Ciqikou Ancient Town

Located at the Sapingba District of Chongqing, Ciqikou Ancient Town is a 1000-year-old small ancient town standing on the west bank of Jialing River. In history, Ciqikou was a commercial dock by land and water from Ming Dynasty.

Is Ciqikou Ancient Town worth a visit when you travel in Chongqing? Yes! The houses in Ciqikou Old Town are featured with the East-Sichuan architectural style. Ancient stone-slab streets, flying roof, wood or bamboo-made residential houses can make you have a feel of walking in an ancient Chinese town dating back several hundred years ago. It is also a good place to watch the local opera and other custom events like temple fair, dragon dance, dragon boat race, etc.

Chongqing Ciqikou Ancient Town Facts

Where Is Ciqikou Ancient Town Located

It is located at No. 1, Jingnan Street, near the Jialing River, in the northeastern part of Shapingba District, Chongqing City. It is 5 kilometers north of the center of Shapingba District, 14 kilometers from the center of Chongqing City, and 3 kilometers south of Shijingpo.

Fronting the river and backed by mountains, it features a landscape of “one river, two streams, and three mountains.” The “one river” refers to the Jialing River; the “two streams” are Fenghuang Stream and Qingshui Stream; and the “three mountains,” from north to south, are Jinbi Mountain, Ma'an Mountain, and Fenghuang Mountain. 

History and Why It Is So Named

Ciqikou Ancient Town, founded during the Xianping era of Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty (998-1003), was originally named Baiyanchang after the Baiyan Temple that once stood here. During the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen hid in Baolun Temple atop Baiyan Mountain for four or five years. Upon learning of this, locals renamed Baolun Temple to Longyin Temple, meaning “Dragon-Hiding Temple,” and Baoyanchang became known as Longyin Town, reflecting the emperor's imperial lineage.

In the early Qing Dynasty, the Jiang clan—descendants of Fujian's Dehua kiln artisans—settled in Longyin Town to produce porcelain, which became the town's primary industry for generations. By the Qianlong era, official documents referred to it as the “Porcelain Town,” a name that gradually evolved into “Cizikou.”

During the Republic of China era, Chongqing served as the provisional capital. Leveraging its convenient water transport, Longyin Town became a distribution hub for agricultural and specialty products from prefectures, counties, and tributaries along the middle and upper reaches of the Jialing River. Major exports included cotton yarn, cloth, kerosene, salt and sugar, imported goods, daily necessities, hardware and pigments, local pottery and paper, and specialty tobacco. In 1918, local merchants pooled funds to establish the “Shu Ceramics Factory,” pioneering new techniques for porcelain production that were exported beyond Sichuan. As craftsmanship advanced, the variety of ceramics expanded, and the town made a name. At its peak, Longyin Town boasted over 70 ceramics workshops.

By the 1940s, over 300 cargo ships each carrying 10 tons of goods entered and departed the docks daily at Ciqikou Ancient Town. Along its streets stood thousands of money lenders, shops, teahouses, restaurants, and inns. Within and around the ancient town thrived silk mills, porcelain factories, shipyards, steel plants, and numerous workshops producing brewed goods, bamboo crafts, and wooden wares. Specialized streets emerged, including Bamboo & Wood Street, Iron Goods Street, Ceramics Street, alongside markets for pigs and rice. Over time, merchants began referring to Longyin Town as “Porcelain Mouth”, and since “瓷” (ci, porcelain) and “磁” (ci, magnetism) share the same pronunciation, the name “Ciqikou” (磁器口) .

After 1958, shifts in modern transportation methods and the relocation of water transport docks gradually shifted the economic focus away from the ancient town of Ciqikou Ancient Town.

The Layout and Architecture of Ciqikou Old Town

The ancient town of Ciqikou is structured around Ciqikou Main Street and Cross Street (both 3-6.5 meters wide), with 42 alleys branching perpendicularly from them toward the ridge of Ma'an Mountain and the edge of the stream valley, forming a tree-like layout. Major attractions along Huangjueping Lane include the Huangjueping Archway, Hanlin Academy, and Zhong Family Courtyard; highlights on Ciqikou Main Street feature Baoshan Temple; key sights on Ciqikou Cross Street comprise Baolun Temple and the Statue of the Young Wife and Urinating Boy; while Yu Wang Lane houses the Han Zidong Exhibition Hall.

