Chongqing (重庆; Chóngqìng, formerly spelled Chungking) is fast becoming the most economically important city in the interior West China, with an urban population of around 8.8 million. In addition to the central urban area, Chongqing Municipality also includes some 80,000 km² (31,000 sq mi) of the neighboring countryside and smaller towns, with approximately 30 million people altogether. Long off the foreign tourist's radar, the city has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity in the 2020s, with its futuristic downtown core now being a favouri…
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Chongqing is one of the four municipalities in China, cities that are not part of a province and instead report directly to the central government; it is the only municipality that is not on the east coast (the others are Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin). It was historically a part of Sichuan province, and is culturally and linguistically considered to be part of it. During World War II, Chongqing served as the temporary capital of China after Nanjing fell to the Japanese. Despite being heavily bombed, Chongqing was successfully defended by the Chinese forces and avoided occupation for the duration of the war.
The metro and bus systems are advised as the best forms of transportation and are very cheap and efficient. Chongqing is a very hilly city, so be prepared to climb lots of stairs when walking around. That can also make it a confusing city to navigate on foot, as the ground floor of one building can be at the same elevation as the 20th floor of an adjacent building for instance. The first section of Chongqing's rapid transit system opened in 2005. Since then, major expansions have now linked major railway stations, major shopping districts and the airport, with more extensions under construction. Announcements are made both in Mandarin and English.
Chongqing has the largest population in West China and is the focus of China's "Go West" development strategy. As a result, it is a very lively and rapidly modernizing city, although it does get a bit too hectic most of the time. On the surface, the city appears rough around the edges and a bit gritty and thus there may appear to be not much to do in the daytime, but further investigation will uncover a city with truly its own character and a number of interesting sites actually worth looking into. 1 Chaotianmen Square (朝天门广场), 1 Changjiang Binjiang Road, Yuzhong District (重庆市渝中区长江滨江路1号) (many bus routes terminate here), ☏ +86 23-63712870. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
1 Huangguan Escalator (皇冠大扶梯) (next to Chongqing Railway Station & Lianglukou Metro Station), ☏ +86 23 63856688. 07:00-22:00. Claimed to be the second longest single escalator in Asia, it saves travelers having to climb the steep steps, hundreds of metres up or down between the train station & Chang Jiang Yi Road. Curiously it is a paid service in both directions. ¥2. 2 Yangtze River Cableway (长江索道), 151 Xinhua Road, Yuzhong District (渝中区新华路151号), ☏ +86 23 63834147. 07:30-22:30. This cableway, which is operated by the Chongqing Passenger Cableway Company Ltd (重庆市客运索道有限公司) takes one across the Yangtze River and provides a great view of the city.
Chongqing is a harbor city and with this comes what is called dockside culture (matou wenhua). This culture is blamed for a lot of things from cursing profusely to... Hot Pot. While many great restaurants abound in the city, memorable dining is best along Nanbin Lu with incredible night views back across the Yangtze River with the Jeifangbei city skyline lit-up. Here are some examples of the city's many offerings. Hot Pot (火锅 huǒguō, lit.: firepot) is one of Chongqing's claims to fame.
There are many bars in Chongqing, but most are underpopulated. Generally the local bottled beer is ¥10, and the variety includes several local beers and even Guinness (expensive) on occasions. If you go to one of the small restaurants to eat, you can buy bottles of local beer at ¥3 upwards. As a warning, some bars have adopted a less pleasant method to send pretty girls to accompany and entertain you, and then ask for huge additional sums when you leave. Take care. 1 Semi underground entertainment centre (west of Jiefangbei War Memorial, at the same place as the CRT Jiaochangkou Station).
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Chongqing typically sees ~33°C daytime highs and 17 rainy days.
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