What Chongqing Is

Chongqing is a municipality in southwest China, and one of the four directly administered cities in the country alongside Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. It sits where the Jialing River meets the Yangtze, and the old city core climbs the steep ridge between them. That geography is the reason people talk about the city the way they do: streets stack in layers, light rail trains run through apartment blocks, and a "ground floor" on one street is the tenth floor on another. Administratively it is huge — the municipality covers around 82,000 square kilometres and includes far more than the urban centre, stretching out to the Three Gorges and the borders of Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou and Sichuan.

Where It Is and How to Get There

The city centre is the Yuzhong Peninsula, in the heart of the urban districts. Most visitors base themselves around Jiefangbei, the main commercial quarter, or along the Nan'an side of the river for the skyline views.

  • By air: Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG) is about 20 km northeast of the city centre, with metro Line 10 and Line 3 connecting it to the urban core.
  • By high-speed rail: Chongqing North and Chongqing West stations handle high-speed services, including the line to Chengdu (roughly 1 to 1.5 hours) and long-distance routes to Xi'an, Guiyang and beyond.
  • Getting around: the metro is the practical way to move between the peninsula, the river crossings and the hillside neighbourhoods. Taxis are cheap but traffic on the bridges can be slow.

History in Brief

Chongqing has been a river port for well over two thousand years, and its position on the Yangtze made it a trading and military stronghold through successive dynasties. It was opened as a treaty port in 1891. During the War of Resistance against Japan, from 1937 to 1946, it served as the wartime capital of the Republic of China, which brought a wave of industry, universities and population to the city. In 1997 it was separated from Sichuan Province and made a directly administered municipality, and the Three Gorges Dam project later reshaped whole stretches of the river counties under its administration.

Main Places in and around the City

Hongya Cave is a multi-level complex of stilt-style buildings on the Jialing riverbank in Yuzhong. It is a modern reconstruction built in the traditional style, and it is at its busiest after dark when the whole facade is lit.

Ciqi Kou (Porcelain Village) is a preserved old town on the Jialing in Shapingba District, known for its steep stone lanes, teahouses and snack stalls.

Liziba Station on metro Line 2 is the stop where the train passes through a residential building — a piece of engineering that has become a photo stop in its own right.

The Yangtze River Cableway crosses the river between Yuzhong and Nan'an, a short ride that gives you the city from above.

Dazu Rock Carvings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies in Dazu District, roughly 100 km west of the centre, with Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian sculptures carved between the 9th and 13th centuries.

Wulong Karst, also UNESCO-listed, is in Wulong District to the southeast, known for its natural bridges and gorges.

What's Worth Your Time

The night skyline from Hongya Cave or the Nan'an bank. Chongqing's reputation as