Chongqing was the capital city of China during the World Word Two. There were many Muslims migrated to Chongqing during that period of time. There are eight mosques in Chongqing. The Muslim Mansion located at Zhongxing Road is where Chongqing Islamic Association located. The Arabic style prayer hall is located on the top of Chongqing Muslim Mansion which also provides guest rooms and Halal restaurants. IslamiChina has summarized the following Chongqing Muslim travel tips to our Muslim brothers and sisters to travel Chongqing during a short period of time.

Tour Itinerary Planning

For Muslim Business Travelers If you are in Chongqing for a business trip and you have one day free to travel around Chongqing, you may take a walk on the streets of Chongqing. The best place for a walk is Jiefangbei and Ciqikou area. You may join local Muslims at Chongqing Mosque for Salat prayers.

For Muslim leisure travelers

There are not many places worth visiting in Chongqing. Therefore it is better not to arrange Chongqing in your tour itinerary if you are not cruising the Yangtze River. People normally travel to Chongqing because they need to catch a boat for downstream cruise of the Yangtze River or get off the cruise boat from Chongqing to catch flights to other cities.

Accommodations

There is no Muslim hotel in Chongqing, you may choose to stay at international brand name hotels such as Sheraton, Hilton, Holiday Inns and dine at local Halal restaurants in Chongqing.

Halal Restaurants in Chongqing

The easiest way to find a Halal restaurant in China is to look for local mosque. Mosque is always located in the center of a Muslim community, no doubt, Halal restaurants can be found around Mosque serving local Halal food. In Chongqing, Halal restaurants are also located in other part of the city serving Southeast Asian Cuisine, local Chongqing Halal cuisine and Xinjiang Uyghur Cuisine, Lanzhou Beef Noodles can be found in many parts of Chongqing.

Mosques in Chongqing

There are eight mosques in Chongqing. The Muslim Mansion located at Zhongxing Road is where Chongqing Islamic Association located. The Arabic style prayer hall is located on the top of Chongqing Muslim Mansion which also provides guest rooms and Halal restaurants. Covering an area of 4500 square meters, Chongqing mosque is located at Zhongxing Road. Chongqing mosque was first built during the period of Wanli Emperor’s rein of the Ming Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, there were three mosques in Chongqing: the one at Zhongxing Road was named West mosque: the one located at the site of current Chongqing theater was named South mosque and the third one was named North mosque. Both South Mosque and North mosque was destroyed by the Japanese in 1940. The current Chongqing Mosque was rebuilt in 1982 with green Arabic dome on the top.

Money Exchange

You can exchange traveler's checks or cash at most banks, and most 5-star and 4-star hotels always have a money exchange counter. You can also get a cash advance on your credit card on ATM machine. The exchange rate all over China are the same fixed by Bank of China. To change money, you have to have your passport at hand. If you want to change money in a hotel, you usually have to be a guest there. Sometimes if you are not a guest in a hotel but need to change money there, you can just say a random room number, but this doesn't always work. Remember to keep the exchange slip well because you need this slip to change the Chinese Yuan back to your currency if you do have this need at the end of the tour. At present, the RMB is not exchangeable on the International market, so it is only usable within the country. So when you are changing money, don't change too much, because it is difficult to change back into other currencies. To change RMB back into your home currency, you must retain the exchange slips that are given to you at the bank or money exchange counter.

Chongqing, known as one of famous international metropolitan city, is also reputed as the shopping paradise in southwest of china. Apart from those international brands,Chongqing also offers various local products. The Print Painting, Changshou Pomelo, Rongchang Paper Funs, Shu Brocade are among the representatives of local products, which can be the souvenirs of your shopping experience. The best places for shopping in Chongqing are Jiefangbei, Chaotianmen, JiangBei and Nan Ping.

Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street

As far as pedestrian streets in concerned, Jiangfangbei should be the most prosperous in the whole Chongqing City. Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street is located on the center of Yuzhong Peninsula. There are over 20  large shopping malls concentrating on Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street, including Chongqing Department Store, New Century Shopping Mall, Oriental Women Square, Meimei Department Store etc. Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street is not only a golden shopping area in the upper reaches of Yangtze River, but also the largest pedestrian street in West China. It enjoys the reputation of “The First Street in West China.” Combining dining, entertainment, business and travel together, Chongqing Pedestrian Street has become a popular shopping region.

Chaotianmen Market

The Chaotianmen Market, located on East Jiefang Road, is the biggest market in Chongqing. Dealing primarily in garment wholesale, it is reported that goods traded in the market come from or are sold to more than 200 counties in Sichuan, Hubei and Hunan provinces. Shoppers are expected to find stylish clothes at reasonable prices. You can also bargain with the vendors in most stalls and shops.

The Paradise Walk (Beichengtianjie)

The Paradise Walk (Beichengtianjie) in Jiangbei District is now a destination for shopping and entertainment, which is just inferior to the heart- Jiefangbei. At present, there is a large fountain and a business conference center on the commercial pedestrian street in Guanyinqiao. Both the local people and foreign friends like this place. The Paradise Walk will be the best shopping and amusement center.

Nanbin Road

Nan Bin Road boasts a newly opened flower market that has become a leisure hotspot for locals and tourists in Nan Ping. Over 100 flower shops, handicrafts stores and tea houses line both sides of the street. Flower houses in European and traditional Chinese styles have picturesque settings in bright colors and with good smells. In addition to the various kinds of blossoms, you can also find many delicate miniature landscapes. Located at the entrance of Huanggedu Park, Nanbin Flower Market is a great place to go.

Chongqing has a subtropical climate with an annual average temperature of 18 degree centigrade, an annual rainfall of1,000mm and an annual average humidity of 79%. The land is green even in winter. The four seasons in Chongqing are characterized by an early spring, a hot summer, a rainy autumn and a warm winter. The best weather is in April, May, September and October.

Introducing Huanglong National Park, Huanglong National Park Guide, Huanglong National Park Travel Guide.
Article from Sichuan Municipal Commission of Tourism

Huanglong National Park at above 3,000m altitudeis one of the highest scenic areas in China. Huanglong National Park is famous for its unique karst landscape and abundant animal and plant resources. The abundant vegetation landscapes varies in line with subtropical evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forest, coniferous and broad leaf forest, subalpine coniferous forest and alpine bushes and meadows from Huanglong Valley at 2,000m altitude to the mountain top of 3,800m. More than 10 species of rare animals, including giant panda and snub-nosedmonkey, wander here, echoing with the unique karst landscape and rare animal and plant resources of Huanglong National Park and creating an intact and natural beauty. Known and loved for its colorful pools, snow peaks, canyons, and forests, Huanglong National Park is the only plateau wetland in China still in its natural state.

Colorful Pond 
Colorful Pond consists of 693 calcified colorful ponds at the upper end of Huanglong National Park, 4,166m away from the Entrance. Here are green hills, towering snow peak (main peak of Minshan Mountain, 5,588m tall) and numerous colorful ponds in various sizes and shapes as if they were watercolor plates filled with bluish green, sea blue, light blue and other gorgeous colorful paints.

Hongxingyan Rock 
Hongxingyan Rock Scenic Area lies at the east of Zhangla Basin and west slope of Minshan Mountain at a relatively high altitude. Secluded and mysterious, it is characterized for the geomorphologic landscape with large amount of picturesque peaks and rocks and glacier-barrier lakes formed by Quaternary glaciation. Located at the Hongxing Lake (also "Red StarLake") of an asymmetrical five-pointed star shape at 4,300m altitude, the scenic area is quite, beautiful and surrounded by blooming flowers.

