After lunch, we strolled towards Danzishi Old Street (弹子石老街). Danzishi is famous for its unique layout based on the city's nine-tiered hillside topography. It seamlessly blends 19th-century treaty port history, traditional courtyards, and a glittering modern skyline.
We reached the main gate/door in about 10 minutes time.
Further down the street, we arrived at Baisuifang Archway (百岁坊牌坊), a grand and traditional stone gateway. This iconic archway marked the upper entry of the old street. Its intricate carvings offer a striking contrast against the modern skyscrapers rising directly behind it.
One of the key landmarks here is Yide Church (一德堂). It is a beautiful stone chapel blending modern and Gothic architecture. Built during Chongqing’s early port-opening era, this church features a popular European-style square out front. Visitors frequently stop here to buy bird feed, take photos with the flocks of pigeons, and enjoy a brief moment of serene calm.
Wang Family Courtyard (王家大院) is another key landmark, a fully restored quadrangle mansion with nearly 200 years of history. Known historically as the home of wealthy local salt merchants, this complex features a grand outdoor courtyard theater stage and a family temple. It showcases the unique, multi-layered Bayu residential architecture of ancient Chongqing.
There were other family courtyards around here as well.
As we descended the steps of Danzishi Old Street, we arrived at a massive stone wall with highly detailed carvings. The entire wall is a modern tribute that replicates the UNESCO World Heritage Dazu Rock Carvings located on the outskirts of Chongqing.
Right in the middle of the long panel sits the Zhengjue Buddha (正觉佛), carved with a gentle, kind, and dignified expression. He is surrounded by lifelike, intricate layers of smaller Buddhist figures, celestial guardians, and traditional patterns chiseled directly into the mountain stone face.
We continued our descent and arrived at the World’s Largest Mixue Flagship Store. Spanning an incredible 1,200 square meters across two floors, this is widely considered the brand’s global mega-store. The ground floor features their signature ultra-affordable menu (such as their famous ¥2 fresh lemonade and ¥3 ice cream cones) alongside store-exclusive premium drinks and sundaes. The second-floor functions like a "Snow King" theme park and supermarket. It is packed with claw machines, blind boxes, Snow King merchandise (dolls, umbrellas, water bottles), and cheap snack souvenirs starting at just ¥1 per pack.
From Mixue flagship store, we descended a few more flight of steps and escalators towards Changjiahui Shopping Park (长嘉汇).
The Riverside viewing platform offered some of the best unobstructed panoramic views in the city.
Spirited Away is one of our favourite Japanese animations from Ghibli studio. We got to take some pictures whenever we saw the characters or buildings from the movie.
After which, we slowly walked back to the subway station and took a train to another nearby old street.
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