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Chongqing Municipality
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Introduction
Chongquing is formerly known as Jiangzhou, Gongzhou, and Yuzhou. It’s located along the southwestern region of China where the upper reaches of the Yangtze meets the Jialing River. Its favorable location made it a birthplace for many dynasties and civilizations. It is considered as the cradle of Bayu culture.
This port city has an area of 82,403 square kilometers. Its neighboring provinces include Hunan, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hubei, and Guizhou.
Chongquing has a humid sub-tropical monsoon climate. The summers are laden with rain. There is high humidity and temperatures are soaring. Temperatures of 31 degrees Celsius have been recorded during the summer. It is for this reason that the city has been known as among Yangtze’s “three furnaces”.
Winter and spring are often foggy. The best time to visit the city is during the months of April, September and October when there is less rain and the days are not so hot.
Aside from being an important commercial city, Chongquing boasts of magnificent tourist attractions.
The Yangtze River Cruise starts in the city and takes you to see the stunning panorama of the Three Gorges Dam.
Loquat Hill (Pipashan) – Climbing up the hill, you will be treated to a superb panorama of the whole city. An octagon pavilion stands on top of the hill. Visitors will also have a chance to view the numerous archeological specimens at the Municipal Museum.
Dazu Rock Carvings – these priceless works of art has been traced back to the Ninth Century. It is included in the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site.
Wansheng Stone Forest – also known as Wansheng Shilin, is the second largest stone forest in China. The largest one is in Guilin. However, the Wansheng Stone Forest is the oldest. Some would call this place as a zoo made of stones because of the different shapes of the stones.
Fishing Town – a historical landmark. It is considered as one of three earliest battlegrounds in China.
Ci Qi Kou – a stroll down this ancient village will lead you to stalls along the streets which are selling handicraft souvenirs.
The Han comprise the majority of its 30 million population. There are also numerous ethnic groups including the Yi, Miao, Tibetan, You, Qiang, and Tujia.
Chongquing’s hotpot dishes are world-famous. The tantalizing aroma of street food as well as in restaurants will give you one spicy epicurean adventure.
This very old city is the birthplace of Sichuan Cuisine. Its cuisine differs from the Sichuan Cuisine of other provinces because it possesses a stronger flavor and certainly spicier. Aside from chili, local dishes are also laden with peanuts.
1. Gongbao jiding – named after Ding Baozhen, a distinguished official during the Qing Dynasty. The dish is a stir-fried mixture of chicken cubes, peanuts and dried spices.
2. Pork leg cooked with rock candy – this red-colored dish is made up of tender meat with a strong after-taste.
3. Jiangtuan fish – also called, big head fish, is considered as the best fish from the Jialing River. The steamed fish retains all its delicious flavor and will definitely leave a distinct impression on anyone.
4. Yongchuan Bean Sauce – this delicious sauce has a 200-year old history. It is produced at the Chongqing Yongchan Brewing Factory using beans, distilled spirit and sticky rice.
5. Hotpot – the most common ingredients of a Chongquing hotpot are meat and vegetables. Hotpots have been said to be around for almost a hundred years. All the ingredients are simmered in a pot of broth giving rise to hot heavy flavors in dense soup. The meat and vegetables are then dipped in special sauce.
Hot pots come in different flavors—Hong tang or Red soup (spicy), Yuan Wei or Wo Bu Yao La (not spicy), and Yuan Yang Huo Gui or Mandarin Duck Hot Pot.
The backbone of Chongquing’s economy is the industrial establishments and factories that abound. The most important industries include glass and ceramics, machine building, electronics, environmental protection, chemicals, metallurgy and foods.
It is among the four (with Changchun, Shiyan, and Shanghai) biggest manufacturers of motor vehicles in China. It is also regarded as one of the country’s producer of chemicals such as fine and gas chemicals. Its steel and iron production ranks tenth in the country.
Chongqing’s GDP for the year 2009 was RMB652.9 Billion. Its GDP Per Capita for the same year was RMB22, 836
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