Laitan Ancient Town in Chongqing | Wengcheng, Wenchang Palace, and the Cliff Carvings of Erfo Temple
Laitan Ancient Town is located in Hechuan District, Chongqing City, on the Jufeng Mountain on the west bank of Qujiang River, surrounded by cliffs on three sides. It is one of the first batch of historical and cultural towns in China, one of the top ten ancient towns in China, and one of the first 'most beautiful villages and towns in China'.
The ancient town is located on the Qujiang River, with beautiful natural scenery. The Ming and Qing residences are scattered at different heights, and the old streets and alleys are simple and elegant. The Wengcheng built in the Qing Dynasty is well preserved.
Laitan Ancient Town was first built during the Northern Song Dynasty, located by the river. In the mid-Qing Dynasty, due to frequent harassment by bandits, the wealthy families funded the construction of Laitan Ancient Fortress during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty. In the first year of Tongzhi (1862 AD), Wengcheng was added, forming the current Laitan Ancient Town.
Wengcheng is semi-circular, about 40 meters long and about 30 meters in radius. It has eight city gates, four of which are pedestrian and horse-drawn roads in a cross symmetry, and the other four are semi-closed soldier caves, so-called: Wengcheng eight caves, four bright and four dark, one person guards, and no one can pass.
The ancient street faces the Qujiang River to the east, and is bounded by steep cliffs to the north and south. It is composed of Shuncheng Street, Huilong Street and Erfo Lane, which fully reflects the Ming and Qing style of eastern Sichuan. Old bacon, local chicken, Hechuan meat slices, Qujiang fish, stone mill tofu, these are basically the signature dishes of Laitan Ancient Town.
Wenchang Palace is a Qing Dynasty building, dedicated to Confucius and his disciples. Outside Wenchang Palace, you can see an ancient city wall covered with moss. The entire city wall is about 1380 meters long. Walking along the city wall, you will reach the essence of Laitan Ancient Town, Erfo Temple.
Erfo Temple, originally named Jiufeng Zen Temple, was built in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Song Dynasty, and rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. It is divided into upper and lower halls. The entire hall is built according to the mountain, a three-story double-eave Xieshan-style building. The lower hall uses natural mountain rocks and sloping stones to support the roof, which is very rare.
The largest stone carving in the lower hall of Erfo Temple is the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, which is 12.5 meters high and carved into the rock. It ranks second compared to the Leshan Giant Buddha, so it is called 'Erfo Temple'. The cliff carvings of Erfo Temple are the essence of Song Dynasty stone carving art.
📍Detailed address:
Laitan Ancient Town: No. 47 Huilong Street, Hechuan District, Chongqing City
Ticket: Free admission