In the C-drama First Frost, the fictional city of Nanwu comes to life through the real-world architecture of Chongqing, China’s "Mountain City."

Rather than a mere backdrop, Chongqing’s distinct vertical landscape acts as a visual metaphor for the leads' emotional distance, trauma and reconciliation.

Vertical urbanism and terrain-driven density

Chongqing sits at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, built directly across steep, mountainous slopes. Because flat land is exceptionally rare, architects and urban planners developed a three-dimensional vertical topography where multi-elevational entrances are standard practice.

A residential building might feature a ground-floor lobby on its first floor, opening to one street, while an upper-floor lobby on the eighth or 10th floor opens up to a completely different road higher up the mountain slope.

This terrain forces stacked infrastructure throughout the urban grid. Roads routinely pass over residential rooftops, pedestrian bridges span dramatic abysses between high-rise towers, and steep staircases connect distinct levels of the city.

In First Frost, this vertical density amplifies emotional beats — framing character encounters across dramatic drops and turning everyday street navigation into poignant narrative moments.

Infrastructure embedded in residential space

Chongqing’s vertical constraints require architectural solutions that blend mass transit directly into residential structures.

An iconic example featured in the region's urban showcase is Liziba Station on Chongqing Rail Transit Line 2, where monorail trains pass straight through floors six through eight of a nineteen-story apartment complex.

This seamless integration of transit infrastructure and living quarters highlights the high-density environment that gives Nanwu its signature futuristic texture on screen. The physical proximity between moving trains and private homes underscores the drama's themes of inescapable memory and overlapping lives.

Industrial adaptive reuse at C97 Cultural Park

A vital architectural setting in the series is Overtime, the bar operated by Sang Yan. While interior scenes were built on sets, the exterior location was filmed at C97 Cultural Park in Shapingba District, a former military factory compound adapted into modern studio space, cafes and independent retail venues.

The site showcases classic post-industrial adaptive reuse. Exposed red brick walls originally erected for heavy mid-20th-century manufacturing now frame contemporary storefronts. High assembly ceilings and spacious warehouse layouts were repurposed into open-plan creative hubs and nightlife venues, while preserved factory signage provides vintage visual anchors across the complex. This architectural shift mirrors the narrative arc of the main characters, taking older, weathered structures and repurposing them into contemporary spaces for connection and emotional healing.

Riverfront vs open parklands

The production carefully balances claustrophobic urban corridors with expansive outdoor environments. Along the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Nanbin Park offers an essential waterfront promenade sitting directly across from the glowing skyline of Jiefangbei CBD. The contrast between the dark, flowing river in the foreground and the surrounding high-rise neon lights creates an open visual refuge where characters can speak candidly away from social pressure.

In contrast, Central Park in Yubei District introduces sprawling European-style lawns and wide pedestrian avenues. Its vast horizontal expanse stands apart from Chongqing’s typical vertical crowding, serving as an architectural setting for scenes where characters find themselves fully exposed under open skies with nowhere to retreat.

Through these distinct urban forms, First Frost transforms real city architecture into an active engine of emotional storytelling.