Laitan Ancient Town sits on a bluff above the Qu river in the Hechuan district, north of Chongqing, about two hours by road from the city. It was founded as a fortified settlement, and its walls, gates and single main street survive more or less intact, which makes it unusual among the towns of the region.
The town
The historic core is small and compact: one long stone-paved street running the length of the bluff, lined with timber houses, temples, shops and courtyards, and enclosed by a stone wall with gates at either end. Because the site was fortified, the perimeter is walkable, and from the wall you look down over the river, the fields and the wooded hills. Inside, the buildings are lived in and the town functions as a village rather than a museum, with tea houses, small restaurants and workshops alongside the visitor stalls. Several temples stand along the street, including a Buddhist hall and a Wenchang shrine.
The carvings
Below the town, cut into the sandstone cliff beside the river, is a group of Buddhist carvings. The figures are arranged in niches and panels in the rock face, with larger seated and standing Buddha figures and rows of smaller attendants, and they date from the Song dynasty, which places them in the same broad tradition as the more famous carvings at Dazu. They are quieter and far less visited than Dazu, and the cliff setting above the water gives them a character of their own. Some of the figures have lost their heads to erosion and to past damage, and the colour that once covered them survives only in traces.
Practical notes
Laitan is reached by road from Chongqing, and public transport involves a bus to Hechuan and then a local service; a car is much simpler. The town charges no entrance fee, though the carving site may have a small charge. It is small enough to see in two or three hours, and combines well with the Diaoyu Fortress at Hechuan, another fortified site with a remarkable history, on the same day. Weekends bring visitors from Chongqing and the street fills up; weekdays are quiet and the place is at its best.
