chongqing municipality

lying in southwestern china on the upper reaches of the changjiang (yangtze) river, chongqing municipality is the largest industrial and commercial center in the southwest and a land and water communications hub on the upper reaches of the changjiang river. it has 40 districts, cities, and counties under its jurisdiction, a population of 30.2 million, and an area of 82,000 square kilometers. in 1997, chongqing was made the fourth municipality directly under the central government. camellia is the city flower and ficus lacor, the city tree.

the urban area of chongqing is located on the tip of an offshoot of the huaying mountains, slanting from west to east. chongqing is surrounded by mountains on all sides and by the changjiang and jialing rivers on three sides. it is called the "mountain city." the city has a humid, cloudly climate with a long rainy season but scarce snow and frost. mist lingers on in spring and autumn, hence it is also called "misty chongqing." the annual mean temperature is 18.6c.

chongqing features convenient water, land, and air transport facilities. there are more than 50 airlines leading to nagoya, singapore, bangkok, hong kong, beijing, shanghai, lhasa, and other places. it is the meeting place of the chengyu (chengdu-chongqing), the xiangyu xianfan-chongqing and yuhuai (chongqing-huaihua) railroads. there are more than 100 houseboats suitable for both foreign and home tourists and over 80 star-class hotels. chongqing is the best point to start a boat excursion and tour the world-famous three gorges on the changjiang river.

chongqing features a picturesque landscape, an enchanting night view, cultural sites from the three kingdoms period, exquisite stone sculptures in dazu, the magnificent yet treacherous three gorges, and remains of the far-east headquarters during world war 11. its more than 300 scenic spots at the 20-odd scenic areas attract numerous chinese and overseas tourists.

chongqing is a port city with the largest municipal area and population in china. it is situated in the upper reaches of the yangtze river at the confluence of the yangtze and jialing rivers in southwest china. with an area of 82,400 square kilometers (31, 800 square miles), chongqing shares borders with the provinces of hubei, hunan, guizhou, sichuan, and shaanxi. besides the han who form the majority of its total population of 30.9 million, numerous ethnic groups reside in chongqing, including yi, tibetan, miao, qiang, you and tujia.

since its founding 3,000 years ago, chongqing has been called jiangzhou, yuzhou, and gongzhou, before getting its present name nearly 800 years ago. since the qin dynasty (22 bc-206 bc), many dynasties have set up administrative institutions that have endowed the city with brilliant cultures. perched beside the yangtze, the "golden river," chongqing symbolizes yangtze river civilizations and is the cradle of bayu culture.

today, chongqing is a modern city, china's fourth municipality after beijing, shanghai, and tianjin. within its borders chongqing encompasses a wealth of water reserves, mineral resources, dense forests, and abundant flora and fauna. the focal point of the unique yangtze three gorges dam, chongqing is a tourist attraction as well as a commercial city.

chongqing attracts visitors from home and abroad for its cultural heritage and other tourist attractions. the city is the starting point for the yangtze river cruise, which explores the stunning scenery of the three gorges. other attractions include the dazu grottoes , valuable works of art carved during the ninth century, gold buddhist mountain, a rich repository of diverse animals and plants; and fishing town, one of three ancient battlefields in china. ancient ci qi kou village lures tourists to linger in its streets to buy handicraft souvenirs.

chongqing is famous for its hot sichuan cuisine and world-famous hotpot dishes. street vendors as well as restaurants feature exciting spicy delicacies for the adventurous.

servicing western china, chongqing provides convenient water, land, and air transportation. hundreds of star-ranked hotels provide excellent facilities and services. chongqing is ready to be the pilot in the western china development to usher in more investors and visitors.

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