Shuimeiren Mountain 
Shuimeiren Mountain (Sleeping Beauty) is a mountain landscape of Huanglong National Park. When you look back from Color Lake or the back temple in Huanglong, a young lady is sleeping there surrounded by hills under the blue sky and white cloud quietly and comfortably; she wears Tibetan dress and adornment featuring absolutely lifelike head, bosom, belly and waist; she has remarkable temperament with nicer nose and smiling lips; she is like a fairy flying in the clouds and lies still in the immense forest.

Quick Facts on Huanglong National Park

• Name: Huanglong National Park
• Location: 40 Km South of Chengdu
• Phone: +86-28-86702366 
• Best Time to Visit: April to October
• Recommended Time for a Visit: Half a Day
• Opening Hours: 08:00-18:00
• Admission Fee: CNY 200 (April to November), CNY 80 (November to March of next year)

Introducing Jiuzhaigou Valley, Jiuzhaigou Valley Guide, Jiuzhaigou Valley Travel Guide.
Article from Sichuan Municipal Commission of Tourism

Located in Ngawa Tibetan-Qiang Prefecture, Jiuzhai Valley (Nine Villages Valley) is so-named because of the nine Tibetan villages along the valley. Jiuzhaigou Valley is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site and is just like a wonderland for visitors, with adarce lakes, waterfalls, and floodland. Jiuzhai Valley has five stunning landscapes: Green Sea, Overlapping Creeks, Colorful Forests, Snow Peaks and Tibetan Villages.

Stretching for 651.34km, Jiuzhai Valley gets its name from the nine Tibetan villages, including Shuzheng Village, Heye Village, Zechawa Village, etc. The annual average temperature is 6-14°C without severe cold in winter and extreme heat in summer. Jiuzhaigou Valley is surrounded by steep mountains, of which ten reaching clouds, are snow peaks all the year round. The amazing water gathers at the river valley and forms a scenic area centered on mountain lakes, waterfalls and travertine beaches unique in China and rear in the World. There are 114 lakes in trapezoidal distribution, 17 waterfalls, 5 travertine beach lands, 47 springs and 11 turbulences with altitude difference of 1,870m, traveling among the forests and valleys between the 12 snow peaks, linking like a Y-shaped string of jade beads and winding for about 60km. The lakes vary from small one of several square meters to the biggest of 7km in length. Jiuzhai Valley, combining primitive beauty, natural beauty and rustic beauty, is of high tour viewing value and scientific value.

Overnight stays in the Jiuzhaigou Valley are not permitted. Even if you have not finished your day trip, you will have to leave the area and stay at one of the many hotels near the entrance. Forward-planning is strongly advised, and booking online or by phone in advance is recommended.

Shuzheng Lakes 
Located in Jiuzhaigou County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, Shuzheng Lakes, consisting of 20-30 small or large lakes distributed in a terrace shape with total length of 13.8km, are the gate to the beautiful scenery of Jiuzhai Valley. These lakes, surrounded by dense cypress, pine, fir and other green trees, stretch for several miles with altitude difference of nearly 100m. The lake water crosses the embankment from the upstream, falls into the lower lake and forms the superposed waterfall.

Nuorilang Waterfall 
In Tibetan, Nuorilang means the charming man (tall and upright), so Nuorilang Waterfall means the grand waterfall. The water from Nuorilang Lakes falls from the top as if it were dumped from the Milky Way and the roar reverberates in the valley. The water prevails in the South with pressing chill and drizzly mist. When the sun shines on the water in the morning, the rainbows are often seen hanging over the valley, which add charms to the fascinating waterfall.

Quick Facts on Jiuzhaigou Valley

• Name: Jiuzhaigou Valley
• Location: 400 Km North of Chengdu
• Phone: +86-28-86702366 
• Best Time to Visit: September to November
• Recommended Time for a Visit: 2 Days
• Opening Hours: 07:00-21:00 (May to October), 08:00-18:00 (November to April of nexy year)
• Admission Fee: CNY 220 (April to November), CNY 80 (November to March of next year)