For the Christmas holiday, I went to Chongqing to see my brothers and see if I was still in love the with place I had lived three years ago. Turns out, I’m still in love with Chongqing and the city has changed so much!
Driving around each winding corner of the city, hearing the local dialect, a lot about the people and culture has definitely not changed, but the city is developing faster than I can say ‘Chongqing’.
Dadukou, my second home, the place I lived during my time in the Peace Corps, changed in subtle ways. Where my favorite shops used to be, there were now small restaurants for people to eat in, the H&M is now a shop for selling gold jewelry.
What is Raffle’s City?
Further into the city in Chao Tian Men, there is a massive building structure called Raffles City. From across the river, the buildings look like a huge mast of a ship going on an adventure. It stands tall about the point where the Jialing River and the Yangtze River meet. The structure was designed by Moshe Safdie and received an award for the China Tall Building Innovation Award.
Raffles City is based out of Singapore and is known for its skyscrapers has added its newest location in Chongqing.
The Chongqing Raffles City is a construct of 8 buildings. The horizontal building, called the “Crystal” stretches across four of those buildings. The Crystal is 300-meter’s long and will set the record for being skyscraper to link four towers together.
There is much to do inside Raffles City, including shopping and dining, but there is one place in particular worth visiting. Check out these pictures of the art rooms perfect for taking photos. All photos were taken by my brother, Jason Chen.
Jellyfish or ‘Eywa’ Room
Photo Credit: Jason Chen
Photo Credit: Jason Chen
Room of Feathers
Photo Credit: Jason Chen
Hot Air Balloons to Fly Away In
Photo Credit: Jason Chen
Raining Lights
Photo Credit: Jason Chen
Money Shot
Photo Credit: Jason Chen
Step Into a Disco Future
Photo Credit: Jason Chen
The Kaleidoscope Room
Photo Credit: Jason Chen
Become an Avenger
Photo Credit: Jason Chen
Get Lost in a Mini Fun House
Photo Credit: Jason Chen
If you’re looking for the right shot for your next photoshoot, Raffles City is a good place to go. Find out about other things you can do in Chongqing by going here!
