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Chongqing Overview Chongqing Dining Chongqing Shopping Chongqing Entertainment Chongqing Transportation Chongqing Highlights Chongqing Attractions

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Chongqing is located at the confluence of the Yangtze River and Jialing River, and is 2,400 km away from the East China Sea estuary of the Yangtze River. It governs 40 districts (counties) with a population of 31.59 million, covering a land of over 80,000 square kilometers. Chongqing is the largest inland city in the world. Chongqing is one of the four Chinese cities that are marked on the world map in the hall of the United Nations. It is also the only municipality under the Central Government in West China.

An enchanting nightscape of Chongqing,the mountain city in China.

Natural sceneries and attractions stand in harmony with human made landscapes. There are over 40 tourist attractions and over 1,300 scenic spots in Chongqing. The mighty Three Gorges Project is considered a miracle of the world.

With advantageous natural conditions and abundant resources, Chongqing has developed into the largest industrial and commercial city on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and Southwest China. It is also an important transport hub and inland port in the region, with a transportation system integrating air, railway, highway and water.

Facing opportunities for development in the new century, Chongqing is committed to building an economic centre encompassing on high-tech industries in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River by 2020, to making a centre of commerce, trade, finance, transportation, telecommunication, scientific research, education and culture.

Area Code: 023

Zip Code: 400041

Location: Chongqing is located in the center of northwestern China where the Yangtze River and Jialing River meet, at 105°11’-110°'11’ east longitude and 28°10’- 32°13’ north latitude. It is 470 kilometers from east to west and 450 kilometers from north to south.

Climate: Chongqing has a sub-tropical humid monsoon climate zone with four distinct seasons. Summer is hot and winter is warm, with a long frost-free period. The annual average temperature is around 18.4°C with 6-8°C as average temperature in winter and 27-29°C in summer. With plentiful rainfall, the annual precipitation is 1000-1400 mm. and it rains in the night when spring is changing into summer.

Area: 82,403 square kilometers

Population: 31.44 million

Ethnic Groups: Beside the Han people that form the majority of its total population, there are numerous ethnic groups residing in Chongqing, such as Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Qiang, You and Tujia.

dining

Griddled Cooked Chicken Giblets, a local cuisine in Chongqing. Very hot and spicy. As one branch of Sichuan cuisine, Chongqing cuisine is noted for its distinctive spicy and pungent flavors. Compared with Chengdu cuisine (another branch of Sichuan cuisine), Chongqing dishes are spicier and stronger in taste and more innovative and flexible in cooking method. Chengdu cuisines are elegant and conservative while Chongqing cuisines are bold and unconstrained. Besides, Chongqing cuisine value pepper while Chengdu cuisine favor spicy.

Various kinds of flavorings, such as chili, pepper, sesame, fermented black beans, scallions, ginger, garlic, wine, soy sauce and etc, are used in almost 40 different cooking methods of Chongqing cuisine. These methods include drying, salting, spicing, pickling, frying and smoking. The genuine Chongqing cuisine could be eaten either in restaurants or roadside stalls.

The most famous dishes and snacks are as follows:

Gongbao Jiding (Spicy Chicken Cubes Fried with Peanuts)

It is a well-known dish in Sichuan cuisine. It could be eaten at almost all the local restaurants in Chongqing, although maybe it is a little different in flavor. The main ingredients include Chicken chest meat, peanut and dry peppercorns. When cook this dishes, the chicken meat was diced into cube and then fried with peanuts and peppercorns.

Chongqing Hotpot

Hot pot is the most famous and favorite snack in Chongqing. It was said that there are about 51,000 hot pot companies in Chongqing, hence the name “capital of hot pot”. Chongqing hot pot is noted for its spicy, hot, delicious, scalding yet fresh and tender taste as well as a harmonious and warm atmosphere.

When eating hot pot, people gather around a small pot which is filled with flavorful and nutritious soup base. The soup could be spicy, pure and combo as you like. The pot is heat up by charcoal, electric or gas. A little bowl of special sauce, generally containing sesame paste, garlic paste, or other mater, will be prepared for you. Meat, fish, various kinds of vegetables call can be boiled in the soup. When they are well boiled, you then dip them in your bowl.

Geleshan Fried Chicken with Dried chili

Geleshan spicy chicken is one the earliest cuisines which come to the top in Chongqing. It originated in Geleshan in Chongqing, hence the name. The material of this cuisine is very delicate. The newly-killed rooster, top-class chili and pepper produced in Sichuan are must for this dish. This dish is also a trial of the cook’s skills. A well-made spicy chicken would be crisp in the meat, pungent but fragrant in the smell, and bright in the color.

