Longgang, the dragon vat, is a geological park in Yunyang county on the northern bank of the Yangtze, east of Chongqing, and it takes its name from a collapse sinkhole of the kind that Chinese geologists call a tiankeng. The feature is created when a cave chamber grows so large that its roof fails and the whole thing collapses, leaving a sheer-sided pit open to the sky. Longgang has one of the deepest of these in the region, and the surrounding limestone has also been cut into a series of gorges, cliffs and natural bridges that the park has opened up with paths, stairs and a cable car.
What the visit involves
The park is a long day of walking on cliff paths, descending into the gorge and up again, with viewpoints along the rim. The headline structure is a cantilevered glass platform that projects out from the cliff over the drop, with a walkway leading to it; it is high, exposed and deliberately vertiginous, and it is the image everyone brings home. Below, the river that drains the gorge runs between walls of grey limestone, and there are smaller gorges and caves within the park that can be reached on foot or by the internal transport.
How it fits a trip
Yunyang is also the home of the Zhangfei temple, a Qing-dynasty shrine to the Three Kingdoms general Zhang Fei, which was dismantled and rebuilt on higher ground when the Three Gorges reservoir filled - one of the largest relocation projects of its kind. Together the two make a reasonable overnight from Chongqing, and the county sits on the river route that the Three Gorges cruises take, so some itineraries stop here between the gorges and Chongqing. The landscape, with its steep limestone walls and forest, is very different from the city, and noticeably cooler.
Practical notes
Yunyang is a long drive from Chongqing, four to five hours, and is generally done as an overnight or as a river stop rather than a day trip. The park charges admission with separate fees for internal transport and the glass platform, and the walking is strenuous in places with a great many steps, so it is not suitable for anyone with limited mobility. Bring water and a rain shell, since the weather in the gorges changes quickly, and allow the best part of a day for the park itself.
