Jiefangbei (People's Liberation Monument)

The Jiefangbei, or People's Liberation Monument, is a 27.5-metre octagonal clock-tower monument in the heart of Chongqing, China, in Yuzhong District. It was built in 1946 to 1947 as a memorial to victory in the war against Japan and was renamed in 1950. It stands in the middle of a pedestrian shopping square, and its area is called the Jiefangbei central business district.

The square is about 25,000 square metres and is surrounded by department stores, malls, restaurants and tall skyscrapers. Chongqing's downtown is close to the Chaotianmen port, at the meeting point of the Jialing and Yangtze rivers, and Jiefangbei is directly uphill from it. Many people think of the monument as the heart of the city.

A square full of shops

Thousands of shops, bars and restaurants are crowded into the pedestrian streets around the monument. They include big international department stores, designer boutiques, local street-food stands, cinemas and dance clubs. Giant mall screens and lit advertisements surround the square. The Jiefangbei shopping square was completed in 1997. Not far away is the popular Chongqing Haochi Jie food street.

Landmarks nearby

Around the monument are the Changjiang Ropeway, Chaotianmen Square, a night-light show at the Chaotianmen passenger ferry, the Hongyadong shopping complex and People's Park. The towers close by include the Chongqing World Financial Center, the Chongqing World Trade Center, a Westin hotel and an InterContinental hotel.

Getting there

Jiefangbei is the main business district of Yuzhong, one of the most prominent in inland western China. Three Chongqing Rail Transit lines cross the district: Line 1 at Jiaochangkou, Xiaoshizi and Chaotianmen stations, Line 2 at Linjiangmen and Jiaochangkou, and Line 6 at Xiaoshizi. There are many bus routes, and taxis are easy to find.

On the globe

The model shows the octagonal clock tower in the city centre. Look at the monument in the middle of the busy square.