Gongtan Ancient Town, the Face of Chongqing's Ancient Towns

Gongtan Ancient Town is located in Youyang, Chongqing, more than 180 kilometers away from the city center, situated along the Wujiang River Gallery. It can be said without hesitation that Gongtan Ancient Town has become the face of Chongqing's ancient towns because of the Wujiang River Gallery, and conversely, the Wujiang River Gallery is also worth visiting because of Gongtan Ancient Town. There is a lot of information about the ancient town on the internet, so I won't go into detail here. Although the ancient town is commercialized, it is well-managed with an authentic atmosphere, inhabited almost entirely by locals. It is not like some internet-famous ancient towns that are full of the smell of commerce; you can rest assured when visiting. Regarding the Wujiang River Gallery boat ride, the regular ticket is 150 yuan, round trip for one hour. Personally, I think the scenery is nice, similar to the Lesser Three Gorges, but the price is seriously overpriced and not worth it. You can buy boat tickets from local innkeepers for as low as 100 yuan, or even less. Public transportation: Take the long-distance bus from Chongqing Sigongli Bus Station to Pengshui Chengbei Bus Station (buses depart approximately every hour and the journey takes 3 hours). After arriving, take the bus to Youyang and get off at Gongtan. I guess there aren't many buses, so if you miss one, I suggest taking the bus from Pengshui Bus Station. In addition, I do not recommend taking the bus from Youyang to Gongtan, as this would be backtracking and add at least two more hours. Accommodation: It's probably expensive during holidays, but not on regular weekends; you can find decent places for just over a hundred yuan, while better ones will cost over 200 or 300 yuan. I chose Guo's Inn, which has the most beautiful view, visible from both sides. The corridor is great for taking pictures, with no dead angles. The downside is that the accommodation is average, but since my main focus was photography, it was an irreplaceable choice, and the accommodation conditions were secondary. Food: The biggest disappointment is the lack of delicious food; I guess it's just home cooking. The fish is not bad, though. There's also local mung bean jelly, which is okay. Compared to the scenery, these are not worth mentioning.