Eling Second Factory Cultural and Creative Park 鹅岭二厂文创公园

Welcome, everyone! You've arrived at TESTBED2 Creative Park in Chongqing — a place that started life as the Central Bank of the Republic of China Banknote Printing Factory before becoming Chongqing Printing Factory No. 2 (Ercchang), the most important printing center in Southwest China. Today I'll take you through the park in the official visitor sequence: Main Entrance — Ercchang Memory Museum — Former Banknote Printing Factory Site — Test Lanes — T² International Contemporary Art Center — Love Rooftop — Sky Rooftop — Spiral Staircase / Graffiti Alley — Chongqing Bookstore / Hello Childhood Nostalgia Hall — Giant Zipper Sculpture. Let's go.

First, a quick word on the park's background. This place has real history — founded in 1937, it's now 89 years old. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the National Government's Central Bank operated its banknote printing factory here, producing currency, tax stamps, postage stamps, and other government-issued securities and documents. After the founding of the People's Republic, it was renamed Chongqing Printing Factory No. 2 in 1953 and grew into the color-printing powerhouse of Southwest China. From the 1950s through the 1970s, nearly all the color-printed goods on the Chongqing market came from these presses — grain coupons, meat coupons, vouchers, all of it. In 2011 the factory fully relocated, leaving behind empty buildings and workshops. In 2014, a group of artists, designers, planners, brand specialists, and media creators discovered the site. They were drawn in by more than seventy years of layered human traces and decided to bring Ercchang back to life through cultural and creative industry. In June 2017, TESTBED2 Creative Park opened its doors and has been one of Chongqing's most beloved destinations ever since.

You're now standing in the Main Entrance Area — the starting point of the entire park. The entrance preserves the original factory's character: weathered walls, rusted iron doors, and raw architectural bones are all clearly visible, testifying to Ercchang's importance as a major industrial heritage site of Southwest China. Look for the large-scale "TESTBED2" art lettering at the entrance, along with the stone stele marking the site of the Republic of China Central Bank Banknote Printing Factory, recording the factory's full historical arc. As you walk in, take a moment to notice the building details up close — cracks in the plaster, paint-worn handrails, exposed pipes. What might look like decay is actually deliberate. The designers made a conscious choice to keep all of it in the name of "Rough Luxury" — letting the new and the old carry on a direct visual conversation.

Moving on from the Main Entrance, we arrive at the Ercchang Memory Museum — an officially registered museum of Yuzhong District, built on the original site of Printing Factory No. 2. The museum takes visitors through more than 80 years of the factory's history across five galleries: Factory History, Factory Production, Factory Life, Banknote Printing Culture, and Factory Reborn. On display are banknote presses, currency and stamp plates, historical photographs, archival documents, and commendations from the Republican era. Combining physical artifacts with audiovisual presentations, it recreates both the factory's role as an economic stabilizer during wartime and its later achievements as the color-printing center of Southwest China.

Pay attention to the museum's layout as you move through it — from the basement level up to ground floor, with glass showcases along the way that create the feeling of moving through different chapters of the factory's life. In the Factory History gallery you'll find precious photographs and documents from the founding year of 1937. In Factory Production, the printing equipment and process diagrams from those years are laid out. Factory Life displays workers' ID cards, everyday objects, and group activity photos. An interactive touchscreen area lets you explore the timeline of Ercchang's changes at your own pace. The designers deliberately preserved the building's industrial character throughout — concrete floors, steel-reinforced structures, original windows and doors — so the weight of that history stays in the air around you.

Coming through the museum, we reach the Former Republic of China Central Bank Banknote Printing Factory Site — Building 9, the best-preserved example of wartime industrial architecture in the park. This building served as the proofreading workshop of the printing factory and witnessed the production of Republican-era banknotes, tax stamps, postage stamps, and other government-issued securities and documents from 1940 to 1946. Notice the building's exterior as you approach — the weathered walls, rusted iron doors, and exposed brickwork are all here by design. This is "Rough Luxury" in practice: the old building's own character is the beauty; there's no point in covering it up.

Step inside and you'll find the original production-line layout, workbenches, and proofreading equipment still in place; in some areas the factory floor scenes have been recreated to show how workers once operated. The building's tall interior volume and generous windows met the lighting needs of industrial production back then and now offer excellent conditions for contemporary art exhibitions. The water tower, ventilation ducting, and electrical infrastructure have all been kept as distinctive landscape elements. Through what the designers call "parasitic architecture" — adding sky bridges, staircases, and glass curtain walls onto the existing structure rather than replacing it — the building achieves a layered experience in which old and new coexist on every level.

