Ciqikou Old Town
Chongqing
Copyright: Gisling/Wikipedia CommonsCiqikou Old Town
The 1700-year-old historic town of Ciqikou is well known for its ancient Sichuan-style buildings surrounded by mountains. Here you can witness the well-preserved local customs, as well as sample some of the traditional snacks and delicacies, such as the ubiquitous mao xue wang (a spicy stew).
Dining
As a branch of Sichuan cuisine, the one of Chongqing is known to have chili pepper and bean paste as two of its key dish ingredients. There are many different types of flavors, but the predominant one is the numbingly spicy. Chongqing is the hometown of hotpot, a continuously simmering spicy broth, in which the diners cook an assortment of meat and vegetables themselves. Restaurants are usually open until 10:00pm.