Get to know Shapingba District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Chongqing
- Chinese name
- 沙坪坝区
- Local areas
- District guide
History
In 1935 Shapingba was part of the first district of Ba County (巴县), governed from the old town of Ciqikou (磁器口), then called Longyin (龙隐镇). A self-governing committee for a cultural district was set up here on 6 February 1938, and during the war against Japan the district government says one eighth of China's university teachers and students gathered in it. The painter Xu Beihong (徐悲鸿) and the writers Bing Xin (冰心) and Ba Jin (巴金) were among the prominent figures who came together here. The area was placed under Chongqing city in August 1939 as Shaci District (沙磁区) and took the name Shapingba District in 1955.
What to see
The district government counts more than 70 sites from the war years, among them Lin Garden (林园), where the Chongqing Negotiations were held, the former residence of Guo Moruo (郭沫若旧居) and the July 7 auditorium of the National Central University (国立中央大学). The former prison sites at Bai Mansion (白公馆) and Zhazidong (渣滓洞) are named among China's ten major red-tourism scenic areas and are national patriotic education bases.
Ciqikou Ancient Town (磁器口古镇) is listed as a China historic and cultural block and has long been nicknamed "Little Chongqing" (小重庆). The Chongqing 1949 Grand Theatre (重庆1949大剧院), which the district government calls the largest single indoor theatre in the world, stages the show Chongqing 1949 (重庆·1949). The Three Gorges Square (三峡广场) shopping district is a national night-time culture and tourism consumption cluster.
Getting oriented
The Chongqing University Town (重庆大学城) in Huxi (虎溪) and Chenjiaqiao (陈家桥) was largely built by 2010 and houses Chongqing University (重庆大学), the Army Medical University (陆军军医大学) and the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute (四川美术学院), among others. The district is a rail hub, with Chongqing West Station (重庆西站) and Shapingba Station (沙坪坝站) on the Chengdu–Chongqing high-speed railway (成渝高铁). The district government credits Shapingba with opening China's first China–Europe freight train service, the Chongqing–Xinjiang–Europe line (渝新欧), in 2011.
Food and local products
The district government names two foods as its calling cards: spicy chicken (辣子鸡), the traditional dish, and Chen's mahua (陈麻花), a fried dough twist sold as a local snack.
Highlights
- Ciqikou Ancient Town 磁器口古镇: China historic and cultural block, long known as "Little Chongqing".
- Zhazidong 渣滓洞: Former prison site; a national patriotic education base named among ten major red-tourism scenic areas.
- Lin Garden 林园: Site of the Chongqing Negotiations.
- Chen Mahua 陈麻花: Local snack named by the district government as one of its food calling cards.
Sources for this guide
区情概况 - 重庆市沙坪坝区人民政府 · Shapingba District People's Government, Chongqing
文旅概况 - 重庆市沙坪坝区人民政府 · Shapingba District People's Government, Chongqing
沙坪坝区 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Chinese Wikipedia · 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 Shapingba District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Shapingba District
Ciqikou (Porcelain Port) · 磁器口古镇Ciqikou磁器口
Ciqikou’s shop-lined streets descend towards the Jialing River in Shapingba. The former river-port setting is still legible in the relationship between the upper lanes and the waterfront, although the main routes now serve a…
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Guard post and enclosure at the Zhazidong former prison site in Chongqing, April 2006.Zhazidong渣滓洞
Zhazidong preserves a former coal-mine site later used as a prison by the Nationalist security apparatus. The memorial’s physical layout makes the detention system legible: an outer court contains the office and interrogation…
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The martyrs' memorial statue at the Geleshan cemetery park, Shapingba District, Chongqing · 重庆沙坪坝区歌乐山烈士陵园塑像 Source-recorded photograph date: Taken on 26 September 2011.Geleshan歌乐山
Geleshan’s forest park offers a wooded climb to Yunding, the main peak above western Chongqing. Pine sounds in the wind are part of its traditional identity, remembered as Gele Lingyin. The old Yunding Temple that once…
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AI illustration; an interpretive view, not a photograph. AI 示意图，非景点实拍。Ronghui Hot Springs融汇温泉
Ronghui is an urban hot-spring resort at the foot of Gele Mountain in Shapingba. Its layout combines an indoor bathing hall with an outdoor spring area, so the visit revolves around choosing pools and moving between sheltered…
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Geleshan Martyrs Cemetery and Hongyan Historic Sites (歌乐山烈士陵园与红岩旧址群), Shapingba District. Photograph: "红岩-红岩村-中共南方局办事处 - panoramio".Geleshan Martyrs Cemetery and Hongyan Historic Sites歌乐山烈士陵园与红岩旧址群
Chongqing Geleshan Martyrs Cemetery lies at the foot of Geleshan in Shapingba District, and includes the former Baigongguan and Zhazidong prisons together with three further wartime detention sites, all run by the Nationalist secret police (Juntong) during and after the War of Resistance. It covers 2.14 square kilometres, with its name inscribed by Deng Xiaoping.
