A foreign tourist poses for a photo pretending to “devour” a train operating on Chongqing Rail Transit Line 2 in the city’s Liangjiang New Area on June 14. LI YIXIAN / FOR CHINA DAILY
By TAN YINGZI and DENG RUI
On a sweltering afternoon in early June, the Liziba Observation Deck outside Liziba Station on Chongqing Rail Transit Line 2 transformed into a stage for an unusual spectacle. Throngs of international visitors stood in a line, mouths wide open — not for a taste of the city’s famed cuisine, but to capture the perfect shot of a monorail train seemingly gliding into their mouths as it passes through a nearby 19-story building.
Dubbed the “disappearing monorail,” the viral photo trend has ignited a wave of creativity among social media enthusiasts from abroad. In Southwest China’s Chongqing, a city celebrated for its fiery hotpot and futuristic skyline, the monorail has become an unexpected must-see attraction for adventurous tourists.
“Kung Pao chicken might be nice, but I want to ‘taste’ Chongqing’s monorail as well,” said Norwegian soccer player Erling Haaland. During a recent visit to the city, Haaland shared a viral video of himself playfully “devouring” the iconic monorail. He said a fan had enthusiastically placed the monorail at the top of Chongqing’s “must-eat” list.
Fueled by platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, the Liziba monorail has turned into an unexpected star, a “dish” that everyone wants to try. As one netizen summed up: “It’s like a 3D version of kung fu for the mouth.”
The immersive experience has also given rise to new consumer trends. There are photographers at the deck to help tourists create the perfect “train-eating” videos.
Across the river in the Liangjiang New Area, tourists snap videos of themselves “savoring” the train, “devouring” it with the dramatic flair of a Chinese fan, or “packing” it into imaginary boxes.
“My friend thought it was AI,” said Yvonne Tsakiris, a 48-year-old from Dubai. Suitably inspired after hearing about the monorail from a friend, she and her husband decided to bring their sons to Chongqing so as to witness the phenomenon firsthand.
Dinesh Francois Samasundara from Paris was similarly drawn by curiosity after repeatedly coming across reels on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook for months. “It’s a really unusual sight for me. We’re not used to seeing this type of landscape. But it’s mesmerizing to see how the building is built — very interesting!” said the 25-year-old.
The spot also draws industry professionals eager to learn. Matej Pavlovic, a 30-year-old train driver from Slovenia, planned his first trip to China after seeing Liziba’s monorail as well as China’s high-speed rail on TikTok. “The designated speed of trains in Slovenia is around 124 miles per hour, but we handle a maximum of 75 m/h because the infrastructure currently doesn’t allow more. My girlfriend and I took a bullet train from Chengdu, Sichuan province, to Chongqing, which is nice, comfortable and fast.” Their travel culminated with a ride on the monorail, when they got to experience the engineering marvel.
Due to the geography of Chongqing — a densely populated and mountainous city — transportation can be challenging and creative.
In 2004, Chongqing built its first urban rail CRT Line 2 in the downtown area, which was China’s first monorail and the first rail transit line in southwestern China.