The ancient town still preserves traditional residential buildings, stone stairways, and remnants of temples and shrines, making it a natural museum of the traditional mountainous residential architecture of the Sichuan Mountainous region. The temple buildings in the town adopt the architectural pattern of "ancient temples in deep mountains", most of which are located close to mountains and water, conveying the connotations of the integration of traditional Chinese architecture with nature and the harmony between heaven and man. The residential houses are mostly reconstructed imitation ancient buildings by the government to promote tourism.

The commercial buildings in the Ciqikou Ancient Town still retain the traditional architectural structure, mostly using bamboo and wood as materials. The structural forms mainly adopt the split-beam style and the binding style. The layout is flexible to adapt to the changes of the terrain. The shops along the street are mostly one entrance with three rooms, long and deep in layout. The rear rooms of the shops are usually in the form of a quadrangle courtyard, and are often the residences of wealthy merchants. In terms of architectural decoration, it mainly manifests in the eaves and doors and windows, with exquisite carved patterns and various shapes of graphics.

Top Things to See: Ciqikou Old Town Attractions

Baolun Temple

Baolun Temple, located at No. 76 Hengjie Street in Ciqikou Ancient Town, is bounded by cliff lines on its southern, northern, and western sides, extending eastward to the street boundary on the left side of Ci Heng Street. The entire temple complex features double-eaved hip-and-gable architecture with a wooden bracket structure, ranking among China's most renowned Buddhist temples in Chongqing. Existing structures include the Main Hall, Guanyin Pagoda, and Baolun Temple Residence.

Hanlin Academy

Originally named Lishi Cottage, also known as Lishi Study Hall, it stands as one of the few surviving ancient private academies in Chongqing's urban core. 

During the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, the Sun family established a school here. Their descendants studied at this academy, with three passing the provincial examinations to become ju-ren scholars. Additionally, figures like Huang Zhongyin and Duan Dazhang passed the imperial examinations as jinshi and were appointed as compilers in the Hanlin Academy. This gave rise to the local saying, “Three scholars from one family, two Hanlin scholars within five li.” Thus, the study came to be known as the “Hanlin Academy.” 

The central courtyard remains intact, featuring a small moon-worshiping platform in the inner courtyard where the owner once conducted family rituals. It now serves as a distinctive folk-style teahouse in Ciqikou.

Baoshan Palace

Baoshan Palace is a renowned Taoist temple among Ciqikou's Nine Palaces and Eighteen Temples. This Qing Dynasty courtyard complex is built on three terraced levels, with structures ascending gradually with the terrain. On the first terrace, visitors can savor gaiwan tea while watching Sichuan opera face-changing performances. The second terrace houses the ancient town's calligraphy creation base. The third terrace features a Hundred Family Surnames Cultural Museum. During the Republican era, it was converted into Jialing Elementary School. 

As Nobel laureate Professor Samuel C. C. Ting attended here, it now houses the Samuel C. C. Ting Exhibition Hall. Baoshan Temple has been transformed into a Chinese Tea Culture Experience Hall, systematically showcasing the historical development of tea, ceramics, and Ciqikou culture.

Zhong Family Courtyard

Constructed in 1890 during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, this courtyard was built by Zhong Yunting, a native of Ciqikou Old Town. Gifted from childhood, he later served as a procurement officer for Empress Dowager Cixi before retiring to build this compound. The courtyard blends the grandeur of northern siheyuan with the refined elegance of southern residences. The courtyard displays ancient artifacts including Ming and Qing dynasty beds and the “Flower and Moon Reunion” table.

Ciqikou Museum

Housed in a three-story building, this museum was converted from the former office of the Shazhi San Si Factory during the War of Resistance, and officially opened on January 7, 2019.

>> Related reading: Observing And Studying in the World’s Porcelain Center - Jingdezhen

Huangjueping Archway

Located at No. 6 South Street in Ciqikou, this archway serves as the main entrance to the ancient town. Inscriptions on either side bear the couplet: “By day, thousands bow in reverence; by night, ten thousand lamps shine bright.” “Thousands bowing hands” refers to the bustling merchants in the ancient town, with thousands of ships entering and leaving the docks daily; “ten thousand lamps” symbolizes the thriving population, where every household lit oil lamps after nightfall.

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How to Get to Ciqikou Ancient Town

By Rail: Take Rail Line 1 to Ciqikou Station.

By Bus: Take Bus Routes 202, 220, 224, 237, 261, 467, 503, 553, 843, Sightseeing Bus T003, or Sightseeing Bus T198 to Ciqikou West Gate Station.

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