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I Thought I Knew China… Then I Visited Chongqing 🇨🇳
Chongqing Travel Vlog: Liziba Train, Vertical City and Hot Pot
The cyberpunk city? The biggest city on Earth? Chongqing, China gets called many different things. But I wanted to see what this Chinese city is actually like firsthand...
Beyond the viral videos of trains slicing through apartment buildings and dizzying multi-level highways, I want to understand...
The cyberpunk city? The biggest city on Earth? Chongqing, China gets called many different things. But I wanted to see what this Chinese city is actually like firsthand...
Beyond the viral videos of trains slicing through apartment buildings and dizzying multi-level highways, I want to understand the real city and the people behind the chaos. I've got three goals:
1. Find a local willing to show us the side of Chongqing tourists never see.
2. Track down Ryan Chen (aka the "Chinese Trump") to find out why — despite his fame and fortune — he refuses to leave his hometown.
3. Try some super-spicy Chongqing hot pot to see if it’s torture or actually tasty to my Western taste buds.
Is Chongqing just an internet meme, or is it truly the most unique mega-city in the world? Join me to find out.
0:00 The Vertical Maze of Chongqing
1:54 The Famous Train Through a Building (Liziba Station)
4:10 Meeting a Local and His Robot Dog
7:05 The History Behind the Steel Nets of Chongqing
13:21 Meeting the Chinese Trump (Ryan Chen)
27:46 Dining Inside a Military Bunker
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David G spends a day in Chongqing with no plan, with three goals: find a local to show him around, meet Ryan Chen, known as the Chinese Trump, and try spicy Chongqing hot pot. He starts at the metro station where a train runs through an apartment building, rides the metro with Alipay, and meets a local with a robot dog who leads a walking tour through the vertical maze of connected buildings. The tour covers steel nets on 1990s windows, a bridge between two buildings and the Linjiang Gate. He then meets Ryan Chen and ends with hot pot in a military bunker.
The cyberpunk city? The biggest city on Earth? Chongqing, China gets called many different things. But I wanted to see what this Chinese city is actually like firsthand...
Beyond the viral videos of trains slicing through apartment buildings and dizzying multi-level highways, I want to understand the real city and the people behind the chaos. I've got three goals:
1. Find a local willing to show us the side of Chongqing tourists never see.
2. Track down Ryan Chen (aka the "Chinese Trump") to find out why — despite his fame and fortune — he refuses to leave his hometown.
3. Try some super-spicy Chongqing hot pot to see if it’s torture or actually tasty to my Western taste buds.
Is Chongqing just an internet meme, or is it truly the most unique mega-city in the world? Join me to find out.
0:00 The Vertical Maze of Chongqing
1:54 The Famous Train Through a Building (Liziba Station)
4:10 Meeting a Local and His Robot Dog
7:05 The History Behind the Steel Nets of Chongqing
13:21 Meeting the Chinese Trump (Ryan Chen)
27:46 Dining Inside a Military Bunker
This description contains affiliate links. If you purchase or sign up through these links, I may receive a small amount of compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the channel!
The creator, David G, says Chongqing feels almost unreal, with skyscrapers that go up and also down. He sets three goals: find a local willing to show him around, meet Ryan Chen, better known as the Chinese Trump, and try the famously spicy hot pot. He first visits the metro station where the train comes directly into an apartment building, notes that people usually go to the other side of the station, and finds the spot chaotic and not that interesting after the first time. He then rides the metro, paying with Alipay, and says it is pretty much the same as any other Chinese metro and unbelievably cheap at 3 yuan for the ride. A local named Charlie, who has just bought a robot dog to attract tourists, offers a free English walking tour. Charlie shows him a hospital whose emergency department is underground, the vertical maze of the district, graffiti from fans of a singer, and steel nets outside the windows of a building from about the 1990s, which were put up to prevent thieves. They cross a bridge between two buildings and reach the Linjiang Gate, one of 16 gates of ancient Chongqing, where Charlie explains three waves of immigration. The creator then meets Ryan Chen, who sits him down for a mock test, hands out small gifts, rates the creator's travel content a B plus and says he stays in Chongqing because it is the best city. The creator takes the metro at rush hour, which he finds pretty chill, to a hot pot restaurant in a military bunker. He scans a QR code for a menu in Chinese, English and German, picks a spicy side and a mushroom side, chooses meats and sauces, and finds the hot pot spicy but herbal and tasty. He adds that dipping food in vinegar helps if it gets too spicy, and corrects himself: the tunnels were built in the 1970s during China's third front build-up as part of the Chang'an military factory. He closes by saying the people keep the city going.
David G spends a day in Chongqing with no plan, with three goals: find a local to show him around, meet Ryan Chen, known as the Chinese Trump, and try spicy Chongqing hot pot. He starts at the metro station where a train runs through an apartment building, rides the metro with Alipay, and meets a local with a robot dog who leads a walking tour through the vertical maze of connected buildings. The tour covers steel nets on 1990s windows, a bridge between two buildings and the Linjiang Gate. He then meets Ryan Chen and ends with hot pot in a military bunker.
A day in Chongqing: the train through a building, a robot dog walking tour, Ryan Chen, and hot pot in a military bunker.
Chongqing Travel Vlog: Liziba Train, Vertical City and Hot Pot
1:42 Expect a special feel in Chongqing: the smell of the peppers used in noodle soups, near 100% humidity, and a city built on hills. The creator also says the metro station with a train through a building is its best-known sight.
2:12 At the Liziba train-through-the-building spot, people usually go to the other side of the station. The creator found it chaotic, with many people selling random stuff, and not that interesting after the first time seeing the train.
