Get to know Kaizhou District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Chongqing
- Chinese name
- 开州区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 3,959.00 km²
- Population · 2010
- 1,160,336
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
Mountains ring the district, and the district government likens its outline to a sweet-orange leaf lying from northeast to southwest, 120 kilometres along its long axis. About 63 percent of the land is mountain, 31 percent hills and 6 percent plain. The ground drops from Hengzhucao peak (横猪槽) on the Yiziliang ridge (一字梁), 2,626 metres high in the northern Daba uplands, to 134 metres on the Xiaojiang at the border with Yunyang (云阳). The northern uplands are cool, damp and snowy; the valleys have mild weather and a long frost-free season.
History
In 216, during the Eastern Han, the Shu ruler split off the western part of Quren county (朐忍县) as Hanfeng county (汉丰县), named for the plenty of the Han lands. The name Kai County (开县) dates from 1373, when the Ming reduced Kaizhou prefecture to a county; it comes from Kaijiang (开江), an old name for the Nan River (南河). Kai County belonged to Sichuan until Chongqing became a directly governed municipality in 1997, and was replaced by Kaizhou District in June 2016.
Liu Bocheng (刘伯承), made a marshal of the People's Republic in 1955, was born in 1892 at Zhaojiachang (赵家场) in Kai County.
What to see
The district town, Hanfeng subdistrict (汉丰街道), stands where the Dong River (东河) meets the Nan River. Hanfeng Lake (汉丰湖) was created on the upper Pengxi River after the Three Gorges reservoir left a 55-square-kilometre drawdown zone here; since its regulating dam began working at the end of 2017, the lake has held a surface of about 14.8 square kilometres. People's Daily also names the Shengshan Botanical Garden (盛山植物园) and Juzi Garden (举子园) among the district's scenic areas, which the government counted as 11 A-rated sites, seven of them 4A, at the end of 2025.
Food and local products
The craft of Kai County "bingbo" mooncakes (冰薄月饼) is on Chongqing's municipal intangible-heritage list. At a 2023 tourism fair the district showed Nanmen brown sugar (南门红糖), Zishui dried tofu (紫水豆干), Kaizhou sausage (开州香肠) and Juzi black tea (举子红茶), along with Kaizhou Han embroidery (开州汉绣).
Highlights
- Hanfeng Lake 汉丰湖: Artificial lake on the upper Pengxi River, formed after a regulating dam began working at the end of 2017.
- Kai County bingbo mooncakes 冰薄月饼: Their making is on Chongqing's municipal intangible-heritage list.
- Juzi black tea 举子红茶: Won a Chongqing regional gold award at the Zhongcha Cup, according to People's Daily.
Sources for this guide
自然地理_重庆市开州区人民政府 · Kaizhou District People's Government, Chongqing
历史沿革_重庆市开州区人民政府 · Kaizhou District People's Government, Chongqing
商贸旅游_重庆市开州区人民政府 · Kaizhou District People's Government, Chongqing
汉丰湖 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
品特产、领福利、看非遗 来第八届西旅会逛开州展馆 · People's Daily Online (Chongqing channel)
重庆市文化和旅游发展委员会关于公布第六批市级非物质文化遗产代表性传承人的通知-重庆市开州区人民政府 · Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development (via Kaizhou District government)
刘伯承 - 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 Kaizhou District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Kaizhou District
Hanfeng Lake · Wenfeng Pagoda · 汉丰湖·文峰塔Hanfeng Lake · Wenfeng Pagoda汉丰湖·文峰塔
Wenfeng Pagoda is the white landmark rising beside Hanfeng Lake in Kaizhou's Juzi Garden. The prominent nine-storey tower is a modern reconstruction, completed in 2014, while remains of the older pagoda preserve the site's…
Read the place guide →
AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）Kaizhou District Museum开州区博物馆
Kaizhou Museum brings the area's history into focus through archaeological finds, ceramics and objects connected with local life. Two particularly distinctive collection highlights are an Eastern Han bronze washing basin with an…
Read the place guide →Local life & food
Kaizhou District local specialties
开州区特色美食 · 6 specialties to discover
Kaizhou Ice-Thin Mooncakes 开州冰薄月饼AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Kaizhou Ice-Thin Mooncakes (开州冰薄月饼) are crisp, sesame-covered mooncakes from Kaizhou District (开州区) in Chongqing, described by the Chongqing Daily as an intangible-heritage food (非遗美食) of the district and made in quantity as the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches.
Read the dish guide →
Kaizhou Basket-Steamed Mutton 开州羊肉格格AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Kaizhou Basket-Steamed Mutton (开州羊肉格格) is mutton steamed in stacks of palm-sized bamboo baskets, the gege (格格), in Kaizhou (开州) in north-eastern Chongqing.
Read the dish guide →
Kaizhou Sichuan Pepper Beef 开州椒麻牛肉AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Kaizhou Sichuan Pepper Beef (开州椒麻牛肉) is a beef dish from Kaizhou District (开州区) in Chongqing: selected yellow-cattle beef (黄牛肉), cut into even pieces and coated in a jiaoma sauce (椒麻酱汁), the Sichuan seasoning built on the numbing tingle of Sichuan pepper.
Read the dish guide →
Big Mixed Steamed Platter 大混蒸
Big Mixed Steamed Platter (大混蒸) is a Kaizhou (开州) dish cooked in a large communal steamer. Beef, pork belly, intestines and mutton bones can share the same basket, with an aromatic marinade and vigorous steaming over a wood fire.
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
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Kaizhou Pressed Dried Tofu 开州豆干
Kaizhou Pressed Dried Tofu (开州豆干) is the brined and air-dried bean curd of Zishui Township (紫水乡), in the mountains of northern Kaizhou (开州), Chongqing, where it is called Zishui dried tofu (紫水豆干).
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
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Linjiang Cured Sausage 临江香肠Reference photo of a similar dish · 同类菜品参考照片
Linjiang Cured Sausage (临江香肠) is listed among the local specialties of Kaizhou 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 →
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More dishes from across Chongqing are in the Chongqing food guide.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Kaizhou District is about 255 km in a straight line from central Chongqing. Search for 开州区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Hanfeng Lake · Wenfeng Pagoda and Kaizhou District Museum are about 6 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.
Some facts checked against 汉丰湖 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 刘伯承 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Hanfeng Lake · Wenfeng Pagoda · 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.