Ciqikou before the show

A port on the Jialing

Ciqikou lies on the west bank of the Jialing River in Shapingba District. Wikipedia describes the town as a busy port at the lower reaches of the Jialing, and it adds that Ciqikou was once called Longyin Town and was also known as Little Chongqing. Today it is a subdistrict of Chongqing, and the theatre for Chongqing 1949 stands inside its old town, at the foot of Gele Mountain according to the theatre's interior designers. The setting explains the show's first scene, which recalls a wharf.

Why it is called Porcelain Port

The name Ciqikou translates roughly as Porcelain Port. Wikipedia says the name can be traced to porcelain production during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The same article says the town gained prominence in the Ming dynasty as a commercial port and market town, shipping goods both by land and by water, and that it reached its peak near the end of the Qing. Shops there today still sell porcelain along with other handicrafts and gifts, so the name has stayed useful.

A river that carried the trade

The Jialing is a major tributary of the Yangtze in the Sichuan Basin, and Wikipedia says it joins the Yangtze in Chongqing. The article notes that several of Chongqing's shipping guilds dealt with Jialing shipping, and that ferry guilds ran routes across the river. Against that background a port at the lower end of the river makes sense, and it explains why the show's ship, which sets sail on the Jialing River, belongs in a story set at Ciqikou.

The old town today

Wikipedia lists several sights in Ciqikou. One is the Compound of Zhong's, a heritage compound built by a late Qing eunuch who served Empress Dowager Cixi, which blends northern and southern Chinese architecture. Another is a collection of Bayu dwellings built of timber, stone and brick. A third is the Bao Lun Buddhist Temple, which the article calls a Ming-era temple. The article also says much of its own content needs more citations, so confirm opening details on the day, and treat the sights as a starting list rather than a plan.

Food and snacks

Wikipedia says Ciqikou is known for the three treasures of Ciqikou, a trio of local specialities, and for a fish dish made with Douban paste. Beyond that, the article does not describe particular shops or hours, and menus and opening times change. Anyone planning to eat in the old town around the performance should check what is open that day, and keep the half-hour arrival margin at the theatre, which the show's visitor guide asks for.

How the show uses the setting

An encyclopedia entry on the play says it is set in Ciqikou on the eve of Chongqing's liberation in 1949. The ticket text describes the stage as a wharf town of stilted wooden houses, with the sound of vendors from the old street carried around the auditorium. The theatre's designers describe the building as sitting within the ancient town, so a walk through the old streets before the show gives the stage some context. It is the same waterfront, retold as a set.

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