 meters to 1200 meters, and connecting to the Shangqingsi Station, effectively meeting the travel needs of residents.

Before (left) and after (right) the renovation of the old post office in Shangqing Temple

Damaged wall before renovation (left), old photo bulletin board after renovation (right)

The second phase is to extend the trail along the entire cliff, and build boardwalks and forest paths on the cliffs, as well as multiple observation platforms for tourists and citizens.

Messy road before renovation (left), refreshing and beautiful trail after renovation (right)

Before the renovation, the "well" shaped slope surface was used to prevent landslides (left), and after the renovation, the plastic stone treatment was used to make it look fake (right)

The messy corner before the renovation (left), the landscape sketch after the renovation (right)

Under the cliff lies the Jialing River, which is like a jade belt around the waist.

Standing on the observation deck, Jiabin Road is right at your feet. The Jialing River is gentle and green, and you can see the misty water and the emerald like waves of boats passing by. The beautiful scenery of Beibin Road is reflected in the water, and everything can be seen clearly. It's as beautiful as a long axis ink painting.

It's hard to say whether this trail is very historical or very modern. Walking on the trail, the feeling of time travel becomes particularly complex.

Residential houses along the Jialing River at the back of No. 50 Zengjiayan

At the bridgehead of Jialing River Bridge, all Chongqing residents know that the post office of Shangqing Temple is located across the road from the bus stop. Following a gentle slope, climbing up the stairs and walking along the cliff, you can reach the former Shangqing Temple post office.

This is also the starting point of the Zengjiayan Cliff Trail.

Slowly entering from the entrance of the trail, the green brick path winds and is not wide enough to accommodate only two or three people walking in a staggered manner. The road surface has been carefully prepared, and the bricks and stones have been washed by the rain of the past two days, making it look even cleaner. The balcony fence of the first floor resident's house next to the path is right beside their shoulder, and the holly grown in red clay pots grows happily and vigorously in the cold season.

The stone slope carries the unique simplicity of the old trail in the mountain city, with dense yellow poplar roots on the right side, nestled in the crevices of the rocks, tightly grasping the lush branches and leaves growing from the mountain, allowing the households on this slope to hide among the lush greenery.

Walking along the entrance staircase for three to five minutes, you can see a post office wall. After several renovations, the building is no longer the same as before, and the old photos on the exterior wall record its ancient history. This post office used to be a post office station, but later had a low-key yet indispensable role in the history of the Anti Japanese War. In February 1942, the telegram "Message to the Soldiers Entering Burma" was sent out from the Shangqing Temple, inspiring hundreds of thousands of expeditionary soldiers on the Yunnan Burma front; In 1945, the "Double Tenth Agreement" was signed in the nearby special park, and news reports were transmitted to the international community from here

The Postman Before Liberation

Under the erosion of time, the original post office site has been completely destroyed and replaced by a small convenience store, but the mailbox is still there and has been thoroughly cleaned. The owner of the convenience store said that every year at this time, second grade students come to write letters and send letters. The elementary school students copy the addresses of distant relatives one by one, and write two rows of Chinese characters for five minutes. The stone railing is filled with slow-moving elementary school students who take photos and clock in before stuffing the letters into the mailbox. This is probably a preserved project similar to "first grade skipping rope" and "third grade sericulture".

This kind of oscillation between the past and the present is both confusing and fresh.

Entering from the entrance and exit of Jiabin Road, the two-level leisure and cultural square is made of bluestone and cultural bricks, creating a strong cultural atmosphere; Climbing up the cliff path, the middle two levels are sports fields where there are always old men swinging their arms like flying; Following the cliff facing trail, paved with blue bricks, all the way along the cliff, large and small viewing platforms have been built on any vacant land with a large area. There are even newly constructed modern style small buildings. This old house used to belong to the Chongqing Textile Bureau. After careful design and renovation, the street and construction team decided to preserve the original structure, allowing the floor to ceiling glass to face the riverbank. Although the interior decoration has not been completed yet, it is obvious that it is also a future popular city viewing balcony.

The surrounding residents like to take a walk or communicate with each other about their family life on a semi-circular small platform. The river breeze is majestic, and a large yellow poplar tree grows from the foot of the mountain, tenaciously growing on the cliff, rooted in Chongqing, just like the temperament of Chongqing people who have never been stopped and have never relaxed, "biting the green mountains.

The platform cuts open the ground to allow the tree trunks to pass through, and under the canopy, the platform looks like an open treehouse. The view here is also particularly good, with three sides wide and overlooking Jialing. In summer, the flood peak passes through, and in winter, the calm water flows deep. The river here is also wide, with one vortex after another in the center of the river, giving the river a dizzying feeling.

