At Hongyadong Scenic Area, Yuzhong District, Chongqing Municipality, the bridge, river, boat and hot pot forming an unique landscape

Hot pot pattern on wall

Enjoying hot pot is a required course for tourists.

At Nanshan Mountain, Nan’an District, tourists enjoying hot pot while appreciating fire dragon dance

By the river in Jiulongpo District, tourists enjoying hot pot

At Zhongshan Third Road, Shangqingsi, Yuzhong District, people enjoying hot pot in air-raid shelter in summer

At Nanshan Mountain, Nan’an District, people enjoying hot pot nearby the lotus pond

In Hongyadong Scenic Area, Yuzhong District, people enjoying hot pot and those tourists forming a delightful contrast (All photographed by Liu Song)

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- It is the National Day holiday again. Chongqing hot pot once again made a strong debut, with bright flowers sweeping across the mountains, rivers and streets.

The red peppers, green peppers and orange red beef tallow as well as other numerous spices appear from the bottom of the pot with the bright gurgling bubble, until that the fresh white mist enshrouds all the surroundings. 

This is Chongqing hot spot originated from wharf and marketplace. The extreme numbing, spicy, fresh and fragrant tastes are condensed into two words by Chongqing people – “Ba Dao” in pinyin (namely amazing in English).

Chongqing hot pot was derived from the straightforward dining way of boat trackers along Chongqing Jialing River banks and Chaotianmen Wharf in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. The taste of Chongqing hot pot swept and conquered the world, and it is even asserted that “Chongqing hot pot exists where there are Chinese”.

Summer comes to an end and autumn is clear and crisp. The Mid-Autumn Day and the National Day are always the time nodes for seasonal recovery of Chongqing hot pot. During the 7-day holiday, you can select any day to enjoy. When the river wind and mountain wind wafted away to the distance in all directions with the fragrance of hot pot, not only taste buds are satisfied, but also Chongqing people’s bold, uninhibited and generous characters are manifested freely. 

Heaven, earth, people, food, scenery and love are integrated in one hot pot. Who can say that countless sages pursuing the perfect state of harmony between man and nature for thousands of years could not be hidden in this pot? (Translated by Liu Hongyan, Fathom Language Limited)