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Ciqikou’s historic riverfront viewed across the water, Chongqing · 重庆磁器口古镇滨水建筑. Source-recorded photograph date: 2024-05-02.Ciqikou Ancient Town磁器口古镇
Old Jialing River port in Shapingba, named for the Qing porcelain it shipped, with stone-paved lanes, Baolun Temple and the Little Chongqing Stele.
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AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）Luo Zhongli Art Museum罗中立美术馆
The Luo Zhongli Art Museum stands on the east side of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute's Huxi campus, Shapingba District, Chongqing. Construction began in 2012 and the museum opened in 2015, combining the institute's own art museum, a Rent Collection Courtyard display hall and the Luo Zhongli exhibition hall in a single 25,000 square metre complex.
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AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）Chong Qing 1949 Yan Yi重庆1949演艺
Chongqing 1949 is a large-scale indoor stage show performed at a purpose-built theatre between Ciqikou ancient town and Geleshan Martyrs Cemetery, Shapingba District, Chongqing. Invested by Chongqing Xingya Holdings Group and produced by Chongqing 1949 Performance Culture Co., it dramatises events at Ciqikou, Baigongguan and Zhazidong on the eve of Chongqing's 1949 liberation.
Read the place guide →Local life & food
Shapingba District local specialties
沙坪坝区特色美食 · 6 specialties to discover
Ciqikou Fried Dough Twists 磁器口麻花AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Ciqikou Fried Dough Twists (磁器口麻花) are hand-made, deep-fried twists of wheat dough from Ciqikou (磁器口), the old Jialing River wharf town in Chongqing's Shapingba District (沙坪坝区).
Read the dish guide →Chen's Fried Dough Twists 陈麻花AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Chen's Fried Dough Twists (陈麻花) are hand-made, deep-fried dough twists from Ciqikou (磁器口), the old Jialing River wharf town in Chongqing's Shapingba District (沙坪坝区), a trade the Chen family began there in 1907.
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Gele Mountain spicy chicken 歌乐山辣子鸡
The chicken has dry, crisp edges and concentrated savory flavor, surrounded by a smoky, spicy and numbing aroma. Small bones require attention.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →.jpg){kind=link}
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Chongqing xiaomian 重庆小面
The noodles carry a layered spicy, numbing and savory dressing, with crunchy or pickled additions providing contrast. Broth changes intensity but does not automatically make a bowl mild.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
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Maoxuewang blood-curd stew 毛血旺AI illustration · AI 示意图
Soft blood curd contrasts with springy tripe and crisp vegetables, while chili oil and Sichuan pepper create a strong, lingering finish.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Chongqing hotpot 重庆火锅
The experience combines chili heat, peppercorn tingle and rich aromatics, with texture determined by each ingredient and its cooking time.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
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More dishes from across Chongqing are in the Chongqing food guide.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Shapingba District is about 10 km in a straight line from central Chongqing. Search for 沙坪坝区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Ciqikou and Zhazidong are about 2 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.
Official administrative update
Official administrative update
Some facts checked against 沙坪坝区 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Ciqikou · Xiumuzidiao · CC BY 4.0. Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.
Photo: Zhazidong · Taken by Fanghong · CC BY-SA 3.0. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.
Photo: Geleshan · Nyx Ning · CC BY-SA 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Geleshan Martyrs Cemetery and Hongyan Historic Sites · Nyx Ning · CC BY-SA 3.0. 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.
Photo: Ciqikou Ancient Town · Xiumuzidiao · CC BY 4.0. Full source framing retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or subject alteration. Card displays may crop the view.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.