Nanshan is the wooded ridge that rises south of Chongqing's city centre, across the Yangtze. It is a broad, green upland of gardens, small farms, teahouses and viewpoints, and it is the traditional place for local people to escape the heat and smog of the city below and look back at it.
The botanical garden
The Nanshan Botanical Garden covers a large area of the ridge and holds substantial collections of camellias, rhododendrons, magnolias, bonsai, orchids and palms, along with a rose garden, a greenhouse and a section devoted to medicinal plants of the region. Because Chongqing's climate is humid and mild in winter, the garden grows a wide range of subtropical species that will not survive further north. Camellias and cherry blossom are the highlights in late winter and early spring, when the ridge becomes extremely busy with local families.
The One Tree viewpoint
The One Tree viewpoint, so called after a single large tree that once stood there, is on the western side of the ridge and looks directly across the Yangtze at the towers of the city centre. It is one of the best-known viewpoints in China, and the reason is the night view: from the terrace, the whole peninsula is laid out, with the two rivers, the bridges, the lit office towers and the ships on the water all visible at once. In the evening the terrace fills with visitors and photographers, and it stays busy until late.
What else is on the ridge
Beyond the garden and the viewpoints, Nanshan holds old villas built during the wartime period when Chongqing was the capital of China, a number of temples and small museums, and a great deal of teahouse and restaurant development. The local specialty is a whole chicken cooked with charcoal and served chopped with chilli and Sichuan peppercorn, which is eaten at long tables along the ridge. There are also small farms growing vegetables and fruit, and quiet lanes that make for pleasant walking away from the main viewpoints.
Practical notes
Nanshan is reached by road from the city centre, either by taxi or by the cable car and bus services that climb the ridge; the journey takes about thirty minutes outside rush hour, longer on a busy evening. There are entrance fees for the botanical garden and for the One Tree viewpoint. Because the ridge is above the city, it is cooler than the centre in summer, which is a considerable advantage, but the view depends on the weather, and haze often obscures the panorama. The clearest conditions usually come after rain or in autumn and winter.
