Name in Chinese: 重庆
Location: Southeast of Sichuan Basin, near the end of Yangtze River’s navigable portion for ships
Population: 34 millions
Telephone Code: +8623
Keywords: the Land of Hot Pot, the City of Hills
Chongqing is known as the biggest city in China for its population. It is located at the place where the Yangtze River and the Jialing River converge. As a very important inland port along the Yangtze River, tourists usually start their cruise to the Three Gorges from Chongqing. The night view of Chongqing City is gorgeous. It attracts a large number of photographers from all over the world.
Chongqing used to be a part of Sichuan Province. That’s the reason why the people in Chongqing speak Sichuan dialect, and love the spicy Sichuan food. In 1997, it was made a municipality directly under the jurisdiction of the central government. There are four municipalities in China, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing. Chongqing covers an area of 82,000 square kilometers(31,660 sq.mi.). It is the homeland for 34 million people.
History
The city of Chongqing boasts a long history. It could be dated back to 3,000 years ago. During the so-called Warring States Period, it was the capital of the Ancient Ba State. Ba is one of Chongqing’s nicknames. Some relics of the ancient Ba people have been excavated by archaeologists, which could be traced back to the Old Stone Age. Chongqing is also called Yu. It was renamed as Yuzhou Prefecture in the year of 581, during the reign of Emperor Sui-Wen. The city was named as Chongqing in 1189 by Emperor Song-Guang. It means dual pleasant surprises. Chongqing has become the most important inland port for many centuries. Traders came for their business overland or by river. In November 1937, Nanjing was taken over by Japanese army. Chiang Kaishek, the leader of KMT, moved from Nanjing to Chongqing with his subordinates. During the Anti-Japanese War(1937-1945), Chongqing served as the capital of China.
Attractions:
Chongqing abounds with sightseeing resources, such as the world famous Three Gorges, Dazu Grottoes, Wulong Karst Geo-park, Jinfo Mountain and Zhuoshui Ancient Town. Dazu Grottoes, Wulong Karst Geo-park, and Jinfo Mountain have been added to the list of world heritage sites.
Dazu Grottoes
The assemblage of Dazu Grottoes is one of the greatest works related to China’s traditional grotto art. It is also known as Dazu Rock Carvings. The carvings are not only famous for its rich content, but also the technique utilized by the sculptor. The work of rock carving was added to the list of world cultural heritage sites by UNESCO in 1999. Dazu Grottoes refer to all the caves with murals and sculptures in Dazu County, which were chiseled centuries ago. The great carving work consists of a large number of caves with over 50,000 sculptures. It represents the most outstanding grotto art worldwide during the period between the Ninth Century and the Thirteenth Century. The grottoes in Dazu County can be found in different parts of the area, such as Shilushan Mountain, Nashan Mountain and Shimenshan Mountain. Among those places, the grottoes in both Baodingshan Mountain and Beishan Mountain are the most amazing and impressive.
Tiansheng Three-Bridge Geo-park
Tiansheng Three-Bridge Geo-park is one of the world’s spectacular examples of Karst Landscape. The name of the geo-park means three natural bridges in English. The bridges straddle the Grand Wulong Sinkhole. As a unique geological wonder of the world, the grand sinkhole was added to the list of world natural heritage sites by UNESCO in 2007. It was used as one of the locations for the film Transformers 4 in 2013. The whole gorge is hidden by verdant forest. A stream flows through the gorge. Waterfalls cascade down the cliff. There is nothing more blissful than hiking in the lovely park.
The Fairy-maiden Mountain
As one of the top ten attractions in Chongqing, the Fairy-maiden Mountain is widely known as the oriental Switzerland for its snow-capped virgin forest. The features of the mountain are the virgin forest and the pasture. The forest covers an area of 220 square kilometers(85 sq.mi) and the high mountain pasture is 67 square kilometers(26 sq.mi) in area.
Ciqikou Ancient Town
Ciqikou Ancient Town used to be a river port in ancient times. It shows what Chongqing was like in the past. Because the street has not become as modernized as the rest part of Chongqing, Ciqikou is known as the so-called Chongqing in Miniature or Small Chongqing.
Hongyadong Old Street
Hongyadong is a traditional Chinese styled shopping mall. The building shows the feature of Diaojiaolou architecture. Diaojiaolou is a traditional building supported by piles, which is popular among some Chinese minorities, like Miao Nationality and Tujia Nationality. It was built in 2006. The building has become one of the most ideal places for photographers to get the gorgeous Chongqing night view.
Transportation
Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport(airport code: CKG)
Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is situated 21 km to the north of downtown Chongqing. It is operating 68 internationals and 244 domestic air routes. The airport links Chongqing with 61 overseas terminals and 142 cities within Mainland China. The overseas terminals include New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Paris, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, etc. The domestic cities are Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming, and so on. Travelers can take taxis through the Airport Expressway from the downtown to the airport. The city trains shuttle between the airport and downtown Chongqing along the Metro-line No.10.
Chongqing North Railway Station
Chongqing North Railway Station links Chongqing with cities like Chengdu, Guiyang and Yichang. It takes only two hours from Chongqing to Chengdu by bullet trains.
Climate
Chongqing is known as one of the hottest cities in the Yangtze River Basin. It has a subtropical climate feature with an annual rainfall of over 1,000 mm. The temperature ranges from 9℃(48.2°F) to 15℃(59°F) in spring, 20℃(68°F) to 27℃(80.6°F) in summer, 25℃(77°F) to 33℃(91.4°F) in autumn, and 12℃(53.6°F) to 17℃(62.6°F) in winter. The best time to visit Chongqing is between March and May, as well as September and October.
Chongqing Food
The locals in Chongqing love Sichuan food. However, it is commonly believed that hot pot was created in Chongqing. That is the reason why Chinese people always mention this city in the following way. Everything in Chongqing is as hot as its spicy hot pot, especially the girls. However, hot pot and girls in Chengdu are also spicy. Read more about Sichuan Food.
Quanjude Beijing Duck Restaurant
Address；No.4 Floor, Hongyadong Ancient Street, Chongqing
Opening Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Tel: +862363039333, +862363039355
Pibayuan Hot Pot Restaurant
Address；Jinzhu Village, Chongqing
Opening Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Tel: +862362483138
Related Articles:
Chengdu Travel Guide
The Three Gorges
Dazu Grottoes
Author: Tina Luo
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