Eling No. 2 Factory (鹅岭二厂文创公园)

Open neighbourhood · Chongqing. A free former printing works turned into hilltop lanes of cafés, murals and rooftops.

Source: https://chinafootnotes.com/places/eling-erchang · Data checked 2026-10-08 · Rendered for 2026-10-09 (Asia/Shanghai). Facts carry their status; "not found yet" means we searched and found no reliable source.

Why go

Eling No. 2 Factory (鹅岭二厂, Testbed 2 or 贰厂) is a former central-bank banknote plant and later the Chongqing No. 2 Printing Factory, now an open-air creative district of old workshops, steep stairs, murals, cafés and rooftop terraces. It sits on the highest point of the Yuzhong Peninsula. Walking in costs nothing, and it is a place to wander and take photos rather than a museum. Eling Park on the hill next door is a separate visit.

What to do

• Wander the factory lanes and stairs. Follow the alleys, stair walkways and the Test Design street between the old factory buildings, and photograph the park map at the start so you can find the notable corners.
• Photograph the road lettering and iron gate. The giant TESTBED2 lettering on the road, the rusted old iron gate and the second-floor walkway are the classic frames; the roads, stairs and passages between buildings often give the quieter shots.
• Visit the Factory Memory Museum. The museum inside the park shows photos, printed products and banknotes from the site's history as the central bank's printing works and later No. 2 Printing Factory.
• Climb to a rooftop for the peninsula view. The site sits at the highest point of the Yuzhong Peninsula, with views of both rivers, and some rooftop terraces charge a small fee. Visibility varies, so skip it on hazy days.
• Stay for the evening. Neon shop signs line the Test Design street, and a food court and night-market stalls are listed nearby.

• Don't miss: Take the T083 minibus or a taxi up from Liziba; the 800 m direct walk is uphill most of the way.

• Best time: Afternoon into evening, when the shops are open
• Skip if: You are not into photos, cafés or industrial architecture; Edwin Jayden Goh, who liked it, says it is probably not a must-see for everyone.

Practical details

• Hours: Grounds open all day; shops about 10:00–22:00
• This is an open outdoor district with no gate; all-day access is inferred from that and from two visitor reports (Jun 2026, Nov 2025), and no operator or government page was found. A 2021 city-guide page gives 9:00–22:00 for the whole site, which conflicts with the 2025–2026 visitor reports of an always-open outdoor site.
• Rooftop terraces have earlier last entries; one visitor lists 19:30.
• Admission: Free to walk in; some rooftops and shows extra
• Open outdoor district with no gate or ticket check; Davy (Jun 2026) and Perry (Nov 2025) both describe free entry.
• One visitor lists a rooftop terrace at about ¥20; prices differ by terrace and exhibition.
• Booking: No booking for the open grounds
• The grounds are an open outdoor district with no gate or ticket check; none of the visitor posts describes a reservation step. Eling Park's skywalk next door does need one.
• Last admission: No gate on the grounds
• Time to allow: 1–3 hr
• Getting there: T083 minibus from Liziba · Line 1 Eling station uphill
• Metro Line 1 to Eling (鹅岭), Exit 1, about 13 min walk
• Show a taxi driver: 重庆市渝中区鹅岭正街1号 贰厂文创公园
• The Chinese Wikipedia exit table for Eling station (revised 2026-08-14) lists Exit 1 for the Erchang creative park and Exit 2A for Eling Primary School; Daniel#Perry79 (2025-11) writes Exit 2A, and Davy (2026-06) gives no exit.
• Foreign visitors: No ticket or ID for the grounds

Not found yet

• photos: No openly licensed photo of the park was found; official and news-agency images carry no reuse licence, so the page has no hero. (searched: Wikimedia Commons, Flickr public feed, official and news sites)

