It’s often said that there’s no scenery in familiar places, and indeed, that’s true for me. So every year, my self-drive trips from Beijing to Chongqing feel rushed, coming and going in haste. But this year was different. When you approach with a calm and composed mindset, pause your steps, and look at your familiar surroundings through a lens of discovery, you naturally come across new findings. During the 2013 Spring Festival self-drive trip from Beijing to Chongqing, I immersed myself in the journey’s scenery with heartfelt emotion, and captured the plants, people, and local culture of my hometown through my lens. The conclusion I drew was, “Who doesn’t say our hometown is beautiful?”
Time: January 29, 2013 to February 19, 2013
Section 1 Self-Drive Road Itinerary
Starting and Ending Points of the Beijing to Chongqing Self-Drive Trip: From Liuliqiao in Beijing to Shengwei Xinyijing in Chongqing’s main urban area (overnight stay at Xi’an Nanshaotai Service Area, cost 140 yuan)
Driving Distance: 1,812 kilometers
Driving Route: Beijing Liuliqiao – Dujiakan – Zhuozhou – enter Beijing–Kunming Expressway – Jingjing – Jinzhong – enter Yuncheng, Shanxi – Yumen – Xi’an – Zhashui – Ankang – Dazhou – Linshui – Chongqing
Toll Fees: 15 yuan at Zhuozhou North Station after collecting ticket at Beijing Dujiakan, 105 yuan at Hebei Jingjing, 180 yuan at Shanxi Yumen, 330 yuan at Shaanxi Shibashan, 156 yuan in Sichuan, 60 yuan at Chongqing Yubei. Total highway tolls paid: 846 yuan.
Fuel Consumption: 280 yuan refueled at Jinzhong Service Area, 245 yuan at Shaanxi Fuping Service Area, 285 yuan at Shaanxi Luojiang Service Area, total of three refuels costing 810 yuan
Starting and Ending Points of the Chongqing to Beijing Self-Drive Trip: From Shengwei Xinyijing in Chongqing’s main urban area to Beijing Liuliqiao (overnight stay in Yicheng, Hubei, cost 180 yuan)
Driving Distance: 1,978 kilometers
Driving Route: Chongqing Yubei – Changshou – Dianjiang – Zhongxian – Lichuan – Enshi – Yichang – Jingmen – Nanyang – Zhengzhou – Shijiazhuang – Zhuozhou – Dujiakan – Liuliqiao
Toll Fees: 25 yuan at Yubei, 170 yuan at Lichuan Lengshui, 415 yuan at Xiangzhou North, 250 yuan at Henan–Hebei Border, 160 yuan at Zhuozhou North, 15 yuan at Dujiakan, total: 1,035 yuan.
Fuel Consumption: 200 yuan refueled at Lichuan Lengshui Service Area, 185 yuan at Yichang Yicheng Service Area, 228 yuan at Zhengxin Service Area, 200 yuan at Dingxing Service Area, total: 813 yuan.
The Siduhe Bridge is located at the border between Yichang and Enshi in Hubei Province, situated in Siduhe, Yesanguan Town, Badong County, Hubei, nestled within the lofty Wuling Mountains of western Hubei. It is currently the largest span suspension bridge built in China’s deep mountain gorges. The bridge has a total length of 1,365 meters, consisting of a 1,105-meter-long bridge and a 228.9-meter-long roadbed. The main span of the bridge is 900 meters, with a deck width of 24.5 meters. The tower on the Enshi side stands 118.2 meters high, while the Yichang side tower is 113.6 meters tall. The height difference from the top of the towers to the bottom of the gorge reaches 650 meters, and the bridge deck is 560 meters above the valley floor—equivalent to the height of a 200-story building. It is the largest span suspension bridge built in China’s deep mountain gorges and also the world’s first mountainous mega-suspension bridge with a span exceeding 900 meters. It is 307 meters higher and 290 meters taller than the world’s highest bridge, the Millau Viaduct in France, and is hailed as the world’s highest suspension bridge.
Section 2: Exploring Chongqing’s Surroundings
1: Self-Drive to Chongqing’s Republican Street, Step into Feng Xiaogang’s Film Set with “1942”
That period of history had almost been forgotten, but after nearly two decades of hardship, Feng Xiaogang’s “1942” was finally released. Famine, escape, swarms of locusts filling the sky—during those chaotic times, nearly all ethics and morals were lost, and survival was the only hope. It’s a heavy film, one where you can’t find an emotional outlet even after watching it.
Many places have gained fame because of just a few scenes from a movie, especially those shot by renowned directors—the promotional power of such films is unmatched by ordinary advertisements. Feng Xiaogang’s works are the pinnacle of this. Starting with “1942,” let’s step into the filming locations popularized by Feng’s movies.
The parts of “1942” filmed in Chongqing mainly depict scenes of activities by the Kuomintang and religious figures. In Chongqing, Republican Street stole the spotlight among the filming locations. Other sites included the General Joseph Stilwell Museum in Liziba, the Our Lady of Mercy Church on Cimushan in Nanping, Nanshan Botanical Garden, the Huangjue Ancient Path, and the French Marines Barracks. Republican Street consists of 66 classic old Chongqing buildings, encompassing various architectural styles including government offices, banks, inns, newspapers, bars, cafes, and theaters. It presents a complete picture of old Chongqing’s social life. Chongqing, as the wartime capital during the Anti-Japanese War, was a fitting choice for filming locations. Though it served as the capital for only eight years, those eight years made Chongqing, this mountain city, pivotal throughout China and the world. The remaining wartime sites and buildings perfectly matched the film’s needs. Chongqing has also changed dramatically—the skyscrapers along the river tell the story of the city’s transformation, while the small alleys hidden among these towers still retain the old flavor of Chongqing.