Cable Car Ride

We know Chongqing is known as a city among mountains and surrounded with water. The Yangtze River and Jialing River separates the city into three parts, which causes the local people much inconvenience to across the river, especially when there were few bridges across the river.

In 1976, the government decided to construct cable car routes to improve the transportation efficiency. In 1983, the first cross-river cable car route in China was finished. This cable line crossing Jialing River from Cangbai Road of Yuzhong District to Jinsha Street of Jiangbei District has a total length of 740 meters. A second route of cable cars crossing Yangtze River was put into operation in 1987, covering total length of 1166 meters from Chang'an Temple of Yuzhong District to Shangxin Street of Nan'an District, passing a new commercial and residential area.

To local Chongqing people, the cable car ride is no more than a means of convenient and inexpensive traffic across the river, but to tourists it can be an exciting way of appreciating the scenery of rivers and downtown Chongqing. Standing in the cable car with wind blowing on your face and looking down at the rolling water, you will be impacted with a striking sense of spectacular.

The cable cars are witness of the history of the development of the city. As more transportation means are available, and more bridges occur over the river, the cable cars seem to have finished its historic mission. Some people are now arguing whether to demolish the cable routes.