一步一景，品讀山的城

楊艷

重慶，是一座“爬坡上坎”的城市。步道在這座氣質獨特的城市里，是一種特殊的出行方式，也是一種特殊的文化符號。一條條承載著幾代人記憶的街巷步道，就像耐人尋味的老照片，保留了老重慶的模樣。

對于外地游客而言，用腳步丈量城市，是一種獨特的旅行體驗。走一走那些能體現山城特色風貌的步道，看曲折蜿蜒的道路順著山勢延伸，層層疊疊的建筑錯落其中，壯闊的城市天際線勾勒出山城輪廓，體驗有滋有味的市井生活，在路過的那些老建筑中尋味城市往事，領略地道的城市風韻。

重慶的步道有很多，其中，兼具“山水顏值”和“文化氣質”的山城第三步道最能體現城市的特色文化和地理特征。沿著步道，從中興路經石板坡至觀音巖，還可走到通遠門。

步道上下高差近80米，沿著石階拾級而上，能“品讀”許多歷史文化遺址，有見證抗戰歷史風云的厚廬、南方傳統民居院落體心堂、古韻古風的明清石朝門，還有法國天主教會修建的教堂仁愛堂等。

步行至一條順山勢而建的懸空棧道，外側是懸崖，內側緊靠有兩千多年歷史的古城墻。憑欄遠眺，層次感豐富的山城地形、長江兩岸的美景盡收眼底。

這里還“藏著”一條百年老巷山城巷，連接著渝中區上下半城。其歷史可追溯至明清時期，1900年法國傳教士在此點亮了第一盞照明燈，往后家家戶戶，燈火如星，似在天上，因而得一美名“天燈巷”或“天燈街”。1972年，正式更名為山城巷。

同樣位于渝中區的半山崖線步道，沿線處處皆風景，從李子壩經鵝嶺、佛圖關、虎頭巖最終到達平頂山，串聯三層馬路支線、國際城支線、天地湖支線、紅巖支線等，充分展現了重慶立體城市山水人文特色。步道沿線散布有摩崖石刻、摩崖佛龕，以及李子壩抗戰遺址公園、史迪威將軍博物館、飛虎隊展覽館、鵝嶺二廠公園等人文景觀，是探訪古渝之源、攬勝母城之巔的好去處。

附近的佛圖關公園步道也不容錯過，緊鄰軌道交通2號線佛圖關至大坪段，串聯起巴山夜雨浮雕石刻、關岳廟等傳統景點。步道與軌道線平行，最近處僅相距數米，列車從眼前呼嘯而過，還能近距離目睹“輕軌穿洞”的瞬間。

位于南岸區南濱路的濱江步道，這條濱江路上有法國水師兵營、卜內廣洋行、慈云寺、千佛寺等歷史文物建筑。在愜意的江風中緩緩行走，看著輪渡在水面悠然劃開的波紋，感受歲月安靜而悠長。

當然，城中步道遠不止這些，除了山林步道、濱江步道，近年來還有不少街巷步道成為網紅打卡地，渝中區“時光里·棗子嵐埡步道”就吸引了一大批游客前來打卡。該步道連接下半城的棗子嵐埡正街和上半城的觀音巖，由“時光里·棗子嵐埡步道”和“從前慢·棗二巷步道”兩段構成，前者由彩色瓷磚鑲嵌裝飾的梯道，后者以手繪涂鴉為主。傳統街巷與現代裝飾交融，漫步其間，別有一番情趣。

目前，還有大量的步道正在修復建設。作為重慶市“兩江四岸”提檔升級重點項目的環南山步道老君洞步道工程即將完工，正在進行收尾布景等工作，有望今年對外開放。該景區位于南山之巔，可鳥瞰重慶中心城區全貌，一眼望盡長江、嘉陵江上雄偉壯觀的7座大橋，晚上還可體驗大型3D全息實景演藝，令人期待。

一步一景，品讀重慶。不一樣的山城，等你來品。

Chongqings charm lies in every little detail – the sidewalk is not simply a way to travel but adds its caliber to a three-dimensional city wearing a verve distinctively different from others. Alleyways and sidewalks carrying the memories of several generations are like an intriguing old photo， preserving the original look of Chongqing.