Traveler tips

• The grounds never close; the shops do. Testbed 2 is an outdoor creative district with no gate: the lanes, stairs and plazas stay open around the clock, but individual shops, cafés and bars keep their own hours, mostly from about 10:00 until 21:00 or 22:00. Come in the afternoon or evening if you want the shops open. Caveat: Liudmila gives shop hours of 10:00–21:00 in a post that Trip.com labels as partner-supplied and machine-translated; Daniel#Perry79 gives 10:00–22:00. A 2021 city-guide page lists 9:00–22:00 for the whole site; visitors in 2025 and 2026 describe the grounds as open all day. (2 travelers) source
• Take the T083 minibus up from Liziba. From the Liziba viewing-platform stop, the T083 sightseeing minibus runs a loop to the factory (印制二厂 stop) for ¥6 a ride, replacing a climb of 40-plus minutes on foot. The official launch notice lists stops at Liziba East, the Liziba viewing platform, First-Level Road, Fotuguan and Third-Level Road, with a bus every 30 minutes between 11:00 and 19:00. Davy catches it near Liziba Exit 2 and says it can be flagged down. Caveat: The hours and 30-minute interval come from the 2023 launch notice; the 2023 notice calls the minibus yellow while Davy (June 2026) describes it as orange, and no current operator timetable was found. Shuttle buses linking the Eling sights were still running in February 2026. The 40-plus-minute climb and the 25 minutes saved come from a Chongqing Morning Post report of August 2023 quoting the bus company. Fares reported by visitors depend on the direction: from the Liziba platform up to the factory ¥6 (豆蔻想出门旅游, Sep 2024; 是花花丫, Oct 2025; 卓颜游, Feb 2026), and ¥5 from the factory gate down to Liziba (周久久, Jun 2025; 云朵冰旗凌, Sep 2025; 猎骑人生, Sep 2025), with ¥8 reported in Feb 2025 (Mee). 是花花丫 waited at least 30 minutes uphill and found the van full; 云朵冰旗凌 says the van downhill leaves when full, usually within minutes, and drops at the Liziba station entrance. No current timetable was found. The ¥5 vans that wait at the factory gate for the ride down are not necessarily the T083, and their fares may differ. (7 travelers) source
• Walk down from Eling, not up. The two sights look close on the map, about 800 m apart, but the way from Liziba to Testbed 2 is uphill most of the way and cuts through residential lanes where it is easy to get turned around. If you are doing both, visit the factory first and walk or ride downhill to Liziba. Caveat: Edwin Jayden Goh (August 2026, a Trip.com Moments influencer and travel mentor) says 'Eling → Liziba, not Liziba → Eling, unless you enjoy climbing Chongqing hills'; Davy (June 2026) advises against walking up in summer or with heavy luggage; Apprehensive-Quit320 (Reddit, October 2025) did the factory first and planned the steps down to Liziba. Downhill route: 周久久 (Aug 2025) and 老谢翻山｜重庆本地人 (18 Aug 2026) walk Eling Park, the factory and Liziba in that order, about 3 km, mostly downhill and shaded; 周久久 budgets about 1 hour for the park, 40 minutes for the factory and 1 hour at Liziba. The way down is long: Mee (Feb 2025) took about 25 minutes of zigzag stairs and regretted not riding, and 云朵冰旗凌 (Sep 2025) says not to walk down if tired. Anonymous replies (Dec 2025-Mar 2026) say signposts were repainted and one lift on the route was under maintenance in January 2026. (7 travelers) source
• Line 1 to Eling, then walk uphill. Take Metro Line 1 to Eling (鹅岭) station, Exit 1, and walk about 1 km uphill to the factory, roughly 10 to 15 minutes. It is cheaper than a taxi and avoids traffic, but the slope is steep in summer heat. Caveat: Liudmila (May 2026, Exit 1 or 2) and 武澤天 (July 2026, about 10 minutes) are Trip.com posts marked as partner-supplied and machine-translated. Chinese Wikipedia lists Exit 1 for the park; Daniel#Perry79 (November 2025) names Exit 2A and 800 m; Davy gives no exit. Three more authors give Exit 1 for the factory and park: 周久久 (Jun 2025), 叽里咕噜 (6 Mar 2026) and 老谢翻山｜重庆本地人 (Aug 2026); 周久久 says about five minutes uphill to the park and eight more to the factory. (4 travelers) source
• Buses stop right at the entrance. Buses 829 and 3201 stop at Yinzhi Erchang (印制二厂), which is by the entrance. Daniel#Perry79 also lists routes 118, 138 and 403 to Changjiang Yi Lu Guoji Cun, with a climb of about 300 m of steps to the factory. Caveat: Route numbers come from visitor posts; check the stop name in your map app. (2 travelers) source
• Skip driving. The outdoor car park inside the park was full on an ordinary weekday, and visitors resort to a multi-storey garage nearby. Davy says a taxi is the easiest option; local TV advises public transport for the Eling area and, if driving, arriving before 10:00. Daniel#Perry79 lists a garage at ¥20 a day. Caveat: The parking fee is one visitor post; the TV advice is from a February 2026 holiday report. (2 travelers) source
