Stories from China (Part 16)

This entry is part 16 of 40 in the series Stories from China

May 30, 2023

Stories from China (Part 16)

By Simon J. Lau

I started the day at People’s Square, the big open plaza right in front of the Great Hall of the People. Built in the 1950s alongside the Great Hall, the square was designed as a central gathering space for political rallies, cultural events, and public celebrations. Today, it feels less formal. Retirees were out doing tai chi, kids playing and chasing pigeons, and vendors sold breakfast snacks along the edges.

I later walked over to the Great Hall of the People. From the outside, it looks like a scaled-up version of Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, a massive building dominating the plaza. Inside, it opens into a cavernous auditorium with rows of red seats facing a stage framed by bright red pillars and intricate designs. Built in the 1950s, it has hosted political meetings, cultural performances, and major public gatherings ever since.

Next, I headed to the Three Gorges Museum. I was expecting the Three Gorges Museum to dive deep into the dam and the surrounding region, but most of it was about Chinese history in general. Not bad, just not what I came for.

The part that made me laugh was the ticketing process. The museum only took WeChat payments, which I can’t use without a Chinese bank account. After a few failed attempts, the staff finally threw up their hands and waved me through. Turns out I was more Chinese than the locals. I got in for free!

It was sweltering during the day with a massive heat wave across China, so I took a break in the afternoon to rest and recharge. By evening, the temperature had eased just enough for some street photography and people-watching. The city really comes alive after dark and looks its most beautiful as the sun sets.

I missed out on having hotpot inside a former air raid shelter, but I made up for it with this bar find. During the Second Sino-Japanese War in the 1930s and 40s, shelters like this were carved into the mountains to protect both civilians and military personnel from relentless Japanese bombings. After the war, they were abandoned, but many have since been repurposed as commercial spaces. Being dug into the mountain means they stay much cooler than the outside, which felt like a lifesaver on a day this hot.

Finally, for my last night in Chongqing, I visited Mr. Tipsy again. I met some great people here, learned about their lives, shared stories, and even got to practice my Mandarin. Shadow and Joy, the two bartenders, had been working together for five years. The bar originally sat closer to the river, but after a flood, the owner sent them to run his other place in Hangzhou for a year before they returned. Kid, a regular whose nickname everyone seems to know, had been coming here for seven years. I met him earlier in the week and came to really enjoy his company.

Although my time here was brief, I always enjoyed my evenings at Mr. Tipsy. For the final farewell, Shadow played To Arrive as Planned. It was a fitting way to close out my time in Chongqing. Goodbye, friends. I will miss you.