Stairways do the work of streets on the Yuzhong peninsula, dropping from the towers of Jiefangbei to the stilt houses of Hongya Cave on the Jialing River. A building can have a road at its feet and another at its top floor, and at Liziba a monorail slides right through an apartment block.
Farther out, the porcelain port of Ciqikou keeps its flagstone lanes, and Nanbin Road lines the south bank of the Yangtze with teahouses. Summers are long, hot and humid, while spring and autumn bring mild days and fog. A Local Friend can take you home to their own corner of the hills, from the noodle stall downstairs to their favorite stairway shortcut.
