Dear readers, have you ever tried Jiangjin swelled candy rice? This is a snack made of glutinous rice. A bite of swelled candy rice, the crispy rice and nuts burst and you can feel sugar overflowing your mouth. It can be a quick breakfast or snacks for Chongqing people, also a good specialty gift to friends. Besides the swelled candy rice, there is also the well-known Simian Mountain in Jiangjin.

Simian Mountain Scenic Area is about 150 kilometers away from the main city of Chongqing and only takes about two hours by car. It is the choice of many Chongqing people for a weekend get-away. Maybe you will wonder that there are mountains everywhere in Chongqing and what is special here? Simian Mountain is the only Danxia landform in Chongqing. Under the continuous erosion, transport and weathering of rivers such as Bamboo River and Linjiang River, a landform dominated by red sand and gravel formations has been formed. As there is no wind cutting like the normal Danxia landform in Northwest China, a cluster of peaks and forests were not formed here, but a huge height difference of vertical erosion was remained. They’re as sharp as knifves and axes, forming a ring of red cliff – the name of “Simian (literally means four sides) mountain” was obtained.

Thanks to the power of nature, you can see colorful murals carved by nature in Land Rock scenic spot. In this 376-meters-long, 127-meters-high, a full 50,000-square-meter scroll, you can use your imagination to discover and creat people, animals and objects with different lines and blocks of color.

In Simian Mountain, there are not only red cliffs that set off the high blue sky and the lush green trees, but also the stone forests, stone waterfalls and various fantasy-filled peaks and rocks that look like little boys, humps and monkeys. Where there is mountain, there is water, here you can find a wide waterfall with the largest single drop in China- Wangxiangtai Waterfall. Its single stage drop is 158 meters with a width of 48 meters! It is twice as big as the 77.8-meter-drop Huangguoshu Waterfall in Guizhou province, but only half as wide – the waterfall is 101 meters wide. When you are personally on the scene, you will find that Wangxiangtai Waterfall is like a white drill hanging down from the sky, and the rainbow formed by the splashing water under the sunlight is like a bridge to the fantasy.

Not only is the Wangxiangtai waterfall worth seeing, but there are also crystal-clear streams everywhere, and there are waterfalls of different sizes and height, as well as Honghai Lake at an altitude of 800 meters, and Longtan Lake and Pearl Lake not far away. Walking through the mountains, there’s one scene in five steps and water in ten steps, which makes it such a good place to cool down in summer.

Leaving Simian Mountain scenic area, you can also visit Zhongshan Ancient Town. The town is not big, only an old street alongside the river, but the best commercial buildings from Ming and Qing dynasties were preversed here. These old houses, after renovation and reinforcement, are still playing a commercial role, where vendors sell all kinds of daily supplies, treasures, and where you can see restaurants baking glutinous rice cake on the slate and making fragrant dishes.

The most worth mentioning is a stone ladder located in the ancient town of Changle village – up to 6208 levels, reaching to the mountains. It was accidentally discovered by outdoor hiking tourists in 2001. The truth is that this was a ladder built by an old man named Liu Guojiang for his wife Xu Zhaoqing. After hard work of half a century and wore over fourty hammers, iron picks and steel chisels, Liu finally paved a safe and comfortable way for his lover to go down the mountain. Although the two old people passed away 10 years ago, their love story is like a rare pure treasure in the world, remaining in everyone’s hearts. And their old residence on the hilltop has been preserved. Visitors can personally measure the length of their love through the footsteps, and feel the power of love.

Written by Zhang Yangxin