3:09 Instead of only looking at the metro, ride it. The creator pays for the Chongqing metro with Alipay and says it is easy, and that the ride gives views of skyscraper after skyscraper going up into the hills.
3:38 The Chongqing metro is pretty much the same as any other Chinese metro and unbelievably cheap. The creator says the ride he took cost 3 yuan.
4:51 Locals may offer to show you around. Charlie, who had just bought a robot dog to attract tourists, planned a free walking tour in English, and the creator joined it to see parts of Chongqing tourists rarely visit.
6:10 Floors are confusing in Chongqing: what looks like the first floor can sit above an underground floor, such as a hospital emergency department. The creator takes an elevator to the first floor to see the district as a vertical maze.
7:06 Look for the steel nets outside the windows of older buildings. The local guide says this apartment building was built in about the 1990s and the nets were set up to prevent thieves, though he adds that China now feels very safe.
10:04 You can stand on a bridge between two buildings and see how the buildings are connected. The creator asks whether his guide is scared of heights and says it is pretty high up.
11:13 Ancient Chongqing had 16 gates, and Linjiang Gate is one of them. The guide says people built cliff buildings near the water because the immigrants who moved to the city had no space.
28:05 At the bunker hot pot restaurant, scan the QR code for the menu. The creator says the place is set up for tourists, with the menu offered in Chinese, English and even German.
29:05 After ordering your hot pot, you get your sauces. The creator picks from options such as sesame paste, fresh chili and light soy sauce, and says the sauces look nice before the food arrives.
30:45 If the Chongqing hot pot gets too spicy, you can dip the food in vinegar. The creator calls this their little trick and says it seems to work.
1:42 Expect a special feel in Chongqing: the smell of the peppers used in noodle soups, near 100% humidity, and a city built on hills. The creator also says the metro station with a train through a building is its best-known sight.
2:12 At the Liziba train-through-the-building spot, people usually go to the other side of the station. The creator found it chaotic, with many people selling random stuff, and not that interesting after the first time seeing the train.
3:09 Instead of only looking at the metro, ride it. The creator pays for the Chongqing metro with Alipay and says it is easy, and that the ride gives views of skyscraper after skyscraper going up into the hills.
3:38 The Chongqing metro is pretty much the same as any other Chinese metro and unbelievably cheap. The creator says the ride he took cost 3 yuan.
4:51 Locals may offer to show you around. Charlie, who had just bought a robot dog to attract tourists, planned a free walking tour in English, and the creator joined it to see parts of Chongqing tourists rarely visit.
6:10 Floors are confusing in Chongqing: what looks like the first floor can sit above an underground floor, such as a hospital emergency department. The creator takes an elevator to the first floor to see the district as a vertical maze.
7:06 Look for the steel nets outside the windows of older buildings. The local guide says this apartment building was built in about the 1990s and the nets were set up to prevent thieves, though he adds that China now feels very safe.
10:04 You can stand on a bridge between two buildings and see how the buildings are connected. The creator asks whether his guide is scared of heights and says it is pretty high up.
11:13 Ancient Chongqing had 16 gates, and Linjiang Gate is one of them. The guide says people built cliff buildings near the water because the immigrants who moved to the city had no space.
28:05 At the bunker hot pot restaurant, scan the QR code for the menu. The creator says the place is set up for tourists, with the menu offered in Chinese, English and even German.
29:05 After ordering your hot pot, you get your sauces. The creator picks from options such as sesame paste, fresh chili and light soy sauce, and says the sauces look nice before the food arrives.
30:45 If the Chongqing hot pot gets too spicy, you can dip the food in vinegar. The creator calls this their little trick and says it seems to work.
0:00 The Vertical Maze of Chongqing
1:54 Train Through a Building (Liziba Station)
4:10 Meeting a Local and His Robot Dog
7:05 History Behind the Steel Nets
11:13 Linjiang Gate and Immigration History
13:21 Meeting the Chinese Trump (Ryan Chen)
27:46 Dining Inside a Military Bunker
0:00 The Vertical Maze of Chongqing
1:54 Train Through a Building (Liziba Station)
4:10 Meeting a Local and His Robot Dog
7:05 History Behind the Steel Nets
11:13 Linjiang Gate and Immigration History
13:21 Meeting the Chinese Trump (Ryan Chen)
27:46 Dining Inside a Military Bunker
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The creator says the metro ride he took cost 3 yuan, which he calls unbelievably cheap. He paid with Alipay and says the train is pretty much the same as any other Chinese metro.
Is the train going through a building in Chongqing worth seeing?
The creator says it is the metro station the city is known for, and that people usually go to the other side of the station. He found it absolute chaos and not that interesting after the first time seeing the train go through the building.
Why do some Chongqing buildings have steel nets outside the windows?
The local guide says the apartment building was built in about the 1990s, and the steel nets were set up outside the windows to prevent thieves. He adds that China is very safe now.
How many gates did ancient Chongqing have?
The guide says ancient Chongqing had 16 gates and shows the creator the Linjiang Gate. He says immigrants who moved to the city built cliff buildings near the water because there was not enough space.
Can I order Chongqing hot pot if I do not read Chinese?
Yes at the bunker restaurant in the video: scan the QR code for the menu, which the creator says comes in Chinese, English and even German. You then choose your meats and, after ordering, your sauces.
Is Chongqing hot pot very spicy?
The creator found the spicy side spicy, with the legendary Sichuan pepper that makes your mouth go numb, but also herbal and tasty. A mild mushroom side is available, and dipping food in vinegar helps if it gets too spicy.
When was the hot pot restaurant in the military bunker built?
The creator corrects himself: the tunnels were not built around World War II in the 1940s but in the 1970s during China's third front build-up. This complex was part of the Chang'an military factory.
