Quick local answer
Chiyou Jiuli City sits by the Wu River in Pengshui, south-east of central Chongqing and further on than Wulong. By high-speed train the fastest service from Chongqing East to Pengshui West takes 45 minutes, and the gate is about 5 minutes from the station by car. By private car it is roughly 3 hours or a little more by expressway. The daytime ticket is 90 yuan, the site opens 08:30–17:30 and you do not need to book. Its operator calls it the world's largest group of Miao stilt buildings, and its Jiuli Palace, Nine-Li totem pillar and Nine Gates hold Great World Guinness records (a Chinese records body). A day trip from Chongqing works. For the evening show Shanhai Jiuli, plan a night in Pengshui, or pair Jiuli City overnight with Wulong on the same corridor. Checked October 2026.
- Core sights: Jiuli Palace, the Nine-Li totem pillar, the Nine Gates and the Chiyou Grand Hall.
- If you stay into the evening, the Shanhai Jiuli night show uses the whole site as its stage. Its start time changes with the season, and we confirm it before you go.
- Entry is around 90 RMB; on a private tour we handle tickets, driving and an English-speaking guide.
Local planning table
| Stop / issue | Best use | Local note |
|---|---|---|
| Jiuli Palace | Core stop | Record-holding stilt-house building and the signature photo |
| Nine-Li totem pillar & Nine Gates | Core stop | Record-holding Miao totem pillar and the many-gated approach |
| Miao night show | Evening add-on | Shanhai Jiuli night show; the start time changes with the season, we confirm ahead |
| Day trip | Efficient | About three hours of driving each way, a long day with an early start |
| Overnight with Wulong | Comfortable | Same expressway corridor, pairs into a calmer two-day loop |
Local DMC route note
Pengshui is about three hours each way, so if guests want Jiuli City as a day trip we leave early and keep side stops light. When there is time for comfort, we pair it overnight with Wulong Karst and the Wujiang Gallery for a two-day southeast loop rather than one rushed day.
Walking and steps
Jiuli City is built up a hillside, so expect plenty of stairs and climbing between the halls. The route should match the slowest traveller: we use the gentler paths, skip the steepest halls where needed and build in rest points rather than pushing to see every building.
Who was Chiyou, and why Pengshui
Chiyou was the leader of the Nine Li, or Jiuli, tribal alliance and is revered as an ancestor of the Miao people. Pengshui is a Miao and Tujia autonomous county, and the site is a showcase of Miao architecture, silverwork, batik and song and dance. It pairs naturally with the Miao and Hanfu costume experiences we also arrange on the Zhangjiajie side of our trips.
On-the-ground decisions are the difference
Anjia is based in Chongqing, so route choices are not made from a generic China desk. During the trip, the local ground team can respond 24 hours to urgent questions, weather changes, performance timing, hotel issues and route adjustments.
Want this turned into a private Chongqing route?
Send dates, travellers and your comfort level. We reply within 2 hours, 8:00–20:00 Beijing time, then support urgent in-trip questions 24 hours once you are travelling in Chongqing.
FAQ
Yes, if you want Miao ethnic culture alongside dramatic architecture. Chiyou Jiuli City in Pengshui is described by its operator as the world's largest group of Miao stilt buildings, and its Jiuli Palace, Nine-Li totem pillar and Nine Gates hold Great World Guinness records (a Chinese records body). It is roughly 3 hours by expressway from central Chongqing, further than Wulong, so on a private tour we usually run it as a long day or pair it overnight with Wulong.
Chiyou Jiuli City is by the Wu River in Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County, south-east of central Chongqing beyond Wulong, roughly 3 hours or a little more each way on the Chongqing-Hunan expressway. On a private Anjia tour we drive door to door with an English-speaking guide. By high-speed train, the fastest service from Chongqing East to Pengshui West takes 45 minutes, and the scenic area is about 5 minutes from the station by car.
Both work. A private day trip is possible but makes for a long day with about three hours of driving each way. Because Pengshui sits on the same expressway corridor as Wulong and the Wujiang Gallery, many guests prefer a calmer two-day southeast loop that pairs Jiuli City with Wulong Karst overnight.
The signature sight is the Jiuli Palace, a record-holding stilt-house building, along with the Nine-Li totem pillar, the Nine Gates and the Chiyou Grand Hall. In the evening there is the Shanhai Jiuli night show, which opened in February 2026. Its start time changes with the season, so we confirm it before you go.
Jiuli City is a mountainside complex, so expect a lot of stairs and climbing between the halls. It can still work for less mobile guests if we pace it, use the gentler routes and skip the steepest halls. Tell us your group's mobility and we design the visit around your slowest walker.
Yes. Miao silver-and-embroidery costume photo experiences are popular here. There are Miao song and dance shows during the day, and the Shanhai Jiuli show in the evening. We time your arrival around that day's schedule and can arrange costume photography as part of a private route.