When eating this dish, the biggest interest is to seek the diced chicken in a pile of red chili.

shopping

Chongqing is the fourth municipality directly under the central government in China as well as a well-modernized metropolis in the world. Tourism industry and trade are prospering here. Chongqing boasts rich natural resources and local specialties, making it a good place to do some shopping. There are modern shopping malls, department stores, comprehensive trade markets, professional wholesale markets, supermarkets, and chain stores all over the urban and rural regions.

Chongqing has developed the shopping centre at Jiefangbei, Chaotianmen, and a number of pedestrian streets and featured streets in other districts and counties, which integrate shopping and such city functions as banking, transportation, food and beverage, entertainment, culture and tourism.

Jiefangbei, or the People's Liberation Monument, is to celebrate the Communists' liberation of CHongqing from 70 years of colonial and right-wining occupation.

Jiefangbei (Liberty Stele) shopping zone is the central business district of Chongqing city and the symbol of economic prosperity of Chongqing Municipality. As the center of Jiefangbei shopping area, Jiefangbei Commercial Pedestrian Street is an ideal place for shopping, recreation and entertainment. It is lined with shopping malls, stores, banks, theaters, ballrooms, KTV clubs, bookstores, supermarkets, hotels and restaurants. The main shopping malls include Chongqing Department Store, New Century Department Store, Commercial Mansion, Friendship Shopping Center, Carrefour Supermarket and New Oriental Women Plaza.

Chaotianmen Market is a very popular place among locals and foreigners. It is located on East Jiefang Road and is the biggest market in Chongqing. Covering a total of over 200,000 square meters, this market mainly engage in garment and knitgoods wholesale. Other items such as plastic ware, Christmas decoration, toys, souvenirs, teapots, shoes, handbags, candles and everyday knickknacks also could be found here.

The local products recommended include: Chongqing Tuo Tea, Cuiping Silver Needle Tea, Xinong Maojian Tea, Rongchang Paper Fans, Print Painting, Sichuan Brocade and etc.

entertainment

Chongqing has numerous types of recreation and entertainment activities. The cinemas, KTV, theatres, nightclub, dance clubs, pubs, cafes, teahouse, and etc are all good place for relaxation.

The Jiefangbei area is the district where most bars are scattered. JJ's House Disco, on Bayi Lu, is the pick at the moment. At close proximity, the Silver Rock and Rainbow are also good choices. Try one of the recommendations given below to get a taste of Chongqing's nighttime offerings.

Chongqing Studio City Cinema is located on the sixth floor of the Metropolis Plaza in the Yuzhong District. It is the largest and most luxurious Cineplex in the area. Most films are dubbed in Chinese, although Hollywood films and Chinese blockbusters with English subtitles are shown occasionally. Since its grand opening in 1998, Studio City Cinema has been regarded by locals as the top entertainment centre in Chongqing.

If you are a bar fans, Nan Bin Road, which stretch along the Yangtze River, will cater to all your needs. You will find many bars, pubs, cafe and teahouses there, each offering a unique style and flavor. This street has become a hub for nighttime leisure in Chongqing.

Chongqing is also known for its acrobatics. ‘Balancing on a Plank and Bowls Topping’ by the Chongqing Acrobatic Troupe won a silver medal at the Ninth World Acrobatics of Tomorrow Festival and the troupe’s Plate Spinning and Jumping through Hoops were winners of the Silver Lion Medal at the National Acrobatics Tournament. So go to watch an acrobatics performance is also a wonderful experience.

transportation

Aviation

There are three civilian airports in Chongqing: the Jiangbei International Airport, Chongqing Wanzhou Wuqiao Airport, Chongqing Qianjiang Zhoubai Airport (under construction).

Located 21km in the northern district of the city, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is a national-level all-weather airport, which has been approved by the Central Government as a port for issuing landing visas to foreign visitors. Covering a total area of 100 thousand square meters and a capability of 8-10 million person-time per year, it is the largest aviation hub in the central and western regions. It is a Category 1 Port and a Class A civil airport. It has opened 114 domestic and international regular air lines. In 2006, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport was listed as the top 10 big Airports in china and top 100 Airports in the whole world.

