Qianjiang

Qianjiang sits deep in the Wuling Mountains of southeastern Chongqing, on the border with Hubei, and is often called the "throat of Chongqing and Hubei" for its position guarding the mountain routes between the two. Its roughly 487,000 residents are predominantly ethnic Tujia, with sizeable Han and Miao communities, giving the district a distinctive minority culture reflected in its food, festivals, and architecture. Chongqing Vocational Institute of Tourism trains students here in tourism management and hospitality, an apt specialty given the district's fast-growing scenic industry. The national 5A-rated Zhuoshui Ancient Town, with its centuries-old wind-and-rain covered bridge spanning the Apeng River, anchors a cluster of attractions that also includes the Puhua underground river and the vertigo-inducing glass skywalk of the Qianjiang Urban Canyon. Local cuisine leans on Tujia specialties such as smoked cured pork, glutinous rice cakes, and kudzu-root jelly, best sampled along Qianjiang's Hourong food street. Qianjiang Wulingshan Airport and a station on the new Chongqing-Hunan high-speed railway give this once-remote mountain district fast connections to both Chongqing and neighboring provinces.

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