Our hotel is located around the tip of the Yuzhong Peninsula where Chaotianmen Square is. It is also where Raffles City Chongqing, which resembles our very own MBS, is situated.
First thing on our mind was to try out some local snacks to start off our day,
We bought some freshly made 鲜肉饼 that came with spicy and non-spicy flavors. In Chongqing, we had to try their spicy ones. :-P
We then walked along the street towards Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street.
At a traffic junction, we saw some structures that resemble the Supertrees at our very own Gardens by the Bay.
Further down the road, we arrived at a building that sells tickets for The Yangtze River Cableway (长江索道). We decided to give it a miss as the crowd was too overwhelming.
A short walk down the street lies the most unexpected discovery of our trip. Hidden completely inside a courtyard hemmed in by looming residential high-rises sits the Chongqing Museum of the Former Site of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.
During WWII, when Korea was under Japanese occupation, its leaders fled into exile. Following the Chinese Nationalist Government, they established their final wartime headquarters right here in Chongqing from 1940 to 1945. It was in this very complex that the Korean Liberation Army was organized and stationed, operating as a formal military branch alongside Chinese force.
The museum consists of five restored grey-brick and timber buildings connected by narrow outdoor staircases. Stepping through the old wooden gates feels like stepping through a portal back to the 1940s. The halls display over 600 artifacts, original letters, and photographs detailing the harrowing undercover operations, planning meetings, and shared military efforts between Chinese and Korean resistance forces. Nice little museum that is free admission.
In Chongqing, there are Bomb Shelter Hot Pot (防空洞老火锅) restaurants everywhere.
Finally, we arrived at the People’s Liberation Monument (人民解放碑). Standing at 27.5 meters tall, this monument is a vital piece of Chinese history. Originally built in 1941 as a wooden "Spirited Fortress" to mobilize the public during WWII, it was rebuilt in concrete and renamed in 1950 to celebrate the city’s liberation. It remains the only national monument in China dedicated strictly to the victory over Axis forces in WWII.
Stepping into the main pedestrian plaza feels like walking onto a cyberpunk movie set. Ultra-luxury high-rises and massive LED billboards are everywhere.
The Choc Choco Chocolate Museum (巧克巧蔻巧克力博物馆) is located directly at Jiefangbei Square. It functions as a hybrid premium chocolate store and an immersive exhibition space, famous for housing an elaborate gallery of life-sized, fully edible chocolate sculptures.
The experience inside the museum combined a whimsical "Willy Wonka" atmosphere with intricate Chinese artistry.
From Jiefangbei Square, we strolled down the street towards Shibati (十八梯), another must-visit place in Chongqing.
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