Chongqing’s Parks with Rainbow Staircases and Murals

If you think you’ve seen all there is to see in China’s megacities, let Chongqing surprise you. Beyond its iconic hotpot, misty river valleys, and dizzying overpasses lies a quieter, yet brilliantly colorful, revolution in urban design. Across the city, ordinary public parks and forgotten staircases are being transformed into open-air galleries and Instagram-worthy spectacles. This is the world of Chongqing’s rainbow staircases and sprawling murals—a perfect fusion of public art, community spirit, and a city’s desire to beautify its everyday spaces.

These installations are more than just backdrops for photos; they are a testament to a growing global trend where cities use art to enhance public well-being, encourage outdoor activity, and redefine neglected infrastructure. For the traveler, seeking out these spots offers a unique and vibrant way to explore the city’s many layers, quite literally step by colorful step.

The Psychology of Color in the Urban Jungle

Chongqing, a municipality of staggering scale and topography, is famously built on mountains and split by rivers. Its urban fabric is a complex web of alleys, tunnels, and most notably, endless staircases. For decades, these stairways were purely functional—often gray, steep, and daunting. They were a necessity of navigation in a vertical city, but not a pleasure.

A Splash of Paint, A Change of Perspective

The transformation began when local artists and community groups, sometimes with government support, saw potential in these concrete canvases. By painting them in bright, rainbow hues—vivid blues, sunny yellows, passionate reds, and lush greens—they achieved something remarkable. A once-tiring climb becomes a joyful journey. The color distracts from the physical effort, engages the senses, and creates a sense of whimsy and discovery. It’s a simple idea with a profound impact: color can alter mood and experience. Tourists and locals alike now seek out these staircases not just as routes, but as destinations in themselves.

More Than Meets the Eye: Art as Social Catalyst

This movement goes beyond aesthetics. Painting a public staircase is a community project. It brings people together, fosters local pride, and deters vandalism through a shared sense of ownership. The rainbows are a symbol of inclusivity and joy, a universal language that welcomes everyone, from children hopping between colors to elderly residents taking a more careful, but undoubtedly brighter, path home.

A Traveler’s Guide to Chongqing’s Colorful Stairways

While new staircases appear frequently, several have gained legendary status among locals and savvy travelers. Here’s a guide to some of the most photogenic and accessible ones.

1. The Liziba Rainbow Staircase

Nestled in the Yuzhong District, not far from the famous Liziba monorail station where the train passes through a residential building, this staircase is a classic example. It snakes its way up a hillside neighborhood, each step a solid block of color. The contrast between the vibrant stairs and the surrounding, older apartment buildings is striking. It’s a perfect place to capture the essence of old Chongqing meeting its new, colorful identity. Climbing to the top rewards you with not only a sense of accomplishment but also a charming local neighborhood vibe away from the main tourist trails.

2. The Jiangbeizui Mural Steps

This location takes the concept a step further by integrating the staircase with a larger mural. Located in the Jiangbei district, this project features a staircase painted like a rainbow waterfall flowing down the steps, often complemented by wall murals depicting Chongqing’s natural scenery—lush forests, flowing rivers, and pandas. It’s a more narrative piece of art, telling a story about the region as you ascend.

3. Hidden Gems in Nanshan

The Nanshan area, known for its lush greenery and panoramic views of the city, also hides several smaller, more secluded rainbow staircases. Exploring the trails around Nanshan often leads to these delightful surprises. They feel more integrated into nature, with colors peeking out from beneath overhanging trees. It’s a wonderful addition to a day of hiking and visiting the mountain’s temples and lookout points.

The Murals: Telling Chongqing’s Story on Every Wall

Complementing the rainbow staircases are the magnificent murals that adorn the walls of parks, underpasses, and former industrial areas. These are not random graffiti but often curated works that reflect local culture, history, and dreams.

Chongqing’s Industrial Past Reimagined

In areas like Jiulongpo or some parks in Shapingba, murals often pay homage to Chongqing’s history as an industrial powerhouse. You might see large-scale paintings of vintage machinery, workers from a bygone era, or abstract designs that incorporate gears and steel. This art respectfully acknowledges the city’s gritty past while reinvigorating its spaces with modern creativity.

Mythology and Nature

Many murals draw from Chinese mythology and Sichuan’s incredible biodiversity. It’s common to see majestic dragons coiling around building corners, serene phoenixes taking flight on otherwise blank walls, or playful pandas hiding in bamboo forests painted across a long corridor. These themes connect urban dwellers with cultural roots and natural world just beyond the city limits.

3D Interactive Murals

A particularly engaging trend is the creation of 3D illusion murals. Painted on the ground or on walls, these pieces are designed to create optical illusions when photographed from a specific angle. You might find a mural of a giant panda reaching out for bamboo, allowing you to pose as if feeding it, or a terrifying cliff edge you can pretend to hang from. These interactive works are incredibly popular and add a fun, participatory element to park visits.

The Ripple Effect: Why This is a Global Tourism Hotspot

The phenomenon of colorful public art in Chongqing taps into several key modern tourism trends.

The Pursuit of the "Instagrammable" Moment

In the age of social media, travelers are constantly seeking unique and visually stunning content. A rainbow staircase or a massive, beautiful mural is inherently shareable. It provides a unique identity for a place, distinguishing it from other cities. Locations like these generate millions of impressions online, effectively marketing the city organically to a global audience. The hashtag #Chongqing is filled with these bursts of color, attracting a demographic of young, experience-seeking travelers.

Sustainable and Accessible Tourism

This form of tourism development is remarkably sustainable. It doesn’t require building new structures; it beautifies existing ones. It encourages walking and exploration on foot, which is low-impact. Furthermore, it’s almost always free of charge, making it accessible to everyone, regardless of budget. It improves the quality of life for residents while providing an attractive experience for visitors—a rare win-win.

Authentic Local Experiences

Unlike visiting a crowded, ticketed museum, finding these art pieces often leads you into residential neighborhoods and local parks. You get a glimpse of daily life in Chongqing—people playing mahjong, families shopping for food, children playing—with art as your guide. This pursuit fosters a more authentic and memorable connection with the city than staying solely in tourist districts.

Finding these artistic gems is part of the adventure. While some, like the Liziba stairs, are well-known, half the fun is in stumbling upon your own undiscovered staircase or mural. The best strategy is to explore the city’s many hillside parks, such as Eling Park or Hongyadong Park, and to wander the older neighborhoods of Yuzhong and Jiangbei. Keep your eyes peeled for splashes of color leading up a side alley or covering a retaining wall. Using a map app to navigate the hilly terrain is helpful, but sometimes the best discoveries are made by getting just a little bit lost.