Progress forces flexibility; limitations fosters creativity. In Chongqing, these truths collide with the wonder and whimsy of a child opening her first set of Legos. Only here, it’s concrete and steel, data centers and servers. Its trains piercing through skyscrapers, with pedestrian courtyards stacked above, nestled against the drop of cliffs below—creativity born from unrelenting progress. Give it three nights, and bring a freshly broken-in pair of walking shoes. For in this City of Stairs, where alleys bob and avenues weave, circuitous routes are not detours—they are monuments to flexibility, nudged by the constraint of limitations.

Chongqing Center, Gaosheng Chuangfu Center, Liziba Station, and various nooks and crannies.