Quick answer
Checked September 2026.
- What "8D" means: the ground and the floor numbers don't match. You stand at street level, and the sign on the building next door says 22nd floor.
- Where: the two classic examples are both on the Yuzhong peninsula: Kuixinglou at Linjiangmen, and Baixiangju on the Yangtze.
- Cost and hours: both are free and open all day, but neither is a scenic area. Kuixinglou has a car park below it, and people live in Baixiangju.
- Liziba: the monorail running through a building at Liziba is another kind of 8D. See the Liziba monorail guide.
The two buildings side by side
| Kuixinglou | Baixiangju | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Linjiangmen, Yuzhong District | Wanglongmen, Yuzhong District, on the Yangtze |
| Top level opens onto | A square outside the 9th floor, level with the street at Linjiangmen | Jiefang East Road |
| Bottom opens onto | The riverside road (about 50 metres lower) | The Yangtze riverfront road |
| Where the 8D is | Two sky bridges run from the square to the 22nd floor of the office tower next door | A 24-storey block built in the early 1990s, no lift, with the top, middle and bottom each opening onto a different street |
| Cost | Free, open all day | Free, not a scenic area |
| What to photograph | The sky bridges and the towers | The Yangtze River Cableway passing in front of the building |
| On screen | Better Days | Chongqing Hot Pot, Better Days |
| Good to know | The bridges are more than 60 metres above the ground and move slightly underfoot | People live here; the stairs are narrow; the building is not lit at night |
Kuixinglou: the square is at street level, the far end of the bridge is the 22nd floor
- Kuixinglou is built into the slope at Linjiangmen. The riverside road below and Beiqu Road above are about 50 metres apart in height. Floors 1 to 8 are a public car park. Outside the 9th floor is a square, level with the street, and this is the main way in and out.
- Two sky bridges, each about 23 metres long, run from the square to the 22nd floor of the office tower next door, more than 60 metres above the ground. You can feel them move slightly as you walk, so take note if you don't like heights.
- So on the square you think you are on the ground floor. Walk across the bridge, and the sign at the other end says 22nd floor.
- The film Better Days was shot here: the bridges, the square and the road at the bottom of the building.
- Floors 9 to 11, beside the square, are home to the city's Peking opera, drama, and song and dance troupes, among other performing companies.
- Open all day, all year. Free.
- From Jiefangbei it is about 540 metres, about 8 minutes on the flat. About 10 minutes further on is the Cangbai Road entrance at the top of Hongya Cave.
Baixiangju: 24 floors, no lift, and a street at the top, middle and bottom
- Completed in 1992 and handed over in 1993, it was designed by a team of teachers from the architecture department of the Chongqing Institute of Architecture and Engineering. It has 24 floors and no lift.
- The blocks do not sit on one level, so the floor numbers differ from block to block: walk along one corridor and the sign on the wall can change from 15th floor to 16th. That is why guides give different floor numbers. The most reliable way to find your way: Jiefang East Road at the top, Baixiang Street in the middle, the Yangtze riverfront road at the bottom.
- In 2018 it was named one of Chongqing's "ten new sights of the Mother City". It is not a scenic area. It comes under Chaotianmen Subdistrict, and most of the flats are privately owned.
- Inside there are restaurants, cafés, small shops and souvenir shops.
Photographing the cableway at Baixiangju
- The classic spot is the sky corridor between Block 3 and Block 4. It faces the Yangtze River Cableway head on, the cabins pass right in front of the building, and Dongshuimen Bridge is behind. This is also where the film Chongqing Hot Pot was shot.
- The cableway runs two cabins in opposite directions, with one coming every few minutes, so you will not wait long.
- The community has put lines on the corridor floor to mark out where to stand for photos. This is where it jams up most, so move on once you have your shot.
- The community's photo etiquette rules ban dangerous shots. Many rooftops and platforms belong to residents, so stay off them.
When Baixiangju is quieter
- Figures from the subdistrict in 2023: crowds peak after 3pm every day. To photograph the corridor without a rush, go in the morning.
- On public holidays, when it gets too busy, the community lets people in by batches at the entrance and may limit entry. Groups need to book a day ahead (People's Daily interview with the community service team, 2025).
Is Baixiangju worth seeing at night?
The building has no decorative lighting, and evening is when residents rest. To photograph the cableway passing the building, go during the day or early evening. For the two rivers at night, go to Hongya Cave, Qiansimen Bridge or Nanbin Road. See the Chongqing night views guide.
How to get to Baixiangju
- Metro Lines 1 and 6 to Xiaoshizi station, Exit 5B, then walk towards Dongshuimen Bridge. For the rest of the network, see the Chongqing metro guide.
- Downhill is easiest: go in from the Jiefang East Road end, walk to the sky corridor between Blocks 3 and 4 to photograph the cableway, then keep going down past Baixiang Street all the way to the Yangtze riverfront road.
- The stairs are narrow: two people side by side fill them. The corners have anti-slip strips. There is no lift, so wear flat shoes with good grip.
- Once you are down by the river, Huguang Guild Hall is close by, about 550 metres away.
Linking the two buildings into walks
One walk: Jiefangbei → Kuixinglou (the sky bridges) → Hongya Cave (go in from Cangbai Road at the top). Another: Xiaoshizi → Baixiangju (the cableway shot) → Huguang Guild Hall. For more "in at the top, out at the bottom" walks, see how to get around Chongqing, the vertical city.
Want the 8D buildings, the cableway and Hongya Cave in one day?
Tell us the date, how many of you there are and who can't manage stairs. We plan the order top down: dropped off at the upper level, walk down, picked up at the lower level, with the car waiting below.
FAQ
Nearly, but the 22nd floor is in the building next door. Kuixinglou's square is level with the street at Linjiangmen, and two sky bridges run from the square to the 22nd floor of the office tower next door. You stand on flat ground, and the sign at the far end of the bridge says 22nd floor.
Baixiangju's blocks do not sit on one level, and the floor numbers differ from block to block. Along one corridor, the sign on the wall can change from 15th floor to 16th. The most reliable way to find your way: Jiefang East Road at the top, Baixiang Street in the middle, the Yangtze riverfront road at the bottom.
The building itself is not lit at night, and evening is when residents rest. To photograph the cableway passing the building, go during the day or early evening. For night views, go to Hongya Cave, Qiansimen Bridge or Nanbin Road.
Neither does. Kuixinglou is open all day, all year. Baixiangju is a residential building, not a scenic area. When it is busy the community lets people in by batches, and groups need to book a day ahead.
From the sky corridor between Block 3 and Block 4. It faces the Yangtze River Cableway head on, with Dongshuimen Bridge behind. A cabin comes every few minutes. This is also where it jams up most, so move on once you have your shot.