Chongqing - Amid the glittering nightscape of Chongqing’s “two rivers and four banks,” a historic riverside street on the southern bank of the Yangtze River offers a quiet counterpoint to the city’s rapid modern growth, preserving layers of the past while remaining part of its present vitality.
Backed by Nanshan Mountain and facing the Yuzhong Peninsula across the river, Longmenhao Old Street brings together millennia of Bayu civilization and more than a century of modern urban history. Today, it stands as one of Chongqing’s most visited cultural landmarks, drawing both domestic and international visitors and earning recognition as a living, open-air record of the city’s collective memory.
Visitors enjoy their time at Longmenhao Old Street. (Photo/Guo Xu)
A Name from the Landscape
The name "Longmenhao" carries poetic origins rooted in local geography. According to the Annals of Ba County, a stone ridge along this stretch of the Yangtze River once resembled a swimming dragon, broken in the middle like a gate, while the waters within formed a broad, calm bay. From this natural imagery, the place became known as Longmenhao, a name that has endured in local records and historical accounts.
The area’s natural beauty was widely celebrated during the Qing dynasty. Wang Erjian, then magistrate of Ba County, described the scene as waters "surging through the heart of the river, circling in perfect arcs, shaped like the moon." He listed "Moon over Longmenhao" among the Twelve Classic Scenic Views of Ancient Bayu, a designation later recorded in local gazetteers. For generations, poets and scholars gathered here to admire the moonlit river, leaving behind some of Chongqing's most evocative cultural imagery.
The Baxian Gazetteer was compiled during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty. (Photo/ the Nan’an District Archives)
From Scenic Bend to Treaty Port
Longmenhao's true significance emerged in 1891, when it became China’s first inland treaty port open to foreign trade. This marked a pivotal moment, transforming Chongqing into a modern commercial hub. Western merchant ships sailed up the Yangtze, bringing new goods, architectural styles, and ideas. Longmenhao evolved from a scenic spot into a crucial gateway connecting Chongqing to the world, marking the beginning of a lasting era of cultural exchange.
Walking through Longmenhao Old Street today is akin to turning the pages of a three-dimensional history book. Covering about 380 mu (roughly 25 hectares) with a total built area of approximately 97,300 square meters, it is the largest and most well-preserved historic cultural district in Chongqing’s central urban area.
What sets the district apart is its emphasis on authenticity. In 2015, Nan’an District launched a comprehensive conservation and restoration program for the Longmenhao Historic and Cultural District. Adhering to the principle of restoring structures in their original form, the project reused about 1.6 million old bricks, 400,000 traditional roof tiles and 30,000 tons of stone materials collected from across the region. Craftsmen employed construction techniques dating back more than a century, allowing the restored buildings to retain their historical character rather than becoming modern replicas.
The district contains 18 protected historic buildings, many closely associated with Chongqing's role during China’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Among them is the former site of the U.S. Embassy Naval Attaché Office, where members of the international anti-fascist alliance once exchanged intelligence and coordinated wartime efforts. Nearby stands the former Italian Embassy, reflecting the complexities of wartime diplomacy, as well as the former site of Xinhua Trust and Savings Bank, a reminder of the financial institutions that once concentrated in the area.
The former site of the U.S. Embassy residential compound, Building No. 2 of the military attaché’s residence, in Chongqing. (Photo/ the Nan’an District Archives)
Together, these former embassies, banks and residences form a rare and tangible record of Chongqing's status as a center for foreign diplomatic and financial activity during its years as China’s wartime capital, bringing a critical chapter of modern history into physical, walkable space.
Today, Longmenhao Old Street is no longer a static historical relic. Building on its deep cultural foundations, the area has been transformed into a national-level tourism and leisure district that integrates art exhibitions, retail spaces, dining venues and public recreation. For residents and visitors alike, it offers a multi-sensory cultural experience — a place to admire Chongqing's dramatic river-mountain landscape while engaging with the city's evolving urban life.