The 401 bus records the special memory of Zengjiayan residents in a certain period. This is the first tram to Monument to the people's Liberation. There is a kind of trick called entering the city. The city here is limited to a small part of Monument to the people's Liberation. After residents truly had spare money, the long braid 401 gradually became increasingly crowded. The 401 tram sculpture is located at the top of the steepest slope of the trail, and the tram seems to be driving out from the cliff. In front of it is the most distinctive slope and ridge in Chongqing. When the weather is sunny, many retired aunts, uncles, grandfathers, and grandmothers often come here to take photos and reminisce about their past lives.

Walk along the slope ridge to the back of Qiujing Middle School. The newly built glass walkway platform is a pure modern style. After sorting out, the view here is wide and the river and the sky are the same color. When you look at the scenery, you feel the awe inspiring atmosphere rolling along the river.

On the way to Jingxiu Middle School, there is a historical documentary called the Centennial Shangqing Temple. The name of Shangqing Temple comes from the famous names in history, which are gradually unfolded into wall paintings. The old photos of the century long changes, with the unique black and white mottled of historical photos, make the culture of this corridor seem more like an old documentary of history, rather than a lightly rendered classical atmosphere.

The wall renovation of Jingxiu Middle School is one of the finishing touches of the trail, replacing the traditional iron railings with transparent glass walls, breaking the ice cold feeling, and allowing visual communication between the campus and the surrounding environment while preserving tranquility. Walking along, the sound of Lang Lang reading could be heard from the depths of the classroom, igniting a youthful atmosphere and igniting the lively feeling of the old neighborhood. The sound of books crossing Zhongsi Road reminded people of the revolutionary youth who engraved their youth in Zengjiayan decades ago. And the sound of reading, together with the daily fireworks of the surrounding residents, has created a unique living atmosphere in the Zengjiayan area.

From Qiuxin Lane of Qiujing Middle School to the entrance of No. 4 Road in Wenyin Center, it is the entrance of Phase II of Linya Path. More intuitively, the gauze cap stone under the platform of the newly built glass walkway is the starting point of Phase II of Zengjiayan Path.

Due to the continuous low water level in winter, these days, you can stand on the side of that stubborn rock facing the river. I truly saw the words carved on the stone, 'The place where Dong Gong died'. These five characters were engraved here by the son of a minister of the Ministry of Personnel during the Tianqi period of the Ming Dynasty. "Duke Dong" is Dong Jinlun, a native of Hechuan, Chongqing, who has successively held the posts of county magistrate of Qingshui, Supervisor of the County of Anding, and Tongzhi of Gongchang Mansion, and handled Ganzhou military pay. In the first year of the Tianqi era, the Yongning Pacification Bureau's She Chongming rebelled and briefly captured several prefectures and counties in Chongqing. The Ming court called on all regions to send troops to conquer. Dong Jinlun led his village militia to assist Chongqing, but was attacked by rebels while crossing the river near Zengjiayan. Dong Gong died in battle after exhausting all his efforts, and died beside this stone.

With the change of dynasties, the loyal officials of the Ming Dynasty could not arouse the interest of the Qing government. The story of Duke Dong is plain and common in history. Time is like a sharpening stone, and sharpening stones also sharpen memories. Only when the trail extends here, the story will be picked up again.

The second phase of the Zengjiayan Cliff Trail project has an actual total length of only 0.6 kilometers, but the selection of this 0.6 kilometers is particularly particular. It is located at the upper end of Binjiang Road, intersecting diagonally and connecting multiple main roads such as Zhongshan Fourth Road, Jialingqiao Road, and Jiabin Road, ultimately forming a slow walking trail system consisting of one large ring road and three small ring roads. In this short trail, there are cliff facing trails, observation platforms, and forest crossing boardwalks... The terrain in this area is so complex that Shangqingsi Street has put in a lot of effort to renovate and restore it, finally presenting the current maximized use area, making the trail on the cliff walls rich and varied in form, preserving the original texture and giving it a new look.

Following the spiral staircase, one can descend from the boardwalk to the platform on the ground floor, which is closer to the feeling of the forest. Facing the river, there is a group of bamboo slips in the shape of aluminum plate carvings, which tell the origin of Shangqing Temple in a fluent manner. Important historical sites are restored here, memories and nostalgia from the past are stirred up, and in the storms of time, the passage retains political figures and cultural context. The Zengjiayan Cliff Trail bears the name of Shangqing Temple at this historically significant location.

Walking up the long scroll, I looked up at a small wooden door hidden among the tangled vines. It is rumored that behind the door was the escape route of the past. On the mountaintop of Shangqing Temple, many high-ranking officials and nobles used to build their own villas here, including Xianying and others. The villas all had underground tunnels, and in times of war and bombing, they could descend halfway up the mountain and even seek refuge in the tunnels. Influenced by the eclectic architectural style of the past, the brick and stone structure has a strong German Gothic style, but the door is a typical Chinese style old wooden door.

