Changshou Cable Car: China’s Longest and Steepest Funicular

Changshou Cable Car Highlights

If you’ve ever ridden Hong Kong’s iconic Peak Tram, you know the thrill of ascending a steep hillside in a swaying carriage, city lights twinkling below.

Well, Chongqing’s majestic landscape—riddled with dramatic hills and winding rivers—delivers its own version of that magic in Changshou District.

Meet the Changshou Cable Car: a charming, retro ride that’s equal parts history and heart-pounding adventure.

About Changshou Cable Car

Changshou Cable Car is a funicular railway system that has been a lifeline for locals since 1964, conquering the district’s rugged terrain with effortless grace.

In just 4 minutes, it whisks passengers from the lower reaches of town up to the upper heights—a journey of 282 meters in length and a vertigo-inducing 110-meter altitude gain.

As the only funicular of its kind in Southwest China, it’s not just transport; it’s a time capsule, designed by renowned engineer Mao Yisheng and still humming along as China’s oldest operational cable car.

As the car creaks and climbs, the mighty Yangtze River unfurls below like a silver ribbon, its waters catching the light in hypnotic waves.

You’ll catch glimpses of weathered facades and lush hillsides, evoking the quiet aesthetics of time—decades of stories etched into the stations’ rustic stone and steel.

Getting to Changshou Cable Car

Navigate to Changshou Funicular Railway Upper Station.

Park in one of the designated stalls along the nearby streets—plenty of spots await, but they’re first-come, first-served during peak hours.

Changshou Cable Car Operating Hours

Summer

Winter

Nearby Places to Explore

Sandaoguai (3 Bends) Old Street

Originating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Sandaoguai Old Street follows the contours of the mountain, ascending in layers with three major bends along its length—hence its name.

Once upon a time, Sandaoguai Old Street was Changshou’s most bustling commercial hub, where goods from the Yangtze River shipping docks converged and dispersed. Merchants, labourers, and travellers bustled about ceaselessly, amid a forest of teahouses and taverns, salt and sugar shops, general stores, and handicraft workshops.

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, it became a thriving center of national industry, boasting over 100 establishments like flour mills and salt-tea vendors, all contributing to the ultimate victory.

Though the era of prosperity has faded, the street’s profound historical legacy endures.

Visit the 1200-Year-Old Dinghui Temple

Dinghui Temple sits across the Yangtze River from the lower station of the Changshou Cable Car, its name evoking “meditation and wisdom.”

The temple was founded during the Tang Dynasty, and experienced 5 major rebuilds in its 1200-year history. Before, during and after the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, it housed the headquarters of the National Hydropower Engineering Bureau, earning acclaim as the cradle of China’s hydropower industry.

Perched on the river’s edge with a storied past and profound Buddhist heritage, it holds the esteemed title of the foremost temple along the thousand-mile Yangtze.

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