Expedition › Realm II
Realm II · Aug 1 – 6 · 6 days

The Vertical Realm

重庆 · Chongqing

A city stacked like a video-game level — neon towers in the fog, a monorail through a skyscraper, rivers of light — with karst gates and cliff-carved gods beyond. Built around the August heat: sights at night, mountains by day.

Jump to
Sat01AugDay 08
⚔ Trial · Enter the Vertical City

Day 8 — Bullet train in, neon night

The full Blade-Runner-meets-Spirited-Away evening.

  • 10:00 HSR Chengdu → Chongqing (~1 hr); check into Raffles "The Crystal"
  • 5:00 Hongya Cave at dusk — 11-storey stilt-house complex glowing gold.
  • 7:30 Liziba monorail-through-a-building + Two Rivers night cruise
  • 9:00 ★ Saturday drone show over the rivers — every Sat 9pm a fleet of drones paints dragons & pandas above the Yangtze–Jialing confluence (~20 min, free). Watch from 野猫溪市集 (Yemaoxi Market) on the south bank, or your own Raffles sky-deck.
Cyberpunk🚁 Drone showHeat-smart
🏙️BaseInterCon Raffles City
🏅Win"Found Spirited Away"
Sun02AugDay 09
⚔ Trial · Rivers & Fire

Day 9 — The city, your way

Classic Chongqing — and the original hotpot at night.

  • Yangtze cable car over the river + Ciqikou old town (shade & AC midday)
  • Pool through the Furnace afternoon, then Chongqing hotpot (the boss fight)
HotpotDowntime
🏙️BaseInterCon Raffles City
🏅Win"Tamed the Fire Pot"
Mon03AugDay 10
⚔ Trial · The Karst Gates

Day 10 — Wulong, where Transformers filmed

Giant stone arches by day, ~10°C-cooler mountain by night.

  • 8:00 Drive to Wulong (~2–2.5 hrs)
  • 11:00 Three Natural Bridges — the Transformers: Age of Extinction set; a 1,400-yr courier station at the bottom like a hidden boss arena.
  • PM Up to Fairy Mountain — cool lodge night
Movie setCool escape
⛰️BaseFairy Mountain lodge (opt. A)
🏅Win"Walked the Movie Set"
Tue04AugDay 11
⚔ Trial · The Slot Canyon

Day 11 — Mountain morning, then back

A cool, shaded crack in the earth before the descent.

  • Longshuixia Rift Gorge (walls 200–500m, glass walkways) → drive back to Chongqing → easy night.
NatureCool
🏙️BaseInterCon Raffles City
🏅Win"Crossed the Chasm"
Wed05AugDay 12
⚔ Trial · The Carved Cliffs

Day 12 — Gods in stone, or city & pandas

Walk into Black Myth's art book.

  • 8:30 Drive to Dazu (~1.5–2 hrs)
  • 10:30 Baodingshan grotto — 10,000+ carvings 800–1,000 yrs old; guardians, demons, a reclining Buddha — the Tang-Song world the game's look comes from.
Black-Myth vibeUNESCO
🏙️BaseInterCon Raffles City
🏅Win"Read the Stone Bible"
Thu06AugDay 13
⚔ Trial · Loot & Launch

Day 13 — Last loot, then fly north

Chongqing's nerd-loot HQ, then wheels up.

  • Fangyuan LIVE underground ACG mall — neon halls, giant figures — then fly to Beijing (~2.5 hrs).
Mega-lootTravel
✈️TravelCKG → Beijing ~2.5 hr
🏅Win"Raided the Underground"
🔥

Beat the Furnace: Chongqing hits ~38°C in August. Every "A" plan front-loads the cyberpunk sights to the night and the big outdoors to the cool mountains, with AC/pool through the mid-afternoon.

Where to Eat · Chongqing

The birthplace of spicy hotpot.

★ must-try are unmissable; the rest are alternatives. Order a yuānyāng split pot and ask for wēi là (mild) for the boys.

Yuwei Xiaoyu 渝味晓宇

$$
Legendary old hotpot ★ must-try
Order ▸
  • Máodǔ & duck intestine — the swish ritual
  • Huánghóu (aorta) + fresh beef
  • Get the nine-grid jiǔgōnggé pot
Made famous by "A Bite of China." Split pot gives the kids a clear side.
📍 Pipashan (near Jiefangbei)🕒 ~11am–2, 5–10pm💴 ~¥70–100pp · Book: concierge

Hua Shi Wan Za Mian 花市豌杂面

$
Famous xiaomian ★ must-try
Order ▸
  • Wān zá miàn — peas + minced pork (¥16 must-order)
  • Clear-soup wontons — un-spicy, kid-perfect
  • Ask "qīng tāng" (clear) to dial down heat
A 28-year institution — a cheap, authentic morning bowl. Go early (fans only).
📍 Minsheng Rd (walk from Jiefangbei)🕒 breakfast–early pm💴 ~¥16–25pp · Book: walk-in

Yanshe Hotpot 砚舍

$$–$$$
Skyline-view hotpot · near hotel AC indoor
Order ▸
  • Premium beef & tripe; fresh shrimp paste
  • Build a yuānyāng pot; pick your spice
Polished room facing Raffles & Hongya Cave — the refined view pick for a hot night.
📍 Nanbin Road (faces Chaotianmen)🕒 ~11am–10pm💴 ~¥150–250pp · Book: concierge

Zeng Lao Yao Yu Zhuang 曾老幺鱼庄

$$
River fish in a WWII bomb shelter
Order ▸
  • Spicy crucian carp (the signature)
  • Grilled fish + much-praised spare ribs (ask wēi là)
Carved into a rock air-raid shelter — naturally cool, lively. The boys love the cave.
📍 218 Changbin Rd, riverside🕒 24 hours💴 ~¥75–110pp · Book: walk-in

Jianghu Classics 江湖菜

$$
The local dishes to hunt down
Order ▸
  • Làzǐjī — crispy chicken in a mound of chilies
  • Suānlà fěn — hot-&-sour glass noodles (kid-tolerable)
  • Máoxuèwàng for the grown-ups
Concierge-book a "重庆特色菜" spot, or order family-style with any hotpot.
📍 citywide🕒 varies💴 ~¥60–120pp

Family Li Imperial 厉家菜

$$$$
★★ Qing imperial · the splurge mildest
Order ▸
  • Set menu — subtle, mild, a break from málà
  • Braised special-grade abalone
World's first 2-Michelin-star Chinese brand; Chongqing outpost opened 2025, in Jiefangbei.
📍 Metropolitan Oriental Plaza, Jiefangbei🕒 dinner💴 $$$$ · Book: days ahead
Loot · Chongqing

The underground raid.

📍 ACG & figures

Jiefangbei · Guanyinqiao
  • Fangyuan LIVE (方圆LIVE) — a huge underground ACGN mall: neon halls, giant figurines, game & anime shops.
  • Guanyinqiao — TOP TOY, MINISO LAND, blind boxes & collectibles.
  • Jiefangbei — downtown core for more shops and the brightest night lights.