Liziba Monorail Station

If one photo explains Chongqing's "8D city" reputation, it is the one taken at Liziba (Liziba Station): a Line 2 monorail train sliding clean through the middle of a 19-storey residential tower, in one side around the sixth floor and out the other a moment later. It looks like a city-planning error, and it has turned a routine commuter stop into one of the most photographed spots in the city.

Why the train goes through a building

This was designed, not improvised. When Line 2 was planned in the early 2000s, the steep riverside terrain left no room for a normal station, so the tower and the rail line were built as a single structure rather than the train being punched through an existing block. The station hall sits on floors 6 to 8, with noise-and-vibration isolation between it and the rest of the building; shops fill the lower floors and apartments the upper ones. It is Chongqing's mountain-and-river geography solved by stacking infrastructure vertically.

Watching and photographing it

Most people come to watch from outside. In 2018 the city opened a free viewing platform and small park at the foot of the tower, below the tracks, with marked photo spots, a short skywalk and boards explaining the engineering. Trains pass every few minutes, so you rarely wait long. For the head-on shot of the carriage emerging from the concrete, get to the railing before the late-morning crowd builds, and use a fast shutter to freeze the train.

Riding through yourself

You can also take it from the inside: ride Line 2 and get off, or stay on, at Liziba. The platform looks straight out over the Jialing River, an oddly cinematic view for a metro stop, and going through costs nothing beyond a normal metro fare. Only the outdoor viewing platform draws crowds; the station itself is just a station.

Practical tips

The viewing platform is free and open all day, busiest from late morning to sunset. Because it sits on Line 2, the simplest arrival is the metro itself. Pair it with nearby Eling Park for skyline views, or fold it into a wider "8D Chongqing" walk taking in Hongya Cave and the cableway. Thirty to forty-five minutes is enough unless you are chasing the perfect frame.