Guide to Danzishi Old Street
Shibati (十八梯), Ciqikou (磁器口), and Danzishi (弹子石) are all old streets, but the first two are usually packed with visitors, while Danzishi can feel almost empty by comparison. There are fewer tourists, and it doesn’t feel particularly commercial. Many of the shops are not open, so there really isn’t that much to see or do.
If you are thinking of coming here just for the old street, I wouldn’t make a special trip for it. But if there is a drone show that day, I would head out an hour or two early, walk down through Danzishi Old Street to Changjiahui, and then find a spot for the show. That timing works especially well because the old street looks better and feels much livelier at night than it does during the day.
Getting there
Take the Metro Loop Line to Danzishi Station (弹子石站) and use Exit 3. The entrance to the old street is about a 10-minute walk away.
Start from this end and the route is downhill all the way, with Changjiahui Shopping Park at the bottom, so this is the easiest direction to walk.
What to see
The Danzishi Old Street you see today is not an intact century-old neighborhood. It was restored and rebuilt on the original site before reopening to the public in 2018.
It may be quiet now, but this part of Danzishi was once much busier. Its location beside the Yangtze made it an important river port and transport hub in Chongqing. As river transport and trade grew, a commercial area gradually developed here, attracting a number of wealthy merchants.
Many of the houses lining both sides of the old street once belonged to those merchants. Some have since been converted into hotels or restaurants, while others are simply closed to visitors. Most of them are not open to visitors, but the size of the buildings still gives you a good idea of how wealthy their owners once were.
After Chongqing opened as a treaty port in 1891, foreign merchants and institutions began arriving in the city. Trading firms, military barracks, churches, and consulates also started appearing in this area.
Yide Church (一德堂) was first established during this period. The original church was destroyed long ago, and the Gothic-style building standing here today is a reconstruction on the original site.
Keep walking downhill and you will soon reach Changjiahui Shopping Park (长嘉汇购物公园), which is essentially the end of Danzishi Old Street.
If you have some time left, I recommend continuing through Changjiahui to Nanbin Road to visit the French Navy Barracks (法国水师兵营).
Unlike the reconstructed buildings along the old street, the French Navy Barracks is a surviving historic complex. Construction began in 1902 and was completed in 1903. It originally housed French naval personnel and was also used for storage, repairs, and resupply. In 1940, because of Japanese air raids, the French Embassy in Chongqing temporarily moved its offices here.
The site has since been renovated. The information board at the entrance lists a restaurant, a theater, and several small shops, although I didn’t see much of that when I visited. I did happen to come across a music and culture festival.
The grounds are fairly small. There is not much more to do than look around the buildings and walk through the courtyard, and about half an hour is enough.
