In this article, discover five essential locations selected from our Urbex China Map, which features over 500 abandoned places across China, carefully documented for unique and immersive explorations.
Urbex China in Chongqing offers one of the most extraordinary urban exploration experiences on the continent. Sprawling across mountains and river valleys in southwest China, Chongqing hides Cold War military secrets, ancient ghost cities submerged by the Three Gorges Dam, and abandoned industrial districts left behind by decades of breakneck growth.
Why Chongqing Is One of the Best Urbex Destinations in China
Chongqing's unique geography — built across steep hills and river confluences — shaped a city that grows vertically and leaves its past behind in layers. Third Front Construction military projects, Three Gorges displacement zones, and a property sector crisis have all contributed to an exceptional density of abandoned places largely unknown to the international urbex community.
📍 All locations below are referenced on our Urbex China Map — GPS coordinates, access notes, condition ratings, and explorer reports included.
1. Project 816 – The World's Largest Underground Nuclear Complex, Fuling (Known Location)
The most extraordinary abandoned military site in China. Project 816 is the world's largest underground nuclear complex — 104,000 m² of tunnels and chambers carved into Jinzi Mountain by 60,000 workers in total secrecy. Construction was halted in 1984, 85% complete. The nearby town of Baitao was erased from Chinese maps for 20 years.
👉 Reactor halls the size of football fields, Cold War control rooms, and 20 km of tunnels disappearing into the mountain.
| Architecture | Underground military nuclear complex |
| Condition | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Good |
| Access | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Easy |
| Photo potential | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Exceptional |
👉 Story: Built as China's first independent nuclear reactor during the Sino-Soviet split. Declassified in 2002, opened to visitors in 2010.
🔗 More on Project 816: Atlas Obscura – 816 Underground Nuclear Plant
2. Fengdu – The Submerged Ghost City on the Yangtze (Known Location)
Known as the "City of Ghosts" for nearly 2,000 years. When the Three Gorges Dam was completed in 2009, the rising Yangtze submerged Fengdu's ancient lower town entirely — streets, homes, and centuries of daily life now lie underwater. Residents were forcibly relocated to a new city on the opposite bank.
👉 Flooded ruins visible at low water, displaced temple complex on the hillside, and the silence of a city swallowed by a river.
| Architecture | Ancient town — temples, shrines, residential |
| Condition | ⭐⭐☆☆☆ Partially submerged |
| Access | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Easy |
| Photo potential | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Exceptional |
👉 Story: The Three Gorges Dam displaced over 1.3 million people across the region. Fengdu's lower town was among thousands of sites submerged as the reservoir filled between 1994 and 2009.
🔗 More on Fengdu: Wikipedia – Fengdu Ghost City
3. The Abandoned Mountain-Top Luxury Mansions – Central Chongqing (Exclusive on our Map)
A cluster of derelict luxury villas perched on the hilltops at the heart of Chongqing, overlooking the city's dramatic skyline.
👉 Collapsed ceilings, overgrown courtyards, and panoramic views over one of the world's most vertical cities.
| Architecture | Luxury residential — hilltop villas |
| Condition | ⭐⭐☆☆☆ Deteriorated |
| Access | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ Medium |
| Photo potential | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Exceptional |
👉 Story: Built during Chongqing's property boom for wealthy buyers who never arrived. The mountain terrain that made these villas desirable also made them impossible to redevelop.
📍 Exact location available on our Urbex China Map.
4. The Abandoned Riverside Factory – Chongqing Industrial District (Exclusive on our Map)
A former manufacturing facility left to decay along one of Chongqing's tributary rivers, surrounded by the rapid urban expansion that made it obsolete.
👉 Rusted cranes frozen above the waterline, flooded ground floors, and vast production halls with river light filtering through broken windows.
| Architecture | Industrial factory — riverside |
| Condition | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ Medium |
| Access | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ Medium |
| Photo potential | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Very good |
👉 Story: Chongqing's rapid shift from heavy industrial base to commercial megacity left dozens of riverside factories stranded between demolition cycles.
📍 Exact location available on our Urbex China Map.
5. The Abandoned Residential Complex – Chongqing Outskirts (Exclusive on our Map)
An unfinished housing development on the city's expanding periphery, frozen mid-construction as the property crisis took hold.
👉 Bare concrete towers open to the mountain wind, stairwells leading to floors that were never fitted out, and a silence that contrasts sharply with the roar of the city below.
| Architecture | Unfinished residential complex |
| Condition | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ Medium |
| Access | ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ Medium |
| Photo potential | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Very good |
👉 Story: Speculative real estate development built entire districts ahead of demand that never materialized. Raw concrete monuments to overconfidence.
📍 Exact location available on our Urbex China Map.
Urbex China – Safety & Legal Reminder
Urban exploration in China carries specific risks. Trespassing is illegal, and security has increased significantly around abandoned structures in major cities. Always:
- Research each site thoroughly before visiting
- Explore with at least one other person
- Wear protective gear — mask, gloves, and sturdy boots
- Never force access or cause damage to any structure
- Respect the spaces and leave no trace
The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ FAQ – Urbex Chongqing
Is urbex legal in Chongqing?
Urban exploration is a legal grey area in China. Entering private or abandoned property without permission is technically trespassing. Always research your site, avoid forcing access, and explore responsibly.
How do I get to Project 816 from Chongqing?
Project 816 is located in Fuling District, about 90 km from central Chongqing. Take a high-speed train or bus to Fuling, then a direct bus to Baitao Town. Allow a full day for the visit.
What makes Chongqing unique for urbex compared to other Chinese cities?
Chongqing's mountainous terrain creates abandoned places at dramatically different elevations — from flooded riverside ruins to hilltop ghost structures. Its Cold War military heritage and Three Gorges displacement history add layers of context found nowhere else in China.
🎯 Conclusion
Chongqing offers one of the most diverse and dramatic experiences in urbex China — from the world's largest underground nuclear complex to a ghost city submerged beneath the Yangtze. Every site tells a story shaped by the river, the mountains, and the relentless pace of transformation in China's most vertical city.
Thanks to our Urbex China Map, you get access to over 500 unique locations for a safe and immersive exploration experience — with GPS coordinates, access ratings, photos, and explorer reports for every spot.