• The busiest hours are early afternoon. During the Spring Festival holiday, merchants said the factory was busiest between 14:00 and 15:00, and on a sunny February morning it was already packed by 10:00. If you want the lanes and stair walkways with fewer people in the frame, arrive earlier or after dark. Caveat: The merchants' claim and the 10:00 crowd are from a February 2026 Spring Festival TV report, so ordinary days may be quieter; Edwin Jayden Goh (August 2026) saw people dressed for photo shoots 'everywhere'. source
• Some rooftops and exhibitions cost extra. The grounds are free, but some rooftop terraces and exhibitions are separate. Daniel#Perry79 lists the Cloud Terrace (云上天台) on the 5th floor of Building 1 at about ¥20 with last entry at 19:30, and says ordinary viewpoints around the site also give city views. Caveat: A 2021 city-guide page also says some small exhibitions charge separately and that the south end of the site overlooks the city for free; prices and last-entry times are from one visitor post. Older posts quote ¥29.9 for the Love Rooftop (爱情天台): 周周走 (Apr 2023) lists three self-service poster photos, a drink or shop voucher and a free film; 铁板炒游渝 (May 2024) also gives ¥29.9. 卓颜游 (Feb 2026) says the grounds are free and the rooftop is optional but gives no price. The ¥20 price is from November 2025. (3 travelers) source
• Photograph the park map first. The factory has an illustrated map that draws the buildings and lists notable shops and photo spots. Junpei photographs it at the start to avoid getting lost in the many levels, and Davy says the park's recommended photo-spot map is worth following if you have time. Caveat: Both are single-visit blog reports, and Journey Rambler carries affiliate booking links; the map is near the Test Design street. source
• Look beyond the famous photo spots. Besides the TESTBED2 lettering on the road and the old iron gate, some of the nicest pictures are on the roads, stairs and passages between buildings. Davy recommends the second-floor walkway near the staircase museum for a photo with the street below. Caveat: 叽里咕噜 (6 Mar 2026) lists an idol graffiti wall, the Erchang sign wall, a top-down angle from above and a 'Chongqing' lettering backdrop; 是小半 (3 Mar 2026) splits the site into left, middle and right routes and notes many steps and a confusing layout, so wear sports shoes. (4 travelers) source
• The Factory Memory Museum explains the site. The No. 2 Factory Memory Museum (二厂记忆博物馆) inside the park shows old photos of the site, printed products from the factory's years as the Chongqing No. 2 Printing Factory, workers' everyday objects and Republic of China banknotes. Daniel#Perry79 lists it in Building 12 as free. Caveat: The free entry and Building 12 location are from one visitor post. (2 travelers) source
• Evening: neon alley and night market. The Test Design street is lined with neon shop signs, and Junpei found the Taste Plaza food court down a flight of steps near the Testbed 2 building especially cosy. Daniel#Perry79 lists a night market starting around 17:00 with snacks priced above those outside the park. Caveat: Junpei visited on an overcast day with few people and did not describe the street after dark; Journey Rambler carries affiliate booking links; the night-market schedule is from one visitor post. source
• Eling Park has its own rules. Eling Park and its skywalk are separate sites from Testbed 2. The skywalk is free but needs a reservation: search for 鹅岭公园 in WeChat to book, or bring ID and register on site before entering. Davy says the skywalk is closed every Monday for maintenance and may close temporarily in extreme heat. Caveat: The park is a separate site from the factory, and this comes from a September 2026 guide. 是小半 (3 Feb 2026) calls the cliff walkway between Eling and Fotuguan a new attraction that must be booked in advance; an anonymous reply (28 Feb 2026) says the entrance now goes to the right, via the booking lane, then across the road. (2 travelers) source
• City buses are cheaper than the minibus. If the minibus is full or you want to save money, ride city bus 215 or 261 to the Yinzhi Erchang (印制二厂) stop for ¥2; it takes about 15 minutes from Liziba. From Eling Park, two stops by bus gets you to the factory without the walk. Caveat: 卓颜游 (22 Feb 2026) gives buses 215 and 261, ¥2 and 15 minutes, and a 10-minute minibus at ¥6; 云朵冰旗凌 (24 Sep 2025) says two bus stops across from the park reach the factory. Bus lines were not checked against an operator source. (2 travelers) source
• Eat elsewhere, such as Guanyinqiao. The cafés inside the factory are for coffee and photos. For a full meal, a short taxi ride to Guanyinqiao for neighbourhood hot pot is suggested. Caveat: 叽里咕噜 (6 Mar 2026) says not to eat near the factory and names hot-pot places in Guanyinqiao; 周久久 (Jun 2025) only notes ins-style cafes in the factory for coffee. Restaurant quality was not checked. source

