[2025 Chongqing Attraction] Travel Guide for Chongqing Small South Sea (Updated Jun)

So Surprising, Can't Keep It a Secret! With the hot weather lately, I went out to escape the heat and discovered this hidden gem—a true treasure! If you're unfamiliar with this spot, let me give you a quick introduction. 🖼 **Xiaonanhai National Geological Park**: This is an ancient earthquake site. During the summer of the Xianfeng era in the Qing Dynasty, a massive earthquake struck here. Originally a stream, the quake caused a mountain collapse that blocked the water, forming a **barrier lake**. It’s now one of the most well-preserved earthquake relics in China. The site is a **AAAA-level national scenic area**. ⛰ **Attraction Guide** 📍 **Address**: Nanhai Village, Xiaonanhai Town, Qianjiang District, Chongqing 🚗 **Transportation**: About 30+ km from Qianjiang city center—**self-driving is recommended**. There’s reportedly a direct shuttle from Qianjiang East Station (¥10/person). 💰 **Ticket Price**: ¥60/person. **Free for seniors 65+ and children under 1.2m**. 🌟 **Highlights**: ✅ **Xiaonanhai is a high-altitude lake**, combining mountains, water, islands, and gorges. Aerial shots reveal its stunning beauty. 😻 ✅ **Earthquake Relics**: - **Dakua Rock & Xiaokua Rock** (sheer cliffs in purplish-red) are earthquake-collapsed formations, still barren to this day. - Various fractures, cracks, and deformed mountains. - **Haikou Dam** has a massive boulder split by the quake, forming a natural dam. Great for teaching kids about earthquakes while touching these "scars of the earth." ✅ **Barrier Lake (Main Attraction)**: Three islands of different sizes: **Niubei Island, Laohe Island, and Chaoyang Island**. Walk around the islands—**sapphire-blue water💎** surrounded by emerald-green mountains—absolutely enchanting! 😍 - **Niubei Island**: Pine forests, birdsong, and a long, narrow stream resembling a ribbon. 🤩 - **Chaoyang Island**: Home to **Chaoyang Temple**, shaped like a butterfly 🦋. Rare flora and fauna can be found here. The lake is dotted with uniquely shaped rocks. During dry seasons, it feels like a **stone forest maze**—perfect for quiet reflection on its 160-year history. ✅ **Golden Beach**: East of the lake’s central island, shaped like a toad 🐸, covered in pebbles. Features a **suspension bridge**—not too high, even those with mild acrophobia can try it. ✅ **Lakeside Boardwalk**: Stroll along the **crystal-clear, turquoise-blue lake**—it’s like a "mini Erhai." On sunny days, the sky and clouds reflect perfectly—**wallpaper-worthy views**. ✅ **Camping**: **Shuangyan Village Qingyun Camping Base** offers tents, farmhouse meals, and lakeside relaxation. 📌 **Tips**: - **Aerial photography is a must** for panoramic shots—**breathtaking!** 👍 - Catch the sunset 🌇 for a magical "fishing boat at dusk" moment. - **Drive in** if possible—cars are allowed inside. - **Morning visits** are best to avoid the heat. 🥵 - Nearby **Tujia Thirteen Villages** (10+ km away) offers water play, fish-catching, traditional dances, and local snacks. (I’ll share a guide later—see **Photos 1, 2 & 9**). 🍽 **Food Recs**: - **Qianjiang Spicy Chicken Gizzards** - Mung Bean Noodles - Stir-Fried Beef with Greens - Rice Tofu - Fried Crab & Mini Fried Fish/Shrimp (crispy, fresh, fragrant).

Qianjiang Small South Sea is a beautiful alpine lake. Here is a travel guide: • Transportation: • Self-driving: Depart from Chongqing Main City and drive along Baomiao Expressway for about 3 hours. Get off at Qianjiang North and drive for about 30 minutes to reach Small South Sea Scenic Area. • Public transportation: Take a bus from Chongqing Sikou Bus Hub or Longtousi Bus Station to Qianjiang. Get off at Qianjiang Bus Station and take a bus to Small South Sea. • Accommodation recommendations: • Farmhouses near Small South Sea: Experience local customs and taste farm dishes. • Hotels in Qianjiang urban area: Wide selection, convenient transportation. • Food recommendations: • Qianjiang Chicken Offal: Local specialty, made with chicken offal, chili, pickled chili, and other spices. Spicy and delicious. • Wild Yellow Spicy Ding: Small South Sea specialty fish, tender and delicious. • Rice Tofu: Traditional Tujia snack, soft and glutinous. Served with chili oil, vinegar, and other spices. Very delicious. • Attractions: • Small South Sea: A freshwater alpine lake with mountains, sea, islands, and gorges. It is also the most complete ancient earthquake site preserved in China. • Tujia Thirteen Villages: Consists of 13 typical Tujia courtyards, home to more than 200 households and nearly 1,000 Tujia people. • Travel time: Recommended to travel for 1-2 days. On the first day, you can visit Small South Sea Scenic Area and enjoy the lake and mountains. On the second day, you can visit Tujia Thirteen Villages and experience Tujia folk culture. • Precautions: • The roads in Small South Sea Scenic Area are relatively rugged. It is recommended to wear comfortable shoes. • When visiting Tujia Thirteen Villages, respect local customs. • The temperature is high in summer. Pay attention to sun protection and heatstroke prevention. The above guide is for reference only. You can adjust it according to your interests and time. Before traveling, it is recommended to check the local weather and opening hours of the scenic area in advance to better plan your itinerary.

