Chongqing Kilometre Zero

Unlike most of the Kilometre Zero locations featured on this site, I did not personally visit the Chongqing marker.

Instead, it was visited by my friends René and Andrea Ruschmeier, the owners of China Serendipity, during a scouting trip for their company in May, 2026. The fact that they sought it out at all is perhaps the most surprising part of the story.

René and Andrea at the Chongqing zero mile marker

Over the years I have developed a habit of searching for Kilometre Zero markers wherever I travel. Most people are politely bemused by the idea that locating an obscure surveying point or distance reference marker is a worthwhile use of holiday time. René and Andrea had heard enough stories about kilometre zeros that, whilst visiting Chongqing, they decided to seek one out for themselves.

Their message afterwards was short and to the point:

We are infected 🦠

The Chongqing marker stands on the Chaotianmen peninsula at the point where the Jialing River meets the Yangtze. This dramatic location has long been regarded as the historic heart of the city and offers impressive views across one of the world's largest urban skylines.

Unlike the understated plaque in Shanghai, Chongqing's monument is impossible to miss. The circular marker sits on a viewing platform overlooking the rivers and clearly identifies itself as the city's Zero Kilometre Point. The location is both symbolic and practical, marking the historic centre from which the rapidly expanding city developed.

Andrea walking past the zero kilometre marker in Chongqing

From the photographs supplied by René and Andrea, I determined the position of the monument to be:

Latitude: 29.567692° N
Longitude: 106.588157° E

However, GPS coordinates in China can sometimes be as much as 500m 'out'.

What makes this location particularly significant to me is not the monument itself, but the fact that it represents the first Kilometre Zero visit that I know of which occurred entirely as a result of my own enthusiasm for these curious places. Until now, every marker on this site has been one that I personally sought out. Chongqing is different. It demonstrates that geographical oddities can occasionally be contagious.

Whether René and Andrea will continue adding Kilometre Zero locations to their own travel itineraries remains to be seen.

However, judging by their messages afterwards, the infection appears to have taken hold.