Wanzhou (万州) is a district of Chongqing Municipality. It is situated about 270 km northeast of central Chongqing.
Understand
[edit]Wanzhou was historically known as Wanxian. Thousands of people were resettled here during the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. Today the district is the most populous district outside of central Chongqing, with a population of about 1.5 million (as of 2023), of which around 1.1 million live in the urban area.
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]- 1 Wanzhou Wuqiao Airport (万州五桥机场), Jichang Road (机场路) (take the airport bus or catch bus no. 57; the airport bus has two routes, with one route terminating at the Kunlun Building and the other route terminating at Wanzhou North Railway Station), ☏ +86 23 58538138 (enquiries), +86 23 58888888 (ticket sales). Wanzhou Wuqiao Airport is the second biggest airport in Chongqing Municipality. There are flights to Wanzhou from Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and a number of other cities in China.
If there are no flights to Wanzhou from your embarkation point, you can fly to Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in central Chongqing and get a train from there to Wanzhou. This would involve changing trains at Chongqing North Railway Station, as there are no direct trains to Wanzhou from the airport station.
By train
[edit]- 2 Wanzhou North Railway Station (万州北站), 2 Gaotie Avenue (高铁大道2号) (take bus no. 15, 30, 31, 32 or 21B; the Wanzhou-Kaizhou and Wanzhou-Yunyang intercity buses also stop here). This is now Wanzhou’s main railway station. High-speed trains arrive here from central Chongqing and other parts of the municipality. There are also many trains from Chengdu and other cities in China.
- 3 Wanzhou Railway Station (万州站), 187 Zhanqian Road (站前路187号) (take bus no. 5, 15 or the railway station route of bus 16). Wanzhou’s old railway station now only sees a small number of trains per day. Generally, these are regular speed trains rather than high-speed trains.
Get around
[edit]
Map of Wanzhou
Public buses operate throughout Wanzhou’s main urban area. There are also buses connecting the main urban area with small towns and villages in the district.
See
[edit]- 1 Chongqing Three Gorges Immigration Memorial and Wanzhou Museum (重庆三峡移民纪念馆，万州博物馆), 1469 Nanbin Avenue (南滨路1469号) (bus nos. 38, 52 and 58), ☏ +86 23 61018880, +86 61018863. 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:30, closed on Mondays. This is one of the largest museums in Chongqing Municipality outside the central urban area. The exhibitions on the basement level document the history of Wenzhou from prehistoric times up until the 20th century. The upper floors contain temporary exhibition halls as well as exhibition halls dedicated to telling the story of the Three Gorges Dam and the relocation of over a million people to make way for the dam. As one might expect, the museum presents that story in an overwhelmingly positive light, though there is at least some acknowledgement of the difficulties and challenges involved. Free.
- 2 Ciyun Temple (慈云寺), 1068 Section 1, Shalong Road (沙龙路一段1068号) (bus nos. 3, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 36, 36B, 37A, 37B, 62 and 63B), ☏ +86 23 58122299, [email protected]. 07:00-17:00. Not to be confused with the temple of the same name in central Chongqing. The Ciyun Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in Wanzhou. Free.
- 3 Tianshengcheng Ruins Park (天生城遗址公园), 368 Tianlong Road (天龙路368号) (the park is on a hill; you could get a taxi here or walk here from Tianshengcheng Cultural Tourism Block), ☏ +86 23 58983818, +86 19123798282. 09:00-17:00, no tickets sold after 16:00, no entry after 16:10. Tianshengcheng or Tiansheng Fortress was one of several fortresses built in this region during the 13th century to defend the country against the Mongol Empire. Today the ruins are a national heritage site. There is signage throughout the park with information in Chinese and English. There is also a museum with exhibits on the history of the site, including the battles with the Mongols. As of November 2025, the entry fee is ¥10 but this is likely to increase to ¥30 in 2026.
- 4 Wanxian Incident Memorial (万县九五惨案纪念馆), 10 Lanchigou (兰池沟10号) (bus nos. 3, 6, 7, 10, 15, 19, 20, 21A, 26, 30, 36B, 51, 58 and 62), ☏ +86 23 58203104. 08:30-17:00. A memorial dedicated to the Wanxian Incident of 1926, an event officially referred to in Chinese as the ‘Wanxian September 5th Massacre’. The Wanxian Incident was a brief military conflict between the British and Yang Sen, the warlord who controlled Wanzhou at the time. During the conflict, British naval vessels fired their guns on the city, leading to a large number of casualties. The memorial claims 5000 Chinese people were killed. Taking photos of the exhibits is not permitted. Fees vary depending on how much of the complex you want to see - it costs ¥80 to see everything.
- 5 Wanzhou Grand Falls (万州大瀑布), Ganning Town (万州区甘宁镇) (about 50 km from downtown Wanzhou by taxi or local bus; buses depart from Wanzhou's Xishan Bus Station (西山汽车站)), toll-free: +86 400-023-8686. 08:30-17:00. Formerly known as Qinglong Falls (青龙瀑布), the waterfall has a width of 115 m and a height of 64.5 m. Because it is wider than Guizhou's Huangguoshu Waterfall, Chinese people call it the No. 1 waterfall in Asia. The waterfall flows year-round. Behind the waterfall, there are two natural grottos. ¥98.
- 6 Xishan Park (西山公园), 13 Wangpai Road (王牌路13号) (many buses pass through the area; bus nos. 21A, 21B, 63A and 63B stop outside the park’s main entrance). 06:00-22:00. This is the oldest public park in Wanzhou and features both old plants and historical monuments. On the east side of the park stands the Xishan Clocktower (西山钟楼), which dates from 1931 and is considered one of Wanzhou’s most recognizable landmarks.. The clocktower chimes every hour and is lit up at night. Free.
Do
[edit]Buy
[edit]Eat
[edit]Wanzhou’s most famous dish is Wanzhou grilled fish and there are many restaurants specializing in the preparation of this dish.
Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]- 1 Fungee X Hotel Wanzhou Wanda Plaza (Fungee X 欢致酒店万州万达广场店), 27th Floor, Yuejiang Qingcheng, No. 258, Section 2, Beibin Avenue (北滨大道二段256号阅江卿城27层) (near Wanda Plaza), ☏ +86 23 58567999. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 14:00. A four-star hotel on the west bank of the Yangtze River. Room rates start from about ¥230 per night.