Thirteen Tujia Villages Located in Xinjian Village, Xiaonanhai Town, Qianjiang District, Chongqing City, it is adjacent to the Xiaonanhai Earthquake Relics Park in the east (now actually in the Xiaonanhai Scenic Area), Bamianshan Natural Scenic Area in the south, Wuling Fairy Mountain in the west across Cizhu Creek, and Jigong Mountain, a scenic spot in Chongqing and Hubei, in the north. This is where the two provinces meet. Once I received a text message, I had already passed Hubei. It is about 30 kilometers away from the main urban area of ​​Qianjiang. It is recommended to drive there. The scenic area covers an area of ​​6.5 square kilometers and has 13 typical Tujia courtyards. There are more than 200 households and nearly 1,000 Tujia people living here. Now the scenic area is in the Xiaonanhai Scenic Area. You can check your ticket at the entrance of the scenic area and then drive in. Thirteen Villages, as the name suggests, means thirteen Tujia villages. These thirteen households are relatively large families. Thirteen Villages are distributed along both sides of Banjia Creek. The villages are in various styles, including semi-enclosed Pin-shaped, fully enclosed quadrangle, and stilted buildings. The roof has flower ridges and corners, railing corridors around, and carved railings and flower windows. The original Tujia stilted houses, the original ecological production and living style, the original Tujia folk customs, the landscape, farming fields, Tujia houses, folk customs. After entering the scenic area, you can walk slowly and leisurely, visit the village. The first few are not far away, there are special walking paths, and it is very pleasant to have mountains and water. Going upstream along the Banjia River, starting from Xuetangwan near Houba Xinjie, to Tanjiayuan at the foot of Jigong Mountain, the source of Banjia River, there are 13 primitive and simple Tujia mountain villages. The Tujia people live here by the water, gather in tribes and form villages, forming a typical Tujia residential community. There is a Wuling Mountain Folk Ecological Museum next to the first village. You can go to visit it together, a Siheyuan. There are some special snacks at this point, which are not expensive and taste good, and you can replenish them. The Thirteen Tujia Villages retain the original Tujia stilt houses, the original production and living style, the original Tujia folk customs, the landscape, farming fields, Tujia houses, folk customs, which constitute the tourism characteristics of the Thirteen Banjiaxi Villages. The pole-rail wooden structure stilt houses are the main characteristics of the Thirteen Villages. Each village has a minimum of more than ten families and dozens of people, and a maximum of dozens of families and hundreds of people. Most of them are named after their surnames. In 2015, it was rated as "Chongqing's Top Ten Summer Resorts". It is indeed very cool here in summer. Since we came during the Qingming Festival, there is a slight coolness on rainy days. Tickets: 80 (other online platforms will be cheaper) Opening hours: 8:30 to 16:30 Tour time: 3~4 hours

Chongqing Qianjiang Xiaonanhai National Geopark is located in Nanhai Village, Xiaonanhai Town, Qianjiang District, Chongqing, at the border of Chongqing and Hubei, more than 30 kilometers north of Qianjiang City. It is a high mountain freshwater dammed lake that integrates mountains, seas, islands, and gorges, and it is also the most completely preserved ancient earthquake site in China to date. According to research, the Xiaonanhai earthquake occurred on June 10, 1856, the sixth year of the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty (1856) in the month of Renzi (June 10, 1856). Records show: On that day, the earth shook violently, and the mountains in Houba Township collapsed. Several days prior, the sunlight was dim, and the steam from the earth was unusually dense; on this day, it became even more severe. Between the hours of Chen and Si, suddenly there was a loud noise like thunder, buildings swayed as if they were about to fall, roof tiles flew off, waves surged in ponds, and the people ran out in panic, falling to the ground unable to stand. Later, the Xu family's creek mouth was blocked. Subsequently, during the heavy summer rains, the creek swelled and became impassable, forming a large marsh that extended over 20 li, flooding the site of a temple, surrounded by water on all sides, resembling a golden reef. The marsh was named Xiaoying Sea, but the locals mispronounced it as 'Xiaonanhai'. In fact, Xiaonanhai is a dammed lake formed by an earthquake. Later researchers believe that the Xiaonanhai earthquake was about 6.5 in magnitude, with a seismic intensity of VIII. The area of Xiaonanhai National Geopark is 197 square kilometers, and its main natural landscapes include: Dakuai Rock, Xiaokuai Rock, Sedan Chair Mountain, Landslide Body, Rock Dam, Dammed Lake, Karst Landscape, Mudstone Shale with Wave Marks, Groove Casts, Glacial U-shaped Valleys, etc., which are earthquake disaster relics and also geological parks with geological and geomorphological landscapes. In 2004, Qianjiang Xiaonanhai was approved by the Ministry of Land and Resources of the People's Republic of China as the third batch of 'National Geological Parks'. In December 2005, the Xiaonanhai scenic area was rated as a national AAAA-level tourist attraction. In 2008, the Qianjiang Qi Sea natural landscape was included in the list of 'New Twelve Scenic Spots of Bayu'. Xiaonanhai In 2018, the Qianjiang Xiaonanhai Reservoir was successfully selected as one of the 'Top Ten Most Beautiful Reservoirs in Chongqing for 2018'.