 Chongqing Municipality, 334km (208 miles) SE of Chengdu, 1,346km (836 miles) S of Xi'an, 1,000km (620 miles) upstream of Three Gorges Dam.
Known as a "Mountain City", Chongqing was constructed on the mountain slopes and along the riversides. It has a long history and numerous scenic spots and historic sites. Because the city is very hilly it is the only major metropolitan area in China without significant numbers of bicycles. It is renowned in particular for gardens with unique beauty. Famous tourist sites include the stone carvings in Dazu County, the Three Gorges scenery, the South Hot Spring Park, the North Hot Spring Park, and Red Crag Memorial Museum.
Geography
Located on the edge of the Yungui Plateau, Chongqing is intersected by the Jialing River and the upper reaches of the Yangtze. It contains Daba Shan in the north, Wu Shan in the east, Wuling Shan in the southeast, and Dalou Mountain to the south. The city is very hilly and is the only major metropolitan area in China without significant numbers of bicycles.
Climate
The climate is semi-tropical, with the two-season monsoonal variations typical of South Asia. It has hot summers, and the temperature can be as high as 43¡ãC (109¡ãF). Along with Wuhan and Nanjing, it is known as one of the "three furnaces" of China. In the winter, it is wet and warm. While it seldom snows, most days are foggy.
The typically severe fogs were protective during World War II as the city was periodically bombarded by Japanese aircraft; their aircrews were unable to target their bombs accurately. The prevalent black tile roofs of buildings would also tend to blend into the ground colors and so became an effective form of camouflage.
As is true of most of China, the city often experiences severe air pollution, largely as a result of the burning of coal without pollution controls. Coal is burned both for industrial processes and for the production of electric power. Also, due to the surrounding mountains, a lack of wind makes the air pollution in the city even worse.
Transport
Chongqing is the largest water, land and air transport hub in southwest China. Every day several dozen  flights shuttle between Chongqing and other major cities in the country. There are also scheduled flights to Thailand, Japan, Germany, South Korea, Hong Kong and Macao. There are quite a few star-graded boats catered to foreign visitors, and their routes and stopovers are set up according to destinations along the river and the Three Gorges. Plying the water of the Yangtze are currently 50 or so luxury cruises with first-class service and so equipped as to make the journey a cozy experience. Many tourist trains run from Chongqing to Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an and vice versa. |
