Chongqing- The highly anticipated Wushan Airport finally opened to the public in 2019. Since then, this infrastructure project has wowed passengers and aviation enthusiasts worldwide, mainly due to the unique location upon a flattened mountain ridge about 1,771 meters above sea level.

A single terminal building of 3,500 square meters can handle around 28,000 passengers per year and roughly 1,200 tons of cargo. The rooftop features a rolling design inspired by the mountainous terrain of Wushan County, which greets passengers coming to and from a handful of national destinations, including Chongqing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou.

On the tarmac outside, the 4C rated airport has five berths for small aircraft models such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320. The single runway is 2,600 meters long and can handle over 3,300 take-offs and landings per year. At the current level of usage, it ranks as the 238th most busy airport in the whole of China.

Wushan Airport has a number of design features unique to this county in Northeast Chongqing. In front of the main terminal, there’s a statue named the Fairy Maiden, designed by the Hebei Sculpture Association, with inspiration taken from the legendary goddess stories of Wushan.

The eye-catching Fairy Maiden sculpture stands in front of the cloudline airport of Wushan. (iChongqing/James Alexander)

While the statue depicts the fairy maiden, the overall shape loosely takes after the Chinese character Wu in the name Wushan. The horizontal sections above and below represent heaven and earth, with a horizontal section depicting their innate connection. The character Wu also has two further components that mean ‘people,’ and so the two characters in the sculpture represent human aspirations and the dream of connecting with nature.

Red maple leaves are a top symbol for Wushan, as they adorn the mountain slopes in late autumn each year in a blaze of color. As well as featuring on the Fairy Maiden Sculpture, the street lights insight the airport perimeter all feature red leaf inscriptions and the Wu character in the name Wushan.

Located upon a mountaintop, the airport offers stunning views down towards the Yangtze River and surrounding landscape on a clear day, with famous landmarks, including the Qutang and Wu gorges and even the Baidi Emperor City on view for the discerning eye.