Hongya Cave (Hongyadong)

The 11-story stilted-house complex that looks like a Hayao Miyazaki film

Hongya Cave (洪崖洞 Hóngyádòng) is an 11-story shopping, dining, and entertainment complex built on a cliff overlooking the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers. The complex is a 2006 reconstruction of the original Chongqing stilted houses (吊脚楼 diàojiǎolóu) — a traditional architectural style where wooden buildings are suspended over the water on wooden poles, with up to 4 stories stacked on a single cliff. The Hongya Cave version takes the stilted-house concept to its limit: the bottom floor is at river level, and the top floor is 40 meters higher, at street level.

The result, lit with thousands of LEDs at night, looks exactly like the bathhouse in Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. The view from the Qiansimen Bridge (千厮门大桥) — with the 11 stories of wooden balconies, red lanterns, and the bridge arching overhead against the Yangtze — is the single most-photographed scene in Chongqing.

What the foreigner experience looks like in 2026

Hongya Cave is the most foreigner-friendly attraction in Chongqing. Entry is free, the complex is open 24 hours, and the exterior is the experience — not the contents. The 11 floors inside are mostly restaurants and craft shops; the architecture itself is the attraction. Most foreign visitors spend 1-2 hours total: 30 min walking the floors, 1 hour for dinner, 30 min for the light show viewing from the bridge.

The main thing to know: the best view is FROM the bridge, not from inside the complex. The bridge is 5 min walk south of Hongya Cave, and it gives you the iconic panoramic view of the lit-up buildings. From inside, you can see the bridge but not the cave itself. The bridge is also the only spot where you can photograph the complex AND the Yangtze AND the bridge arch together.

The 2006 reconstruction: how it came to be

Hongya Cave was originally a 2-story stilted house at the foot of a cliff, built during the Ming dynasty (14th century). It was a market where boatmen from the Yangtze would trade goods — Chongqing was a major port on the upper Yangtze, and the city’s wealth came from river trade. By the 20th century, the stilted houses had decayed; the cliff face was unstable; and the area was a slum. In 2002, the Chongqing government demolished the original 2-story structure and rebuilt the entire cliff face with an 11-story complex that mimics the stilted-house style. The reconstruction cost ¥350 million and was controversial — some historians called it a Disneyland version of the original. But the result is undeniably photogenic, and it has become the symbol of modern Chongqing.

The light show: 2 million LEDs on the cliff

The Hongya Cave light show runs nightly from dusk (about 19:00) until 22:00. The complex uses over 2 million LED lights, programmed to change colors every 10-15 minutes. The most popular viewing spot is the middle of Qiansimen Bridge, where the cave is on the north side. The light show is also visible from the Yangtze River boats that run from the Chaotianmen dock (朝天门码头) — the river view gives you a different perspective, with the cave’s reflection in the water.

Where to eat: the ground floor is the most authentic

The 11 floors are mostly restaurants and craft shops. The ground floor (river level) has the most authentic local food: Chongqing hotpot (重庆火锅), small noodles (重庆小面), and sour-spicy soup (酸辣粉). The upper floors are more tourist-oriented, with Western-style cafes and chain restaurants. The most famous hotpot inside the complex is 珮姐老火锅 (Pei Jie Hotpot) on the 4th floor — but the lines can be 2 hours on weekends. For a quicker meal, try the small noodle shops on the ground floor.

Final tip

Get to Qiansimen Bridge by 19:00, 30 min before the light show fully starts. Find a spot on the east side of the bridge (closest to the cave) — not the middle. The east side is less crowded, and the angle of the buildings is more dramatic. Bring a tripod if you have one; the long exposure is the only way to capture the LEDs at their best.