Get to know Changshou District
Photo adjustments
Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Chongqing
- Chinese name
- 长寿区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 1,421.00 km²
- Population · 2020 census
- 692,960
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
History
Four Neolithic sites, 4,000 to 10,000 years old, were found in 1980 on terraces along both banks of the Yangtze. In the Ba state the area was the settlement of Zhi (枳邑), and after the Qin conquest of Ba in 314 BC it belonged to Zhi County. The Tang named it Lewen, "joyful warmth", because the mild climate ripened crops early. Changshou became a district of Chongqing on 25 December 2001.
The district government also tells a local legend: a Ming chief minister, sheltering from rain at Heshijing (何石井) in Xinshi (新市镇), met a white-haired man buying wine for his grandfather's 150th birthday, and his report of the long-lived villagers led to the new name. People the district counts as its own include Qing (巴寡妇清), a Qin-dynasty businesswoman of Ba, the Song Neo-Confucian scholar Qiao Ding (谯定), and Li Shoumin (李寿民), who wrote wuxia novels as Huanzhulouzhu (还珠楼主).
What to see
Changshou Lake (长寿湖) is the Shizitan Reservoir (狮子滩水库) on the Longxi River (龙溪河), a Yangtze tributary; the dam was built between August 1954 and October 1956 as one of the 156 Soviet-aided projects of the first five-year plan. The district government calls the lake the largest man-made lake in south-west China. Changshou Lake, the Changshou Puti Old Town (长寿菩提古镇) and Puti Mountain (菩提山) are national 4A scenic areas.
Older sites listed by the district include the Nühuaiqing Terrace (女怀清台), said to have been built by the First Emperor of Qin to honour Qing for her mining work. There are also the Han battlefield on Chijia Mountain (赤甲山), the Yangguan city site (阳关城遗址), seat of Yong'an County in the early Tang, and the Song Buddhist Donglin Temple (东林寺).
Food and local products
Changshou pomelos (长寿柚), summer oranges, loquats, grapes, tea and zhacai (榨菜), the pickled mustard stem, are among the crops the district names; its Shatian pomelos (沙田柚) and summer oranges are known well beyond it.
Getting oriented
The town is 60 kilometres from Jiangbei International Airport and Chongqing North railway station. The Chongqing–Huaihua, Chongqing–Lichuan and Chongqing–Wanzhou railways and several expressways cross the district, and 10,000-tonne convoys use the Yangtze here all year.
Highlights
- Changshou Lake 长寿湖: Reservoir built in 1954–1956 on the Longxi River; a national 4A scenic area.
- Puti Mountain 菩提山: National 4A scenic area.
- Changshou Puti Old Town 长寿菩提古镇: National 4A scenic area.
- Nühuaiqing Terrace 女怀清台: Said to have been built by the First Emperor to honour the Ba businesswoman Qing.
- Changshou pomelo 长寿柚: Named local crop, with Shatian pomelos and summer oranges.
Sources for this guide
长寿概况_重庆市长寿区人民政府 · Changshou District People's Government, Chongqing
长寿历史_重庆市长寿区人民政府 · Changshou District People's Government, Chongqing
物产资源_重庆市长寿区人民政府 · Changshou District People's Government, Chongqing
狮子滩水库 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Changshou District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Changshou District
Morning light over Changshou Lake, Chongqing; 29 June 2011.Local life & food
Changshou District local specialties
长寿区特色美食 · 6 specialties to discover
Changshou Rice Noodles 长寿米粉Reference photo of a similar dish · 同类菜品参考照片
Changshou Rice Noodles (长寿米粉) are a folk snack of Changshou District (长寿区) in Chongqing: noodles of steamed local rice slurry, stored as blocks or rolls and sliced into boiling water.
Read the dish guide →
Photo adjustments
Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Changshou Thin Sesame Crisps 长寿薄脆
Changshou Thin Sesame Crisps (长寿薄脆) are paper-thin wheat wafers from Changshou District (长寿区) in Chongqing, baked dry in a pan rather than deep-fried.
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Changshou Smoked Blood Tofu 长寿血豆腐Reference photo of a similar dish · 同类菜品参考照片
Changshou Smoked Blood Tofu (长寿血豆腐) is a specialty of Changshou District (长寿区) in Chongqing: fresh tofu mashed with pig's blood, fatty pork and spices, shaped into ovals and smoked over a wood fire.
Read the dish guide →
Photo adjustments
Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Pork Intestine Rice 肥肠饭AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Pork Intestine Rice (肥肠饭) is a Changshou (长寿) dish pairing pork intestines with rice.
Read the dish guide →
Changshou Lake Whole Fish Banquet 长寿湖全鱼宴AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Changshou Lake Whole Fish Banquet (长寿湖全鱼宴) is a spread of fish dishes made from the fish of Changshou Lake (长寿湖) in Chongqing's Changshou District.
Read the dish guide →
Braised Pork with Pomelo Peel 柚子皮烧肉
Braised Pork with Pomelo Peel (柚子皮烧肉) is listed among the local specialties of Changshou District, Chongqing. It is grouped here with cured meats & roast-shop dishes; retain the complete Chinese name when comparing local menus.
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
More dishes from across Chongqing are in the Chongqing food guide.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Changshou District is about 70 km in a straight line from central Chongqing. Search for 长寿区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Start with Changshou Lake. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Chongqing →More in Chongqing
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 狮子滩水库 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Changshou Lake · Nyx Ning · CC BY-SA 3.0. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.