After an absolutely enjoyable time at Hongyadong Folk Custom Scene Area, I decided to check out an equally iconic landmark here in Chongqing: Qiansimen Bridge. Now I already talked a little about the bridge in my original write-up of Hongyadong. This time though, it’s going to have the spotlight all to itself.
Walking Across Qiansimen Bridge Chongqing During Nighttime: A Feast for the Eyes
If you haven’t already, then make sure to check out my write-up of Hongyadong. This place is absolutely beautiful during the late afternoon and most especially during nighttime. Aside from the lights, this place also has plenty of establishments that offer everything from food to souvenirs.
As for Qiansimen Bridge, it’s actually quite near Hongyadong. In fact, from Hongyadong, you can just walk over to the bridge. It’s definitely not a short distance but still very manageable. Moreover, Chongqing infrastructure is actually quite friendly to pedestrians as you’ll see later on.
Here’s a view of the Hongyadong area from Qiansimen Bridge. Looks nice right? I actually prefer viewing the area from here rather than from the ground just because of how crowded it can be. Now, it’s not that there aren’t any crowds here on the bridge either. It’s just that they’re relatively not as large as what you’d find in Hongyadong proper.
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If you do plan to come here, one thing I’d really suggest is get a good camera. I swear, this place is just one of the most picture-worthy locations that I’ve ever been to. Of course, you can still enjoy being here even without a good camera but having really nice records/images of your visit would make for great conversation pieces down the line.
Now this is directly opposite Hongyadong. It’s a little hard to see from here but there are actually people taking pictures of themselves with Hongyadong in the background on the banks of the river. In fact, if you look closely, you can actually see the lights from the flash of their cameras.
While it also looks nice, Qiansimen Bridge definitely isn’t as picture worthy as Hongyadong. That said, it’s equally as interesting thanks to its design. In my write-up of Hongyadong I already talked about it being a partial cable-stayed bridge and how it formed the Twin River Bridges along with the Dongshuimen Bridge.
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Here are the people milling about and walking across the bridge. I actually found the crowd here to be a lot more ‘chill’ (for lack of a better term) than the one in Hongyadong. It’s probably because a lot of the people here were really much more concerned with taking pictures or are just taking a leisurely walk.
And honestly, I can’t blame people for taking it easy here. Just look at this view of Hongyadong near the middle of the bridge. On a side note, I would not want to be here if it was raining hard. If I’m not mistaken, the rainy season here is from May to September so make sure that you check the weather forecasts and bring an umbrella if necessary if you do end up visiting.
After a relatively chill walk, I finally managed to reach the other end of the bridge. The view here is equally as impressive and you kind of get to appreciate just how strong those lights are in Hongyadong.
Other than Hongyadong, you also have a nice view of Chongqing’s skyline littered with highrise buildings and skyscrapers (I think I can also see The Westin Chongqing Liberation Square Hotel from here). From here, you can also kind of see the railway in the bridge’s lower deck.
I’m now under the bridge and the view here is probably the best. It’s probably because of the angle but I sort of feel a little insignificant with the bridge and the buildings (maybe one of them is Chongqing’s Chopstick Building) off in the distance seeming to all tower above me.
This is also a good time to address the lighting on the bridge. I looked it up and it seems like this serves a dual purpose. First of course is for aesthetics as it really complements the lighting of Hongyadong. As for the second, it’s apparently to highlight and accentuate its structure.
I’m not sure if it was part of their plan, but the lighting on the bridge is strong enough that it also illuminates the area under it. In fact, if not for this lighting I might not have been able to see the people here in this image.
There aren’t that many people here compared to Hongyadong or even on the Qiansimen Bridge earlier but there’s still more than enough to give it a somewhat festive atmosphere. In fact, I kind of felt like I was actually watching a fireworks festival when I was there.
Now here’s something interesting that you’ll find under this side of the Qiansimen Bridge: professional photo shooting services. I wasn’t able to ask the photographers how much they were charging but I did notice there were a lot of visitors in the crowd who availed of their services.
And to be honest, I kind of get why people would want to get their photos taken here (and why they’d pay for this service). As I’ve been saying for some time now, the views here are really nice. That said, not many people might have good enough cameras on their phones to get the best pictures. Enter these professional photographers with their gear and you’ll have a nice picture with an awesome view of Hongyadong and Qiansimen in a few minutes for just a couple of CNY.
It’s important to note that Qiansimen Bridge’s lights aren’t on all night long. During my visit, it was turned off rather early. Despite the lights being turned off though, people were still milling about and taking pictures of themselves and Hongyadong off in the distance.
While I still think Qiansimen Bridge’s lights served to enhance Hongyadong’s brilliance, this view without the red hues they cast also looks phenomenal. In fact, I think most people might prefer this view like those still left in the picture. I personally think this is also nice and a lot less visually ‘chaotic’ for lack of a better term.
I wasn’t able to talk about these ferries much but they also look quite nice at night. If I’m not mistaken, this one was docked at the Hongyadong Ferry Terminal earlier in the evening. You can actually check out sites like Klook and Trip for tickets to these evening cruises. Last time I checked, these cost around CNY149 depending on where you purchase them.
Anyway, that ends my visit to Qiansimen Bridge. I’d highly recommend you also check out this bridge to really appreciate Hongyadong. If you’ve already been here then also make sure to visit our comments section and share your thoughts with us!