Sources

• 重庆市渝中区人民政府 (published 2026-04-20)
• 重庆市人民政府网（重庆交通开投公交集团） (published 2023-08-14)
• 重庆市公安局渝中区分局交通管理支队 (published 2026-09-28)
• 视界网（重庆网络广播电视台） (published 2026-02-21)
• Davy (Meet Chongqing) (published 2026-06-03)
• Davy (Meet Chongqing) (published 2026-06-03)
• Davy (Meet Chongqing) (published 2026-09-11)
• Edwin Jayden Goh (Trip.com Moments) (published 2026-08-28)
• 武澤天 (Trip.com Moments) (published 2026-07-12)
• LiudmilaMaks (Trip.com Moments) (published 2026-07-11)
• Daniel#Perry79 (Trip.com Moments) (published 2025-11-30)
• Junpei (Journey Rambler)
• 重庆本地宝 (published 2021-04-27)
• 维基百科（中文）
• 华龙网（重庆晨报） (published 2023-08-14)
• Apprehensive-Quit320 (published 2025-10-12)
• 豆蔻想出门旅游 (published 2024-09-03)
• Mee (published 2025-02-02)
• 周久久 (published 2025-06-25)
• 云朵冰旗凌 (published 2025-09-24)
• 猎骑人生 (published 2025-09-27)
• 是花花丫 (published 2025-10-29)
• 卓颜游 (published 2026-02-22)
• 周久久 (published 2025-08-12)
• 老谢翻山｜重庆本地人 (published 2026-08-18)
• 是小半～ (published 2026-02-03)
• 小蒋带你游重庆 (published 2026-09-28)
• 叽里咕噜 (published 2026-03-06)
• 周周走🏝 (published 2023-04-24)
• 铁板炒游渝 (published 2024-05-07)
• 是小半～ (published 2026-03-03)

More places

• Pair with: Liziba Monorail Station
• More in Liziba to Ciqikou: Liziba Monorail Station, Ciqikou Ancient Town