Coming out of the former factory site, we enter Test Design Lane — one of the park's three themed alleyways, built around the theme of "nature" and the interplay between printing craft and natural elements. The factory buildings on both sides of the lane retain all their original texture: you can see the weathered walls, rusted iron doors, and exposed brickwork on either side — all deliberately kept as markers of the site's industrial memory. Look for the art installation made of giant gears, called the "Time Engine," which references Ercchang's historical significance as a key industrial base of Southwest China.

The design inspiration for Test Design Lane comes from the pairing of print culture with the natural world. Wall treatments incorporate leaf and mountain-range motifs, setting them in sharp contrast against the heavy industrial architecture around them. Shops along the lane tend to take nature-related names — places like "Green Forest" and "Mountain Breeze" — and their interiors carry through the theme with greenery, timber, and stonework. The merchandise leans toward handmade paper crafts, botanical specimens, and ecologically minded design pieces. The lane's patterned paving picks up visual threads from the surrounding buildings, pulling the whole space into a layered, cohesive experience.

Following Test Design Lane along, we come to Test Joy Lane — the second of the park's three themed alleyways, this one centered on "human activity" and bringing together food, leisure, and the energy of everyday street life. Take note of the original factory buildings lining both sides: the weathered walls, rusted iron doors, and exposed brickwork are all deliberate keepsakes of the site's industrial memory. The design here puts particular emphasis on openness and interaction — you'll notice the generous pedestrian space, comfortable seating areas, and public art installations spread throughout.

Right in front of you is Dawang Youchha, a beloved Chongqing breakfast spot serving the classic combination of rice porridge, fried dough sticks, and chili — a staple of local daily life that's well worth trying if you're curious about Chongqing food culture. A little further along is Yibei Suannaiu, which serves chilled purple rice yogurt drinks — ideal for a hot day. And Mousheng cafe offers hand-drip single-origin coffee in a space that's well worth a look in its own right. The design philosophy running through this lane is "life as a vessel for art," and the shops here bring together Chongqing homegrown brands and creative businesses from across the country — a reflection of the city's identity as a mountain city, a river city, and a city that never sleeps.

Through Test Joy Lane, we arrive at Test Spirit Lane — the third of the park's three themed alleyways, themed around "future possibilities" and dedicated to craft-making and experimental art. Take note of the original factory buildings on both sides: the weathered walls, rusted iron doors, and exposed brickwork are all here as deliberate traces of industrial memory preserved by the designers. The design of this lane leans further into innovation and experimentation — you'll see irregular geometric structures, transparent glass curtain walls, and forward-looking lighting that together express an openness to what might still be possible.

Right here is Yimei Bowu, a collection store for Chinese artisan goods carrying more than 3,000 handcrafted products spanning traditional techniques to contemporary design — if Chinese craftsmanship interests you, it's well worth stepping in to browse and buy. Further along the lane you'll find Soarin Mahjong Institute, a creative space devoted to mahjong culture that traces the game's historical evolution and its modern reinventions. The design philosophy of Test Spirit Lane is "art as a bridge connecting past and future," and the shops here bring together traditional craftsmanship reimagined in new forms alongside entirely original artistic expressions — reflecting Chongqing's spirit of openness as a mountain city, a river city, and a city that never sleeps.

Following Test Spirit Lane, we arrive at T² International Contemporary Art Center. Located in Building 31, this is one of the park's most important art exhibition spaces and a principal venue for the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute's School of Experimental Art. The center hosts regular exhibitions by Chinese and international artists — installation art, new media art, mixed-media shows — among them the experimental special exhibition "Temporary Distance" and the contemporary exhibition "Boundless Horizons: Towards the Future." Before you head inside, take a moment to look at the building's exterior. The designers preserved the original factory structure — the tall interior volume, large-paned windows, and raw steel frame — while layering in contemporary elements like metal mesh screens, glass curtain walls, and light installations to produce a distinctive artistic atmosphere.

