Bishan District, the name of which symbolizes jade, has thousands of years’ history and endured innumerable trials and hardships. The city still lives up to the quality of the jade although experiencing several reconstructions, becoming more and more fascinating.
The home to talented persons focusing on culture and education
According to an old saying in China, “The finest diamond must be cut”.
For thousands of years, Bishan people uphold the traditional edification of passing down the farming-studying culture and learning good qualities of predecessors, making Bishan the home to talented persons who worshiped culture and emphasized on education. With the breathtaking beauty of the mountains and rivers, Bishan nourishes generations of talents who are as gentle as a jade.
The best-kept ancient temple in Chongqing: Bishan Wenmiao
According to historical materials, up to six scholars from Bishan served in the Hanlin Academy during the period of Ming and Qing Dynasties. Moreover, the only two Zhuàngyuán, which is the title given to the scholar who achieved the highest score on the highest level of Chinese Imperial Examinations, in the history of Chongqing are from Bishan. They, Feng Shixing and Pu Guobao, are both from Bishan. These brilliant talents and scholars are shining like stars, with their lifelong talent and ambition, have carved and shaped Bishan, the unprocessed jade, into a precious one.
Feng Shixing stands for safeguarding homeland while Pu Guobao cares for the fate of our nation
At the corner of the Guanyintang Wetland Park, a covered bridge in the style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties lies above the water. Its exquisite and elegant shape attracts visitors’ attention from afar. That’s the Zhuangyuan Bridge that Bishan people are proud of.
Zhuangyuan Bridge
The bridge is 120 meters long and about 10 meters high. Built in the style of a memorial archway, the bridgeheads are made of black bricks with the bridge masts painting red. The three-layer eaves are slightly upward, forming a beautiful arc in the air and looking magnificent and elegant. On the bridge floor, there are exquisite patterns of auspicious clouds, symbolizing a meteoric rise. The 36 calligraphies, paintings and poems inscribed on both sides of the covered bridge are all from the calligraphers and famous scholars in Bishan throughout all previous dynasties, displaying the cultural essence of Bishan lasting for a thousand years.
Bishan Confucius Temple carries forward studies of Chinese ancient civilization
If the Zhuangyuan Bridge is the dazzling crown of the Confucius Culture flowing for a thousand years in Bishan, Bishan Confucius Temple is undoubtedly its solid foundation.
Located at the foot of the lush Fenghuang Mountain, Bishan Confucius Temple survived the catastrophe. It is the best preserved ancient Confucius temple complex in Chongqing at present. It not only witnessed the historical changes of Bishan but also vividly interprets the spirit of Bishan.
The entire Confucius temple complex consists of Qisheng Shrine, Dacheng Hall, two side rooms and the Temple Gate, with the position on the east-west axis. The traditional civil-structured Dacheng Hall, the main building, is equipped with overhanging eaves. The fine carving is magnificent and elegant, showing the unique style of the architectural art of the Qing Dynasty in Bishan.
Satisfied by the charm of the simple but happy rural life
The finest jade will lose its luster if it is not well maintained. However, endowed with the fertile soil, Bishan becomes more abundant and charming, bathing in mild drizzles, gentle breezes and the fragrance of native soil for thousands of years.
Today, Bishan strengthens the modern agricultural development advantages, extends business in “holiday economy” featuring sightseeing, leisure, and homestay experience, and develops new industries and new forms of business that integrate agriculture, culture, tourism, production, and marketing. It aims to create a “Green Vegetable Garden” serving the city, a “Four-Season Orchard” favored by citizens and a “Suburban Garden” with unique features.
Bishan, with 66.7 square kilometers of green vegetables, can provide abundant production of vegetables for the main urban area.
Vegetable garden tour — experience the wind in spring
Endless vegetable greenhouses, delicate and fresh featured vegetable gardens, distinctive farm yards…In the rural scenery, we may enjoy the pleasure of tasting the fresh vegetables, delicious fish, and chickens, ducks or geese picked and caught by our own hands.
Visitors can take part in the vegetable garden tour to pick up some vegetables
Located in the center area of the vegetable base at Xiguan Village, Qitang Town, there is an insect-themed paradise — Xiguan Insect Kingdom. It covers a total area of over 0.33 square kilometers and integrates insect scientific research, insect breeding, popular science of insect, activities, homestays, and catering. It is the only social practice education base and popular science education base themed on insects for primary and secondary schools in Chongqing. Last year, the Insect Kingdom became the Most Beautiful Homestays in Chongqing in 2018.
Orchard tour — the harvest time of fruit
It is a dream of many foodies to eat the freshest fruit that has just been picked from the trees all year round. Covering a fruit-planting area of 98.67 square kilometers, the Bishan District develops all kinds of fruit planting at different times so that it can provide the freshest fruit in all seasons.
People enjoy the orchard tour in Bishan District
The grape orchard over 6 square kilometers is currently a relatively well-developed fruit picking the scenic spot, which mainly covers Daxing Town and Zhengxing Town. The orchard owns farm-stays, grape villas, grape teahouses, wine forts, recreational fishing ponds, and a grape culture and art gallery with a length of more than 50 kilometers.
Garden tour — enjoy the colorful spring there
Bishan welcomes tourists all year round with a 66.67-square-kilometer garden of flowers and nursery plants. Peach and plum trees rival in beauty in spring, the moonlight pours into lotus ponds in summer, orange osmanthus smells sweet in autumn, and trees turn red in winter, presenting different scenery in each season.
Visitors can find gardens everywhere in Bishan District
For those who like taking photos, the Colorful Wanmuyuan Rural Tourist Attraction located in Laifeng Subdistrict is a good choice to enjoy flowers. There are more than 100,000 plants of flowering trees for ornaments and ornamental foliage trees of nearly 100 varieties including magnolia flowers, the red leaf cherry plums, Armeniaca mumes, and red maples planted on a large scale. Among these flowers and trees, tourists can also see many foreign elements like churches, castles, railways, sightseeing boats, and windmills, just like taking a trip abroad.
For those who like camping, the Sandan Lake Park at the Dalu Subdistrict is the best choice for enjoying flowers. With rich negative oxygen ion as well as fresh and damp air, it may provide tourists with an aerobic “air bath”.
Feel the hidden but beautiful views
Every day, the Bishan people wake up in the clear chirping of birds and the delicate fragrance of flowers.
When opening the window, everything one can see is green. The Binan River with blue waves is like a jade belt softly encircling the city, and more than 3,000 species of urban plants constitute a colorful and verdant landscape. Bishan embraces 20 million square meters of urban public green spaces, 116 kilometers of urban greenways, and 32 urban parks. With landscapes surrounding the city and in the city, it gives tourists a fascinating ecological journey.
Beautiful views in Guanyintang Wetland Park
Advocating harmonious coexistence between human and nature, Bishan People green the city in the urban construction as much as possible, making the beautiful land even more charming with clear rivers and verdant plants. Moreover, Bishan has thus won many titles such as the National Ecological Civilization Construction Demonstration District, the National Garden City, China’s Ecological Livable City, and the Example of Human Settlements in China.
Urban parks throughout the city are undoubtedly representatives of Bishan’s greening results, in which the Guanyintang Wetland, Xiuhu Park, Dongyue Sports Park, Xiuhu Motor Camping Park, and Fengxianghu Children’s Park are among the best. Let us come and savor the tastes of them.