CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Recently, the Peninsula Ferry reopened, offering direct water access between the Yuzhong Peninsula and Jiulong Peninsula. This new ferry route is part of Chongqing Ferry’s “One Ring and Three Lines” system, which features four routes: Hongyadong/Chaotianmen – Jiangbeizui – Danzishi, Hongyadong – Dazhulin – Ciqikou, Hongyadong – Jiulong Ferry Terminal, and Hongyadong – Guangyang Island, linking the banks of the Yangtze River and the Jialing River. As of October 26 this year, Chongqing Ferry’s “One Ring and Three Lines” routes have attracted over one million tourists.

The ferry, once quiet and nearly forgotten due to Chongqing’s growing network of bridges and highways, is experiencing a revival fueled by the booming tourism of the city, marking a “royal comeback.”

A lifeline on the water during wartime

Chen Deming, a dispatcher at Chongqing Passenger Ship who has worked on the ferry for over 40 years, recalls a time when ferries were known as “river-crossing boats”. For many in Chongqing, taking a ferry was part of daily life—commuting, going to school, visiting family, and doing business.

During the War of Resistance Against Japan, as Chongqing’s population surged, there was a pressing need for transportation. In 1937, Chongqing Ferry Company (the predecessor of today’s Chongqing Passenger Ship) was founded. The first route, Chuqimen to Haitangxi, launched on January 1, 1938, with tickets priced at 1,000 copper coins for the front cabin and 600 for the rear.

"Back then, the company had nothing to its name, even the boats were borrowed," explained Kong Fanxi, Manager of the Development Department of Chongqing Passenger Ship. When the first ferry route was launched, the company rented two wooden ferries from the Minsheng Company and borrowed two pontoons from the Haitangxi Ferry Office.

In March 1938, just over two months after the first route began operation, Chongqing Ferry Company acquired four steam ferries from Hankou. These were used not only on the first route but also on three more that soon followed: Chaotianmen to Jiangbeizui, Chaotianmen to Danzishi, and Wanglongmen to Longmenhao.

The Chongqing Ferry was born amid the turbulence of the War of Resistance Against Japan, tasked from the outset with ferrying citizens to the safer southern banks of the Yangtze River to escape bombings, serving as a "lifeline on the water." Between May 1939 and July 1941, Japanese air raids destroyed eight pontoons and three ferries at Chuqimen, Jialingjiang, and Haitangxi docks. In 1942, as the number of residents relocating across the river to evade air raids surged, Chongqing Ferry teamed up with Minsheng Company to expand capacity, helping to evacuate residents quickly.

Peak days: Over 100,000 passengers daily

"The peak period for the ferry started from the 1980s to the early 1990s," recalled Chen Deming. "The docks were bustling, with ferries operated from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m."

By 4 a.m., long lines would already be seen at the Jiangbeizui Dock: vegetable vendors heading to Chaotianmen to sell their produce, merchants carrying goods to wholesale markets, and children wailing from woven baskets carried by their parents.

Chen noted that each boat could carry just over 200 people, and extra barges were often attached to increase capacity. "Heavy fog often delayed ferry operations in those days; sometimes, boats couldn’t sail for an entire morning or even a full day."

Records from the late 1980s and early 1990s show that Chongqing Passenger Ship operated 57 ferries across 37 routes, with 57 docks, including 19 cross-river routes, transporting over 100,000 passengers daily on average. Ferry lines extended downstream to Fengdu, Fengjie, and Wanzhou, and there was a rapid line from Chongqing to Fuling, with the longest route stretching to Yueyang in Hunan Province. Along the Chongqing section of the Yangtze River, from Changshou to Masangxi, and from Chaotianmen to Ciqikou on the Jialing River, there were over 40 docks, including more than 30 in Yuzhong District alone.

"At that time, the company had achieved all-round development—with ferries, cable cars on land, aerial ropeways, repair facilities, ticket printing offices, ferry stations, cement shipyards, and even hotels," said Xie Yufeng, Manager of the Service Department of Chongqing Passenger Ship. "The company employed more than 3,000 people, and working there was a badge of honor."

However, in the 2000s, with the construction of the bridge after bridge across the Yangtze and the opening of highways like the Chongqing-Changsha and Chongqing-Wanzhou expressways, ferry traffic gradually declined, eventually leading to the discontinuation of all but one route, Chaotianmen to Yemiao Creek, by around 2010.

"Seeing Chongqing by Boat" ignites the revival of ferries

In recent years, as Chongqing has become a popular tourist destination, the ferry system has found new life.

The Chaotianmen–Danzishi–Jiangbeizui ferry route resumed operations in 2019. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, Chongqing Ferry has developed a "One Ring and Three Lines" network.

Today, Chongqing ferries not only meet commuting needs but also increasingly cater to the new demands of tourism and consumption, offering new options for people to experience the nostalgic charm and stunning “8D” cityscapes of Chongqing.

On the morning of October 26, as warm sunlight glistened on the water, the Hongyadong-Jiulong Dock ferry set sail. "There are so many sights in Chongqing; it’s impossible to see them all in one day," a visitor from Jiangsu remarked. "We chose this route because it passes several major attractions, offering a true sense of Chongqing’s unique 8D charm."

"The upgraded ferry system has successfully transitioned from simple cross-river transportation to scenic leisure cruises, with peak-season passenger numbers now rivaling the ferry’s busiest days," noted Li Zirong, Director of the Chongqing Passenger Ship Party Office. "Among our passengers, about 80% are out-of-town tourists on sightseeing trips, while local visitors, who mostly come for nostalgia, make up the remaining 20%."

Chongqing plans to expand ferry routes and transform ferry docks into visitor hubs so as to achieve a transition from traditional passenger services to a smart, digital operation model. In the future, these upgraded hubs will offer a mobile cultural space on the river integrating music, markets, creative arts, gatherings, tourism, and leisure. (Translated by Yuki, Fathom Language Limited)