Before entering, check the signage at the entrance and the current exhibition information boards. The exhibition currently on view is the experimental special exhibition "Temporary Distance," running through January 2, 2026. Taking "temporary distance" as its core idea — at once pointing to connections that may be fleeting or fragile yet all the more precious for that, and to the deeper questions of understanding, misunderstanding, and reconstruction that art can open up — the show presents a major annual showcase of the school's Experimental Art program. It invites visitors to feel art's sharp engagement with social conditions and to experience the singular appeal of technology and imagination working together. The works span photography, video, installation, and conceptual proposals, and the exhibition weaves together artwork display, hands-on technology interaction, and scholarly commentary to let visitors encounter the beauty that emerges when art and technology meet.

Leaving the art center, we head up the stairs to the Love Rooftop — the filming location for "Us and Them," defined by its landmark CITY-RADIO station wall installation. The rooftop opens up to sweeping views of the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, as well as the full sweep of the Yuzhong Peninsula cityscape. Take a moment at the CITY-RADIO station installation — this is the iconic scene from the film, where the designers brought industrial architecture and romantic cultural sensibility into a beautifully unlikely conversation, and the atmosphere it creates is genuinely distinctive.

The Love Rooftop is more than a viewing deck — it's a venue for cultural events, social gatherings, and small-scale performances. The designers worked with all seven rooftops across the Ercchang complex to create spaces including an infinity pool, a starlit dining terrace, and a stage for live cultural programming. This reflects what the team calls the "sandwich" development model: the ground floor and the rooftops are the two slices of bread, and the floors in between are the filling. From up here you can see Chongqing's towers and river scenery stretched out in every direction and feel the particular energy of this mountain city. The designers also installed seating and designated photo spots so you can take your time — and if you come back in the evening, the lighting transforms the whole rooftop into something worth seeing all over again.

From the Love Rooftop we continue to the Sky Rooftop — the filming location for "Waiting for Rain to Stop," featuring its signature sign that reads "I Miss You So Much from Chongqing." The space is open and airy, with a clean contemporary design that stands in sharp visual contrast to the weathered industrial buildings surrounding it. Look for the signature sign — it was created specifically for this space and ties directly to the film's storyline, setting a quietly romantic mood throughout the rooftop.

The Sky Rooftop occupies the fifth floor of Building 1 and is considered one of designer Zhou Yaxin's favorite achievements. He has said: "Rooftops are a collective memory for Chongqing people. In the 1970s and 80s, every summer evening the rooftop became the neighborhood's living room — neighbors talking, children playing, everyone cooling off under the sky." That memory is exactly what he built this space around, making it a place to look out, slow down, and connect with others. A cafe and tea shop give you a reason to linger. The lighting is worth noting too: come back at dusk and the whole rooftop shifts into a different register, making it one of the better places in the park for nighttime photography. The view from up here takes in both the Yangtze and the Jialing simultaneously, along with the full panorama of the Yuzhong Peninsula — the best single spot in the park to feel Chongqing's layered, vertical urban character.

Heading down from the Sky Rooftop, we reach the Spiral Staircase and Graffiti Alley — a vertical connector between floors that doubles as a major site for contemporary art. Notice the staircase structure as you come down: the designers kept the iron-frame character of the original factory while using the staircase's spiral form to echo the layered topography of Chongqing's mountainous terrain, showing a genuine attentiveness to local culture in the design.

The alley walls are covered in bold, colorful murals by multiple artists, touching on urban memory, industrial culture, and visions of the future. Pay particular attention to the "Running Alley" mural — this stretch of wall was used as a filming location for "Back to Summer." The murals do more than decorate: they carry artistic ideas and urban stories that change with each new rotation of work. The graffiti is refreshed periodically, so the alley's look is never exactly the same. If you enjoy photography, this is an excellent spot to experiment with angles and compositions — the interaction of light, color, and the spiral form creates all kinds of interesting frames. The staircase and alley together are a clear expression of the park's "parasitic architecture" concept: new artistic value and function grafted onto an existing structure, without erasing what was there before.

Following Graffiti Alley, we arrive at the Giant Zipper Sculpture at the heart of the park — one of the park's defining public artworks. Take a look at the individual teeth of the zipper up close — each one has been individually crafted, displaying a distinct texture and sheen, and together they make this one of the most recognizable landmarks in the park. The scale and the metal material deliver an immediate visual jolt the moment you see it.

