Eling Park, Chongqing

Is Eling Park free? Tickets and opening hours

Yes — the park is free and you just walk in. The only possible charge is for climbing Kansheng Tower: recent Chinese posts say it is free, while English-language guides list ¥5–10. Carry a little cash or set up Alipay before you go.

Listed hours vary: most sources say 6:00–22:00 daily, a few say 8:00–22:30. The tower closes earlier, around 21:30. During the big spring tulip and autumn chrysanthemum shows a small entry fee may apply.

Foreign visitors: Alipay and WeChat Pay both accept foreign Visa and Mastercard; cards issued in Russia do not link. Cash yuan is accepted, but small notes help.

What is Eling Park?

Eling Park is a former private garden on the narrow spine of the Yuzhong peninsula, between the Yangtze and the Jialing. Merchant Li Yaoting, the first head of Chongqing's Chamber of Commerce, began it in 1909; it was known as Yi Garden and later Li Garden. In 1958 the family handed it to the city and it opened as a public park.

The name means “goose ridge” — the steep, narrow hill was likened to a goose's neck. It is one of the highest points in the old city, which is why people come: from the top you see both rivers and the whole peninsula of towers.

Below the tower it is a shady southern-Chinese garden of ponds, rockeries, little bridges, pavilions and old trees. In the morning locals drink tea under the big banyan and do their exercises. It's not a museum or a theme park — just a city park in a very good spot.

What to see in Eling Park

• Kansheng Tower — seven storeys and about 40 m, with the best free 360° view of central Chongqing.
• Eling Footbridge — 460 m along the cliff from Fotuguan Park, up to 28 m above the ground, looking over the Jialing and the monorail near Liziba.
• The old banyan — over 170 years old, with tea tables beneath it.
• Feige Pavilion (1939) — a hexagonal pavilion from the estate's later years.
• Li Garden — rockeries, a pond and a bridge from the original family garden.
• Hiroshima Garden — a small Japanese garden for Chongqing's sister city.
• Tulips in spring and chrysanthemums in autumn, when the park holds its flower shows.

Is Eling Park worth it?

Yes, if you want to understand Chongqing's shape — a hilly city wrapped by two rivers. Eling shows you that in an hour, for free. If you've already been up a skyscraper viewing deck or ridden the Yangtze River Cableway, the park will feel modest: the garden is pleasant but small.

Come an hour before sunset and stay into dusk, when the towers light up and the tower is still open. Daytime haze is common in Chongqing, so far banks can look washed out. Mornings are best for a quiet walk in the garden among locals.

Do the footbridge on a weekday if you can — weekends and holidays get crowded.

Eling Park, the footbridge and Liziba station

All three sit on the same slope — walk them top to bottom in 2–3 hours.

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How to do it right

• The best light is from half an hour before sunset to just after — the city lights up while the tower is still open.
• Missed the footbridge? The free lookout at the fork just below the tower gives almost the same view, no pass needed.
• After the park, wander into Eling Erchang: cafés, galleries and terraces over the Jialing, 8–10 minutes on foot.
• Walk down to Liziba station — the viewing platform by exit 2 shows the train entering the building. The station is being rebuilt, so some exits may be closed (unofficial).
• Carry on to Hongyadong for the evening lights — Line 2 runs from Liziba to Linjiangmen near Jiefangbei.
• Hard going with a pushchair: the approaches and the tower are all steps.

Questions