Get to know Hechuan District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Chongqing
- Chinese name
- 合川区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 2,356.21 km²
- Population · 2020
- 1,245,294
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
Hechuan covers about 2,344 square kilometres of shallow basin hills, mostly flat ground between 300 and 450 metres above sea level. It borders Yubei (渝北区) to the east, Beibei (北碚区) and Bishan (璧山区) to the south, Tongliang (铜梁区) and Tongnan (潼南区) to the west, and Huaying (华蓥市), Yuechi (岳池县), Wusheng (武胜县) and Pengxi (蓬溪县) in Sichuan to the north. The Sanjiang National Wetland Park (三江国家湿地公园) is listed by the district as the largest national wetland park in Chongqing.
History
Hechuan's first county was set up by Qin in 314 BC, after the conquest of the Ba state, under the name Dianjiang (垫江县), with its seat at the old Bazi city (巴子城) in today's Nanjin Street subdistrict; historical records describe Bazi as a secondary capital of Ba. In 556 the Western Wei created Hezhou (合州), named because the Fu River joins the Jialing at the town. In 1243, to hold off the Mongol advance, the people of Hezhou built a new city on Diaoyu Mountain (钓鱼山) 5 kilometres east of the town and moved the prefecture there; the fortress fell in 1279. The name Hechuan dates from 1913, and the county-level city became a district of Chongqing in 2006.
What to see
Three national key protected sites are here: the Diaoyucheng ancient battlefield (钓鱼城古战场遗址), the cliff carvings of the Erfo Temple (二佛寺摩崖造像) at Laitan, and the former Yucai School (育才学校旧址), founded by the educator Tao Xingzhi (陶行知). Fishing Town Fortress (钓鱼城) went on China's tentative World Heritage list in 2012. Laitan Ancient Town (涞滩古镇) was among the first ten national historic and cultural towns and is promoted as China's foremost Chan Buddhist old town. Both are national 4A scenic areas.
Food and local products
A local saying lists Hechuan's five flavours as "slices, porridge, tofu pudding, noodles and soup". Hechuan pork slices (合川肉片) use front-leg meat from local black pigs with bamboo shoots and wood-ear mushrooms, pan-fried until golden; the dish is on Chongqing's municipal intangible-heritage list. Hechuan walnut rice-cake slices (合川桃片), made from glutinous rice, walnut kernels and sugar, are thin, white and soft, with more than 150 years of history. Hechuan mutton rice noodles (合川羊肉粉) combine handmade rice noodles with local white-goat mutton in bone broth and are a breakfast staple; Hechuan tofu pudding (合川豆花) is among the district's "five flavours and ten tastes" (五香十味).
Highlights
- Fishing Town Fortress 钓鱼城: Hilltop city built in 1243 against the Mongols; on China's tentative World Heritage list since 2012.
- Laitan Ancient Town 涞滩古镇: One of the first ten national historic towns, with the Erfo Temple cliff carvings.
- Hechuan pork slices 合川肉片: Pan-fried black-pork slices, a municipal intangible-heritage dish.
- Hechuan walnut rice-cake slices 合川桃片: Thin glutinous-rice and walnut cake with over 150 years of history.
Sources for this guide
合川区情简介_重庆市合川区人民政府 · Hechuan District People's Government, Chongqing
合川建置沿革_重庆市合川区人民政府 · Hechuan District People's Government, Chongqing
地理位置_重庆市合川区人民政府 · Hechuan District People's Government, Chongqing
美食之城合川有五香，片粥花粉汤，邀您来品尝！_重庆市合川区人民政府 · Hechuan District Culture and Tourism Development Commission
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Hechuan District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Hechuan District
Cliffside stairway to Huguo Gate, Diaoyucheng, Hechuan · 合川钓鱼城护国门石阶 Photograph date recorded by the source: 30 January 2006.Fishing Town Fortress钓鱼城
Diaoyucheng occupies a steep, river-bound hill at Hechuan, where a Southern Song fortress resisted Mongol forces. Surviving walls and gates reveal how the builders exploited the terrain, while administrative ruins show that this…
Read the place guide →
Laitan Ancient Town · 涞滩古镇Laitan Ancient Town涞滩古镇
Laitan is a walled settlement north-east of Hechuan whose streets lead to Erfo Temple. The town’s defensive enclosure and the temple’s religious spaces give a visit two distinct subjects. Follow the public streets through the…
Read the place guide →Local life & food
Hechuan District local specialties
合川区特色美食 · 7 specialties to discover
Soft-fried Hechuan walnut rice-cake slices 软炸合川桃片AI illustration · AI 示意图
The fried coating is light and crisp, while the sweet cake inside becomes soft and slightly chewy.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Hechuan walnut rice-cake slices 合川桃片AI dish illustration / AI 菜品示意图
Soft slices bend and separate into delicate layers, while crisp versions snap. Walnuts add a nutty bite and sweetness varies by style.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Hechuan Crispy Pork Slices 合川肉片AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Hechuan Crispy Pork Slices (合川肉片) are slices of pork coated in pea starch and egg, fried golden and then stir-fried with vegetables, a dish named after Hechuan District (合川区) in Chongqing.
Read the dish guide →
Hechuan Mutton Rice Noodles 合川羊肉粉AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Hechuan Mutton Rice Noodles (合川羊肉粉) are a breakfast bowl from Hechuan (合川) in Chongqing: rice noodles in mutton stock under a topping of mutton.
Read the dish guide →
Hechuan Soft Tofu 合川豆花AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Hechuan Soft Tofu (合川豆花) is a soybean dish from Hechuan District (合川区), Chongqing (重庆). It has a white appearance, a tender, close-textured consistency and a pronounced soybean aroma.
Read the dish guide →
Hechuan Rice Noodles 合川米粉Reference photo of a similar dish · 同类菜品参考照片
Hechuan Rice Noodles (合川米粉) are the rice noodles eaten for breakfast in Hechuan (合川), a district of Chongqing where three rivers meet.
Read the dish guide →
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Hechuan Black Soybean Tofu 合川黑豆腐Reference photo of a similar dish · 同类菜品参考照片
Hechuan Black Soybean Tofu (合川黑豆腐) is listed among the local specialties of Hechuan District, Chongqing. The name includes 豆腐 (bean curd).
Read the dish guide →
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More dishes from across Chongqing are in the Chongqing food guide.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Hechuan District is about 55 km in a straight line from central Chongqing. Search for 合川区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Fishing Town Fortress and Laitan Ancient Town are about 25 km apart in a straight line. 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.
Photo: Fishing Town Fortress · Chen Hualin (Harveychl) · Chen Hualin (Harveychl) — Fishingtown.jpg — Public domain · Public domain. The exact downloaded source bytes are separately retained and hashed. Prepared JPEG is proportionally reduced to a maximum 720-pixel long edge; full frame retained, no subject alteration. Final website rendition: full frame retained, proportionally resized to at most 720 pixels and converted to WebP. No additional retouching or subject alteration. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Laitan Ancient Town · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.