The work resonates on two levels: it speaks to Ercchang's history as a printing facility — the zipper symbolizes "connection" — while also expressing, in a contemporary artistic language, an openness to what the future might hold. The design follows the principle of taking an everyday object, scaling it up dramatically, and making it into public art: the result is something that stays with you. The designers also installed a dedicated lighting rig around the sculpture: come back after dark and the piece looks entirely different, well worth a second visit. Notice how the sculpture is positioned in relation to the buildings around it — the designers placed it carefully so that the zipper becomes a visual element that connects the old and new spaces of the park, not just a standalone object.

Leaving the Giant Zipper Sculpture, we come to the Sunken Plaza — the key transition point at the park's entrance, connecting the main gate to the park's interior. The plaza's design makes clever use of the natural grade change in the terrain, producing a richly layered spatial experience. Look at the central installation, the "Neon TV" — it's a recreation of a vintage television set, built from neon tubes and an old-style television casing. This is one of the park's most photographed spots, and it carries a double meaning: neon lighting was once part of the factory complex's illumination, and the form pays tribute to the past while looking forward in a contemporary artistic language.

Along the edges of the plaza you'll find two more nostalgic installations: the "Phone Wall" — a row of old-style telephone booths — and the "Directional Sign" — a road marker pointing from Chongqing all the way to Tibet, a nod to Chongqing's transportation culture as much as an invitation to imagine the distance. Both have become popular photography spots. Notice the geometric pattern underfoot on the plaza floor — the designers used color contrast and geometric forms to create a bold visual experience that plays off the weathered industrial buildings around it. The Sunken Plaza is both the first impression visitors have of the park and one of its main gathering points for events and foot traffic, and its sunken form announces, from your very first step in, that this is a space that thinks carefully about how it occupies the land beneath it.

Continuing from the Sunken Plaza, we arrive at the Chongqing Bookstore — a literary bookshop dedicated to Chongqing culture, with an atmosphere that is unhurried and genuinely pleasant. Notice the building's structure as you walk in: the designers kept the exposed brick walls and industrial piping of the original factory and set them alongside warm wooden shelves and soft lighting, creating a reading environment that feels both grounded and comfortable. The curated collection centers on Chongqing history, culture, and art, along with local chronicles, literary works, and art books from the broader Southwest region.

If Chongqing's history interests you, you'll find important texts here on the city's opening to foreign trade, the wartime years, and the early period after 1949. If it's Chongqing's living culture you're after — dialect, food, folk customs — there are excellent reads covering all of that too. A cafe corner, reading area, and small exhibition space give you multiple ways to spend time here; cultural events are held regularly as well. The bookstore's guiding idea is "letting books serve as bridges between past and future," and through carefully chosen titles and a distinctive atmosphere, it makes it easy to settle in and absorb the depth of Chongqing's cultural life. Look at the decorative elements on and between the shelves — the designers wove in references to Chongqing's identity as a mountain city, river city, and city that never sleeps, giving the space a strong sense of where it belongs.

Our final stop is the Hello Childhood Nostalgia Hall — a themed experience space recreating daily life in Chongqing during the planned-economy era. Take in the layout as you enter: the designers have reconstructed living scenes from the 1950s through the 1970s — a vintage shop, a school classroom, a residential living room — all of it carefully put back together. The exhibits include everyday objects, toys, stationery, clothing, and home furnishings from that period, pairing physical artifacts with staged settings to bring those decades vividly back to life.

The designers kept the original factory floorplan and structure intact and built the nostalgia around it, using warm-toned lighting alongside period-appropriate decor to create an atmosphere where different eras seem to overlap. Feel free to step inside and move through the recreated scenes. The interactive zone offers old-style games and traditional handicraft activities to try. The underlying idea is "letting memory serve as a thread connecting past and future," and through these carefully reconstructed scenes, the hall invites anyone who walks through — Chongqing native or first-time visitor — to feel the pull of a shared generational experience. For photography, the hall is rich in period-specific backdrops: vintage radios, black-and-white televisions, retro furniture scattered throughout.

This brings our tour to a close. Thank you for exploring TESTBED2 Creative Park with me. With its signature "Rough Luxury" aesthetic, the park has woven a wartime banknote printing factory together with contemporary art into something genuinely memorable. We hope today's journey has given you a real sense of Chongqing's original urban core, its industrial memory, and its spirit of creative reinvention — and that it stays with you long after you leave.