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Chongqing’s Token Stone Road: 18 Hairpin Bends in 453 Meters

Some roads are designed to help one get from A to B. Others appear to have been drafted by a mountain goat with a flair for drama. Lingpaishi Road in Wuxi County, Chongqing, is firmly in the second category.

Also called Wuxi’s Token Stone Road, it threads between two cliffs to link the tiny Tian Ping Community with the wider road network. The full route runs 3.7 kilometers, from Tianping Village to Provincial Road 201, but the truly hair-raising portion is only 453 meters long. That stretch contains 18 tight hairpin bends, squeezed into a steep, narrow climb that can reach a gradient of 36%.

Constructed in 2012 and finally paved in 2019, the road asks a great deal of any driver, however seasoned. Vehicles must creep along, taking each corner with care; reversing is not a realistic option, and the road is so constrained that special turning space has been built into the bends themselves.

The Tian Ping Community has just 137 residents from 37 people, which at least keeps traffic light. That is a mercy, because larger vehicles are not welcome. Trucks, buses, and anything towing a substantial caravan are barred altogether, simply because the zigzag layout is too tight for them to manage.

On the steepest section, drivers are advised to stay in 1st gear. Sensible, really. Gravity needs no encouragement.

Posted on 17 May 2026