一步一景，品读山的城

杨艳

重庆，是一座“爬坡上坎”的城市。步道在这座气质独特的城市里，是一种特殊的出行方式，也是一种特殊的文化符号。一条条承载着几代人记忆的街巷步道，就像耐人寻味的老照片，保留了老重庆的模样。

对于外地游客而言，用脚步丈量城市，是一种独特的旅行体验。走一走那些能体现山城特色风貌的步道，看曲折蜿蜒的道路顺着山势延伸，层层叠叠的建筑错落其中，壮阔的城市天际线勾勒出山城轮廓，体验有滋有味的市井生活，在路过的那些老建筑中寻味城市往事，领略地道的城市风韵。

重庆的步道有很多，其中，兼具“山水颜值”和“文化气质”的山城第三步道最能体现城市的特色文化和地理特征。沿着步道，从中兴路经石板坡至观音岩，还可走到通远门。

步道上下高差近80米，沿着石阶拾级而上，能“品读”许多历史文化遗址，有见证抗战历史风云的厚庐、南方传统民居院落体心堂、古韵古风的明清石朝门，还有法国天主教会修建的教堂仁爱堂等。

步行至一条顺山势而建的悬空栈道，外侧是悬崖，内侧紧靠有两千多年历史的古城墙。凭栏远眺，层次感丰富的山城地形、长江两岸的美景尽收眼底。

这里还“藏着”一条百年老巷山城巷，连接着渝中区上下半城。其历史可追溯至明清时期，1900年法国传教士在此点亮了第一盏照明灯，往后家家户户，灯火如星，似在天上，因而得一美名“天灯巷”或“天灯街”。1972年，正式更名为山城巷。

同样位于渝中区的半山崖线步道，沿线处处皆风景，从李子坝经鹅岭、佛图关、虎头岩最终到达平顶山，串联三层马路支线、国际城支线、天地湖支线、红岩支线等，充分展现了重庆立体城市山水人文特色。步道沿线散布有摩崖石刻、摩崖佛龛，以及李子坝抗战遗址公园、史迪威将军博物馆、飞虎队展览馆、鹅岭二厂公园等人文景观，是探访古渝之源、揽胜母城之巅的好去处。

附近的佛图关公园步道也不容错过，紧邻轨道交通2号线佛图關至大坪段，串联起巴山夜雨浮雕石刻、关岳庙等传统景点。步道与轨道线平行，最近处仅相距数米，列车从眼前呼啸而过，还能近距离目睹“轻轨穿洞”的瞬间。

位于南岸区南滨路的滨江步道，这条滨江路上有法国水师兵营、卜内广洋行、慈云寺、千佛寺等历史文物建筑。在惬意的江风中缓缓行走，看着轮渡在水面悠然划开的波纹，感受岁月安静而悠长。

当然，城中步道远不止这些，除了山林步道、滨江步道，近年来还有不少街巷步道成为网红打卡地，渝中区“时光里·枣子岚垭步道”就吸引了一大批游客前来打卡。该步道连接下半城的枣子岚垭正街和上半城的观音岩，由“时光里·枣子岚垭步道”和“从前慢·枣二巷步道”两段构成，前者由彩色瓷砖镶嵌装饰的梯道，后者以手绘涂鸦为主。传统街巷与现代装饰交融，漫步其间，别有一番情趣。

目前，还有大量的步道正在修复建设。作为重庆市“两江四岸”提档升级重点项目的环南山步道老君洞步道工程即将完工，正在进行收尾布景等工作，有望今年对外开放。该景区位于南山之巅，可鸟瞰重庆中心城区全貌，一眼望尽长江、嘉陵江上雄伟壮观的7座大桥，晚上还可体验大型3D全息实景演艺，令人期待。

一步一景，品读重庆。不一样的山城，等你来品。

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.