19 Apr 2026 - CKG Day 2: Liziba Station (李子坝轻轨穿楼)

Chongqing is world-famous for its mind-bending, three-dimensional urban geography. Roads run on top of skyscrapers, bridges span dizzying canyons, and navigation apps often get hopelessly confused. But of all the city's architectural wonders, none captures the global imagination quite like Liziba Station (李子坝轻轨穿楼), which was our first destination today.

We took the Metro Line 2 all the way to Liziba Station. Before witnessing the train "piercing" through the building, we experienced being passengers inside the train entering into the building.

A common question visitors ask is: Which came first, the building or the railway? The answer is neither. They were designed and built together. Furthermore, Line 2 utilizes rubber-tired monorail trains rather than traditional steel wheels. The resulting sound is no louder than a household dishwasher, registering at around 60 decibels. That's the answer as to how residents can sleep with a train rattling through their building every few minutes.

Liziba has evolved from a quirky infrastructure solution into one of Chongqing’s top tourist destinations. The city has even built a dedicated viewing plaza at the base of the building to accommodate the crowds of onlookers.

The 19-story building serves two completely different purposes.

- Floors 1–5: Commercial shops and businesses.

- Floors 6–8: Liziba Transit Station (with the tracks on the 6th floor).

- Floors 9–19: Residential apartments.

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