With the completion of the renovation and expansion of the trail, the old alley has become clean and elegant. The stone paved road carries the unique simplicity of the old trail in the mountain city. On the right side, there are dense yellow poplar tree roots, nestled in the crevices of the rocks, tightly grasping the lush branches and leaves growing on the mountain, hiding the homes on this slope in lush greenery; On the left side, every step is a popular spot for internet celebrities. You can take random shots and capture Chongqing's iconic mountains, rivers, bridges, as well as the light rail roaring through the river on the track.

The traffic on Changbin Road is bustling, following the curve of Binjiang Road to form a flowing river of cars.

The Yangtze River is like a train, with bridges spanning across it, leaving behind the power of humanity between the mountains and rivers. The buildings on both sides are reflected in the river, and people fishing by the riverbank sit quietly in the cold wind, creating a rare wild charm in the city.

Connecting the old trail is a meticulous task. In order to integrate the new and old trails, all the bricks, tiles, and stones in the Zengjiayan Cliff Trail site come from old materials excavated during the construction of the Zengjiayan Tunnel, even rock cores. The rock color of the mountain is similar and can be repaired as old as ever. Even some flower beds have been surrounded by sorted old tiles, grinding discs, and bottles, adhering to the principle of environmental protection and conservation, restoring the natural style.

The designer said, 'The best renovation is not visible after renovation.' It's like those cliffs, after arduous construction, look like bare stones.

As a mountainous city, Chongqing has mature construction experience in dealing with mountain walls. From a safety perspective, the most commonly used structure is the "well" shape, which can be seen in the concrete pouring of many slope treatments to stabilize the mountain and prevent landslides.

The Zengjiayan Cliff Trail Phase II has a large area of cliffs. Looking at the cliff from the trail, a section of the cliff has been rebuilt, but it still looks like a mountain. But in order to maintain the state of the mountain itself, a seemingly simple but actually extremely complex landscape architecture scheme was carefully demonstrated. The large area of steel-concrete structure left over from the original geological disaster control was dissolved and covered with plastic stone, which not only protected the stability of the cliff and prevented landslides functionally, but also visually restored the mountain to its original appearance.

Some are natural bare stones, some are repaired structural beams, but they blend seamlessly into one.

Even the downspouts were carefully disguised as tree branches, and even the materials for the flower beds next to the trail were carefully sourced from old stones, tiles, grinding plates, and glass bottles. The flower beds were also made full use of the rock cores used in the previous tunnel construction drilling, as well as the pebbles collected and transported by the river, blending the path with the natural environment nearby. It looks unadorned, but in fact, more effort has been put into preserving the natural texture of cliffs, trees, and roads, weakening the traces of human habitation, and returning the terrain and mountain shapes to a more rustic state.

The Zengjiayan Trail is so magical: winding and twisting, connecting these many points, yet maintaining its growth. The city is alive here, with historical thickness and the warmth of life.

On the trail, there is the river and the sky, with swaying tree shadows. Turning out of the intersection is the torrent of time. Outside the alley is a cultural and creative industry park, consisting of three buildings with classical eclectic style, all of which are very fashionable - gathering Oliver Brown Cafe, OB House Bakery, Carpo Italian Restaurant, extending to the newly renovated No. 85 Mansion and Zengjiayan Academy. Along the way are cultural heritage sites left over from the Republic of China era, such as Guiyuan, Zhou Mansion, Teyuan, and the former site of the National Government Presidential Palace, with a style that is both timeless and magical.

This feeling is not wrong.

Travel through the magical mountain city and explore the dusty old Chongqing. This is exactly the original intention of the design of the Zengjiayan Trail.

Chongqing has unique mountain and water resources, as well as riverbank resources. The beautiful coastline requires artistic atmosphere and modernity, allowing everyone to travel through the beauty of the mountain city, explore Chongqing's history, and enjoy the same river and city.

The appearance of the Zengjiayan Cliff Trail in the forest along the cliff and on the riverbank of the city has already turned these words into reality.

The river breeze blows over the houses on the cliff, and time is peaceful.

Breaking through the tranquility, the world has rebuilt its prosperity. The builders are jointly planning this line, a riverbank, a cliff on one side, and a historical avenue. It is no longer a fragment of the past, but a moment of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new to integrate everything.

This is a consensus on rivers and mountains, and also a possibility of reconnection in the intertwining of hundreds of years of time and space.

- END -

Text | Lian'er Ye

Layout | Seven pieces of tangerine peel

Photography | Fan Xiaodong, Lian Erye, You Lick