Chongqing is world famous for its surreal, multi-layered architecture that defies the laws of traditional physics. But if there is one single location that perfectly captures the reality of living inside a real-world Christopher Nolan movie, it is Kuixinglou (魁星楼).
When we arrived at Kuixinglou from the bustling commercial streets of Cangbai Road, we found ourself standing in a wide, bustling outdoor public square. Kids were running around, locals were sipping tea, and street food vendors were steaming fresh dumplings. It felt like a completely normal, flat city plaza.
However, as we walked over to the concrete safety barrier at the edge of the square and looked down, we immediately experienced a moment of sheer vertigo. We weren't standing on the ground at all. We were actually standing on the 22nd-floor rooftop plaza of a massive commercial complex. Directly beneath us was a dizzying drop leading down to a web of lower-level city streets, parking garages, and residential lanes far, far below.
The undisputed highlight of Kuixinglou is its famous pair of high-altitude pedestrian skybridges. Spanning out from the 22nd-floor plaza, these two parallel concrete walkways stretched across a massive, deep urban chasm, anchoring themselves directly into the side of a completely separate high-rise building across the way.
We then had our lunch at a nearby local eatery before moving on to our next destination, Mountain City Alley (山城巷).
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