Liziba Station: Train Through a Building in Chongqing

Imagine making breakfast on your 19th‑floor kitchen, and watching a monorail glide straight through your apartment block, not alongside an overpass, but right inside your building. This is not a sci‑fi movie scene; it is everyday life in Chongqing. This mind‑blowing piece of engineering has become one of Chongqing’s most iconic landmarks. Read on for this Liziba station guide: top photo spots, pro travel hacks and a itinerary.

Fun Facts about Liziba “Monorail‑through‑building” Station

Before you rush to snap selfies, find out why this spot goes viral worldwide. Spoiler: the story is far more complex and fascinating than social‑media clips suggest!

• One‑of‑a‑kind: It is the world’s only full‑function passenger monorail station embedded within a residential apartment block. While Osaka has a highway cutting through a building, nowhere else does a working passenger train run inside a housing complex.
• Viral tourist meme: You have definitely seen the “eat‑the‑train” photo trend. Hundreds of visitors strike poses on the viewing platform to make it look as if the incoming monorail is flying straight into their open mouths — a hilarious viral shot!
• Engineering genius: The station and the residential tower sit on completely separate support pillars. Even if the apartment building were demolished, Liziba station would remain standing on its own concrete columns.
• Surprisingly quiet: You might assume living here would be noisy hell, yet it is not. Thanks to rubber monorail tyres and dedicated noise‑dampening systems, indoor noise levels stay below 60 dB — quieter than a domestic vacuum cleaner.
• Official recognition: After going viral online during 2016‑2017, local authorities built a purpose‑built public viewing platform for tourists in 2018.

Core Travel Reference of Chongqing Liziba Station

How the Monorail Runs Through a Building at Liziba Station?

Chongqing is widely nicknamed the “Mountain City”. Built across steep hilly terrain, it is known as the legendary “8D city”. Your GPS might tell you you are on the ground floor, when you are actually standing on the rooftop of a 22‑storey tower. Land is extremely scarce in this tightly‑built hilly urban landscape.

Back in 1998, a real‑estate developer bought a steep riverside plot to construct residential apartments. At almost exactly the same time, transport planners finalised the route for the new monorail Line 2 — cutting straight across that very same piece of land. Neither side wanted to back down. Architects came up with a bold compromise: combine both projects into one structure. Design work took two full years. Floors 1‑5 hold commercial shops; floors 6‑8 host the monorail station; and residential flats occupy floors 9‑19. And that is how the famous “train‑through‑building” came to exist.

How to Get to Liziba Station?

Navigating Chongqing can feel like a puzzle game, yet reaching Liziba is straightforward. Take Monorail Line 2 (Green).

Travelling from the city centre e.g. Jiefangbei Liberation Monument: board at Linjiangmen Station. Enjoy scenic views running parallel to the Jialing River; the ride takes roughly 10‑15 minutes. Search for Liziba Station in English on mapping apps such as Alipay Maps or Baidu Maps for direct navigation to the station gates.

6 Best Photo Spots for the Monorail‑Through‑Building Shot

Ready for viral‑worthy content? Here is my curated shortlist of locations for stunning photographs.

📷 Step‑by‑step for the viral “eat‑the‑train” photo: Stand with your back towards the station, spread your legs and stretch your arms out. Ask your photographer to lie flat on the pavement and shoot upwards. Open your mouth wide the moment the monorail emerges out of the building — and you have your viral social‑media shot!

Best Times for Photography at Liziba Station

Ride in the Front Carriage: Immersive First‑Person Experience at Liziba Station

Seeing the monorail from outside is awesome, yet you must experience the ride from inside. Board the front carriage heading towards Jiaochangkou or Yudong. Stand right by the front windscreen for the driver’s‑eye perspective.

As the train approaches the high‑rise building, your brain will trick you into thinking you are about to crash into a solid wall — before the train glides smoothly straight inside the block. The whole passage through the building lasts merely 10‑15 seconds. Pro hack: shoot video instead of static photos. If you miss the shot, alight at the next station, cross to the opposite platform and ride back again for another attempt.

Half‑Day Itinerary: Liziba → Eling Park → Testbed 2 → Chongqing Zoo

Do not travel all the way to this neighbourhood just for one photo. Use this practical half‑day travel plan:

1. 09:30 AM: Shoot the monorail‑through‑building from Liziba viewing platform.
2. 10:30 AM: Walk or take a short taxi ride uphill to Eling Park. Wander tree‑lined paths and climb Kansheng Tower for sweeping city panoramas.
3. 12:30 PM: Drop by Testbed 2 (No. 2 Factory). A former printing factory transformed into a trendy art cluster, filled with hipster cafés, street‑art murals and boutique shops. Perfect spot for lunch.
4. 15:00 PM: Hop back onto Monorail Line 2 for Chongqing Zoo, to visit giant pandas after their afternoon nap.

If you love Chinese rail travel, take the high‑speed train from Chongqing to Chengdu (just a few hours away), and extend your trip to explore giant‑panda breeding bases.

Is Liziba Station Worth a Special Trip?

✅ Pros

• Truly one‑of‑a‑kind engineering landmark, nowhere else in the world.
• Completely free to view; close to the city centre and easy to reach.
• Extremely photogenic location for your social‑media feeds.
• Great starting point for exploring the Yuzhong district.
• The ultimate symbol of quirky 8D‑Chongqing.

❌ Cons

• Pure sightseeing only takes 30‑45 minutes in total.
• During peak hours and Chinese public holidays, up to 10 000 tourists may visit daily, bringing large crowds and chaos.
• Travelling here solely for this single attraction, without combining nearby sights, is not very time‑efficient.

The world is full of odd wonders! Sometimes it looks like a green monorail emerging straight out of someone’s apartment bedroom. Travel wide, stay curious and keep your camera handy. Chongqing will steal your heart.