Located at the very tip of Yuzhong Peninsular (yú zhōng bàn dǎo 渝中半岛), situated at the junction of the Yangtze (yáng zǐ jiāng 扬子江) and Jialing River (jiā líng jiāng 嘉陵江) in the northeast of Chongqing (chóng qìng 重庆), Chaotian Gate (cháo tiān mén 朝天门) overlooks the two rivers and is surrounded by crags on three sides. It is said to be the best place to start sightseeing, where the muddy, churning waters of the Yangtze meets the transparent water of Jialing River.

It's widely known that Chongqing is an inland port. As an opening door to the outside world of Chongqing, the commercial port with a long history is well known both at home and abroad. It’s provided with comprehensive trading market, which covers an area of 270,000 km, with over 7,000 traders and 400 millions RMB of turnover annually. A visit to Chaotianmen Docks gives a glimpse of the  life of this modern industrial city mixes with its past.

History
There were 9 gates in the Chongqing City. The Chaotian Gate is in the Northeast and it is the biggest harbor along the upstream of the Yangtze River. For hundreds of years, this place has been the city’s first dock on the Yangtze and, therefore, it has been named Chaotianmen, of the Gate to Heaven, which means "receiving the lord from Heaven". In 1891, Chaotianmen was opened as a foreign trading port. If you want a taste of old Chongqing, the best place to begin is Chaotian Gate, the only remaining city gate and Chongqing's chief wharf on the Jialing River.

the Convergence of Two Rivers
Jialing River, 1,119 kilometers in length, with dozens of brooks and streams converging at different points, reaches the longest river in China, Yangtze on the left of the Gate. The green water from Jialing River mingles with the brownish yellow water in the Yangtze, producing an unusual picture, which makes Chaotian Gate charming and impressive for tourists coming to Chongqing from all over the world.


Chaotianmen Square (cháo tiān mén guǎng chǎng 朝天门广场)

Chaotianmen Square is the gate or facade of the peninsula metropolis. Built in the summer of 1998 and covering an area of 800,000 square meters, the ship-shaped square is one of the largest roof squares in China, and it serves the purposes of sightseeing, transport and river bank protection and has become a landmark which stands for a young, energetic Chongqing. Its name was inscribed by President Jiang Zemin (jiāng zé mín 江泽民). More than a million people visit the square each year. In the first three quarters of 2000, for 26 times important guests form China and abroad were received here.Today Chaotianmen Dock and the recently built Chaotianmen Square are ideal places to view the ever changing river scene and the variety of water crafts that ply the rivers.

Ships over 10,000 tons will be able to reach here after the Three Gorges Project (sān xiá jiàn shè 三峡建设) has been completed. In order to adapt to the requirements of passenger-cargo collecting and distributing of Chaotianmen market, further promote the development of regional economy, the traffic square, which has been brought into line with overall plan of master hub of Chongqing highway, will play a very important role in the link of several transportation ways, like highway and water-way, water-way and railway, water-way and air transport for Chongqing City.

Surrounded by mountains and on the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Jialing River, the ships, steamers and tugboats of this busy port jostle along the wharf. Chaotian Gate Wharf is the place where you start your Yangtze Cruise and Three Gorges Dam tour. Nearby streets are narrow noisy affairs full of market stalls, food stalls and commerce. For a view of the docks and city, within walking distance are the two cable cars crossing the Jialing and the Yangtze and providing stunning views of Chongqing's surroundings. Take the cable car across the river from Cangbei Lu (cāng bái lù 苍白路) or Wanglongmen (wàng lóng mén 望龙门). Here you can watch the boats and get a real sense of modern river life. During the summer locals swim off of the thrust of land that juts into the rivers. In the winter, when the low water exposes wide mudflats, the only way to get to the ships is on the shoulders of laborers. 

Location : Yuzhong District (yú zhōng qū 渝中区), Chaotian Gate.
Transportation : Take bus No.102 from Caiyuan Ba Station (cài yuán bà qì chē zhàn菜园坝车站) and it will take you directly to the gate. If you start from Wugongli (wǔ gōng lǐ 五公里), take bus No.382.
Attractions nearby : Jiefangbei (jiě fàng bēi 解放碑)
Recommended time to visit : 2 hours
Opening hour : anytime
Ticket : free