Scaling such a city on foot， tourists can savor local culture. Whether be it strolling on the flagstones to pursue the cultural riches of the mountainous city， peering into the skyline sprawling under and over hilltops， marveling at slick skyscrapers popped up in place of stilt houses， enjoying a taste of city life， or venturing off the beaten track to the old buildings， all are a testament to its timeless allure.

Chongqing is not short of trails， among which trail 3 typifies both "splendid scenery" and "cultural character"， showcasing the characteristic culture and geographical features of the city. The trail leads you from Zhongxing Road to Guanyinyan through Shibanpo， and even to Tongyuanmen.

An elevation of 80 meters between the highest and lowest adds a rugged touch to the stone-staired walkway， along which you may catch up the rhythms of "historical and cultural sites， including Houlu that pulsed with the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression; Tixin Hall， the traditional southern residential courtyard; the quaint stone propylaeum of the Ming and Qing dynasties; and the Yan Oi Tong church built by the French Catholic Church.

Not until you walk to a plank road built along the face of a cliff， against the remains of 2，000-year-old ancient walls on the inside， the view from the railing offers dramatic vistas， richly layered with the citys topography and the beauty of both sides of the Yangtze River.

A century-old alley， Shancheng Lane， tucked into the mountainside， connects the upper and lower half of Yuzhong District. The street was named "Sky Lantern Lane" or "Sky Lantern Street" in honor of French missionaries who lit the first lamp here in 1900， and every household had been lit up like a star ever since， seemingly in the galaxy. In 1972， it was officially renamed Shancheng Lane.

The mid-level cliff trail， also nestled in Yuzhong District， is clustered with sceneries at every spot， from Liziba to Pingdingshan （Flat Peak） through Eling （Goose Ridge）， Fotuguan （Buddha Drawing Pass）， and Hutouya （Tiger Head Cliff）， linking San Ceng road （three-story road）， International City， Tiandi （Sky and Earth） Lake， and Red Cliff Village， fully demonstrating the three-dimensional Chongqings urban landscape and humanistic features. Along the trail， cliff stone carvings， cliff Buddhist niches， as well as historical sites such as Liziba Anti-Japanese Aggression Site Park， Stilwell Museum， Flying Tigers Memorial Hall， and Eling No. Factory Culture and Creativity Park. It is worth the splurge of time as it draws visitors to explore the origin of ancient Chongqing and take a birds view of the city proper.

The nearby Fotuguan Park trail， a standout destination， is also worth exploring. Adjacent to the Fotuguan-Daping section of the rail line 2， it is dotted with traditional spots such as the basso-relievo entitled Night Rain at Ba Mountains and Guanyue Temple as well. The pathway runs parallel to the rail line， from which it is only a stones throw at the closest point. Trains roaring past in front affords a scene of "light rail passing through the hole" to you.

Binjiang （riverside） walkway， in Nanbin Road of Nanan District， is home to French navy barracks， Brunner Mond & Co， Ciyun （Merciful Cloud） Temple， Thousand Buddha Temple， and other historical buildings. Promenading in the pleasant river breeze while watching the ripple-cutting ferry， one may re-realize the significance of peaceful yet otherworldly time.

The city's walkways are of course far more than these. Save for mountain and forest trails and riverfront trails， over recent years many streets and lanes have become must-see hotspots. "Time Lane- Zaozi Lanya Trail" of Yuzhong District lures a large number of tourists to visit. The trail connects Zaozi Lanya Main Street in the lower half of the city and Guanyin Yan in the upper half， consisting of two sections： the "Time Lane – Zaozi Lanya Trail" and the "Time Was Slower – Zaoer Lane Trail"， with the former being a stairway decorated and inlaid with colorful tiles and the latter being dominated by hand-painted graffiti. Lazing around the traditional streets and lanes framed with a backdrop of modern decorations， one would find reluctant to leave.

A great many of sidewalks are now under restoration and construction. Laojun Cave trail circling Nanshan walkway， an integral part of Chongqings key project to burnish and upgrade "two rivers and four banks"， comes to a completion as finishing and scenery arrangement are carried out. It is expected to open to the public next year. At the top of Mount Nanshan， a bird's view of Chongqing as whole， including seven awestruck bridges on the Yangtze River and Jialing River， as well as the evening real-scene 3D performance all await you.

Theres literally nowhere in China that better represents the culture of mountains and rivers than Chongqing does as it unfolds a postcard-like view at every spot.