Highway

Chongqing has sped up construction of infrastructure projects, especially highway projects since it was made a municipality under the Central Government. Projects for “8-Hour to Chongqing” were completed by the end of 2003, and projects for “Half-Hour to Downtown” are right under way. The total mileages of highway open to traffic reaches 31,407 km. Expressways account for 580 km, increased by 45.4% over the previous year; Class A and B highways account for 3,792km, increased by 7.2%. There are more than 20 bridges over the rivers of Yangtze and Jialing. Expressways in service include Chengdu-Chongqing Expressway, Chongqing-Changshou Expressway, Changshou-Fuling Expressway, Chongqing-Guizhou Expressway, the Outer Ring Expressway, Chongqing-Hechuan Expressway and Chongqing-Wanzhou Expressway.

Railway

Besides Chengdu-Chongqing railway, the first railway built after the foundation of the new China, Chongqing has another two electrified trunk lines, Xiangfan-Chongqing railway and Sichuan-Guizhou railways and 5 branch lines connected with the national railway network. Chongqing Railway Station, located at Caiyuanba, is the railway hub and passenger terminal of Chongqing. At present, track-laying has been completed for Dazhou-Wanzhou railway; construction of Chongqing-Huaihua railway and Jiaochangtou-Xinshancun light rail project are underway; and construction of Yichang-Wanzhou railway has been commenced.

Water

Chongqing is the largest inland port city on the upper reaches of The Yangtze River. The Yangtse River, Jialing River and their distributaries forms the water carriage network Chongqing. There are tens of ports and wharfs along the Yangtze River in Wanzhou, Fuling and other districts/ counties. River-sea combined transportation is available via Shanghai to offshore destinations. The waterway is navigable for 1,000-tonne ships to reach Chongqing, and the mileage is over 4,000 km. Chongqing Port is a Category-1 port. The annual passenger transportation of the new Chongqing Port will be 10 million, while the annual freight transportation will be 10 million tonnes. After the Three Gorges Project is completed, 10,000-tonne fleets can sail upstream to Chongqing Port from Wuhan. In recent years, high-speed hovercrafts have been in service to increase economic benefits and competitiveness of water carriage. By 2003, there are 134 navigable rivers, and total open mileage for navigation reached 4,086 km.

Taxies

Compared with other big cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou, it is cheaper to hire a taxi in Chongqing. It is 5 RMB for the first 3 km, and 1.2 RMB for per extra kilometer. The most popular taxies here are the native Ling Yang. Other makes including Volkswagen, Santana, Ford, Mondeo etc. are also available, and extra fees may be charged. Usually the clients will have to pay toll gates on expressways, which are usually 10 RMB, and an extra of 0.6 RMB per 5 minutes will be charged for holding.

highlights

Hot Pot

Chongqing hotpot is a must for any visitor to the city. This dish is served in numerous restaurants throughout the nation, but always tastes best in Chongqing.

When dining out on hotpot, the waitress puts a light under the hotpot which is embedded in the table, and adds to it handfuls of spicy seasonings, such as pepper and cayenne. The scarlet soup soon begins to bubble, emitting a spicy aroma. To those unaccustomed to spicy food the first taste may be a shock, but the hotpot's piquant and mellow taste soon wins any diner over. The local people's liking for hot food can be attributed to Chongqing's humid climate. Rich in vitamin C, capsicine and capsaicin, appropriate amounts of cayenne stimulate the appetite, accelerate digestion, expel wetness and invigorate the circulation.

The best time to eat hotpot is on humid summer days, as its spiciness is believed to combat the toxins in the body caused by too much heat. It is also a popular social pursuit. On returning home from work, local men slip into baggy, comfortable shorts, and make off for hotpot eateries with their friends, where they eat fiery hotpot while playing finger-guessing games and swigging cold beer.

Famous local hotpot restaurants are Qiaotou (bridge head), Xiaotian'e (cygnet), Luningxiang (dewy fragrance) and Sudajie (big sister Su). Qiaotou (tel: 023-62802973) hotpot is famed for its alluring appearance as well as aroma and taste. It is said that the best hotpot cuisine is in Chongqing, but that the best flavor is in Qiaotou. Decorated in traditional style, the restaurant has a pleasant ambience, and stages evening cabaret performances. The Yisiyi (one four one) Restaurant on 141 Bayi Road is also a good choice. Its founder, Yang Hailin, has 30 years experience in preparing hotpot. The sauce he concocts is the very essence of Chongqing hotpot -- spicy, hot and savory.

Attactions

Zhang Fei Temple Shibaozhai (Stone Treasure Fortress) General Joseph W. Stilwell Museum (Residence of General Joseph W. Stilwell) People's Liberation Monument (Jiefangbei) Zigong Salt History Museum Zigong Dinosaur Museum Southern Hot Springs Park People's Great Hall of Chongqing Northern Hot Springs Park Dazu Rock Carvings Ciqikou Ancient Town