Chongqing Overview

Chongqing overview can help you have a more comprehensive understanding of Chongqing from the basic information, geographical location, climate, administrative divisions and so on. 

Basic Information

Geography 

Chongqing is located in southwest China, the upper reaches of the Yangtze river, the transitional zone between the Qinghai-Tibet plateau and the middle and the Middle-Lower Yangtze plains. It is adjacent to Hubei and Hunan in the east, Guizhou in the south, Sichuan in the west, and Shaanxi in the north. It is 470 kilometers long from east to west and 450 kilometers wide from south to north, covering an area of 82,400 square kilometers. 

Chongqing's terrain from the south and north to the Yangtze river valley gradually lower, northwest and central areas are mainly hills and low mountains, southeast area is the Daba mountain and Wuling mountain, known as "mountain city". The general topography is high in the southeast and northeast, low in the central and western regions, descending from the south and north to the Yangtze river valley. Chongqing has Daba mountain in the north, Wushan mountain in the east, Wuling mountain in the southeast, and Dalou mountain in the south. Chongqing's main urban areas are mostly between 168 and 400 meters above sea level. The highest peak in the city is Yintiaoling Mountain(阴条岭), the main peak of Jiliangshan Mountain(界梁山) on the eastern edge of Wuxi county, with a altitude of 2796.8 meters. The lowest is the surface of the Yangtze river in Wushan county, 73.1 meters above sea level. The elevation difference of Chongqing is 2,723.7 meters above sea level. Within the territory, there are high mountains, deep valleys, with 76% area of mountains, 22% area of hills and only 2% area of river valley and dam.

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Climate

Chongqing enjoys a typical humid subtropical monsoon climate, with an annual average temperature of 16-18℃. Under the dual action of terrain and climate, Chongqing is rich in mist, known as "Foggy Chongqing" and "Capital of Fog". The average annual foggy day is 104 days, however, the annual foggy day of the world's fog capital London is only 94 days on average, and the far east fog capital of Tokyo is only 55 days. The average annual relative humidity in Chongqing is 70%-80%, which is a high humidity area in China. The annual sunshine duration is 1000-1400 hours, and the sunshine percentage is only 25%-35%, which is one of the areas with the least sunshine in China. The sunshine in winter and spring is even less, accounting for only 35% of the whole year. The main climate characteristics of Chongqing can be summarized as warm winter and early spring, hot summer and cool autumn, four distinct seasons and long frost-free period, moist air and abundant rainfall, weak solar radiation and short sunshine duration, significant three-dimensional climate, rich climate resources and frequent meteorological disaster. 

Best Time to Visit

Spring and autumn are the best times to visit Chongqing. The weather is sunny and comfortable in these periods. However, from October to April in the following year, Chongqing has more fog than any other time of year, so although it is hot in summer, there is less fog comparing with other seasons. Summer is the best time to enjoy the charming night scene of Chongqing. Winter is more suitable for visiting indoor museum or Wulong Karst Landscape, and is a good time to eat hotpot, soak hot springs to relax.

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Administrative Divisions

Chongqing administrative divisions are divided into districts, counties and autonomous counties. Chongqing has jurisdiction over 26 municipal districts, 8 counties and 4 autonomous counties. They are Yuzhong District(渝中区), Wanzhou District(万州区), Fuling District(涪陵区), Dadukou District(大渡口区), Jiangbei District(江北区), Shapingba District(沙坪坝区), Jiulongpo District(九龙坡区), Nanan District(南岸区), Beibei District(北碚区), Qijiang District(綦江区), Dazu District(大足区), Yubei District(渝北区), Banan District(巴南区), Qianjiang District(黔江区), Changshou District(长寿区), Jiangjin District(江津区), Hechuan District(合川区), Yongchuan District(永川区), Nanchuan District(南川区), Bishan District(璧山区), Tongliang District(铜梁区), Tongnan District(潼南区), Rongchang District(荣昌区), Kaizhou District(开州区), Liangping District(梁平区), Wulong District(武隆区), Chengkou County(城口县), Fengdu County(丰都县), Dianjiang County(垫江县), Zhongxian County(忠县), Yunyang County(云阳县), Fengjie County(奉节县), Wushan County(巫山县), Wuxi County(巫溪县), Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County(石柱土家族自治县), Xiushan Tujia and Miao Autonomous County(秀山土家族苗族自治县), Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County(酉阳土家族苗族自治县) and Pengshui Miao and Tujia Automous County(彭水苗族土家族自治县). 

History

In 316 BC, Qin destroyed Ba kingdom, and since then Chongqing area was under the control of the central plains dynasties. After Qin destroyed Ba kingdom, Ba prefecture(巴郡) was built in its original place in 314 BC, as one of the 36 prefectures. The seat of local government was in Jiangzhou City (Today's Yuzhong District in Chongqing). After Liu Bang of the Han dynasty acquired the land of Bashu in 206 BC, Ba prefecture was still established according to the Qin dynasty. Fuling and Badong prefectures were established in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Chongqing has many heritages of The Three Kingdoms period, including the white emperor city and Zhang Fei Temple. Many of the stories in the Romance of The Three Kingdoms take place in what is now Chongqing area. Bayu culture, provisional capital culture and food culture formed in the long history have a profound influence on the development of Chongqing. 

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Culture

Chongqing culture includes its history, Bayu culture, provisional capital culture, food culture, opera, temple fairs, ethnic groups, etc, which intermingle and influence each other. For thousands of years, the folk traditions and customs formed by Chongqing people include New Year's visit during the Spring Festival, watching lantern on the 15th day of the first lunar month, ancestor worship in the early April and appreciating the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival, as well as hanging wine flag, going to temple fairs, flying the kite and so on, covering weddings and funerals, recreations and games, supernatural concepts, worship and taboos, commerce and trade various aspects. And during this process, many culture heritages like Sichuan opera, Liangshan lantern opera, Youyang waving dance, Sichuan Pingshu, Xiushan lantern and Fengdu temple fair are continuously inherited and protected. 

Read More: Chongqing Culture and Chongqing Festivals and Events.

Transportation

Chongqing Transportation, to some extent, is strongly linked to Chongqing Tours. Chongqing is the hub of southwest and central China, a major city on the upper reaches of the Yangtze river, and one of the major transportation hubs connecting east and west China. Chongqing has extensive water, land and air transportation. It has formed a convenient and efficient three-dimensional transportation network with many large and medium-sized cities all over the country and even in the world. At present, the main transportation modes to Chongqing are airplanes, trains, long-distance buses and ships. There are also various forms of public transportation in the main urban areas of Chongqing, including bus, monorails, metro, cableways, escalators, elevators and ferries.

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Things to Do 

Chongqing is featuring mountains, water, forest, springs, waterfalls, gorges, caves and other natural landscapes, owning a total of 300 natural and cultural attractions, including a world cultural heritage and 2 world natural heritages. It means that there are a lot of attractions you can visit in Chongqing. Chongqing Attractions

Enjoy the Nighview of Chongqing

The night view of Chongqing is acknowledged to be more beautiful than Shanghai and Hong Kong, known as “little Hong Kong”. Therefore, when travelling in Chongqing, in addition to Hot Pot and beauties, night view is a must see. There are many ways to enjoy the night scene in Chongqing. You can take a boat tour, see from the high palce, or take the light rail to enjoy the best night scenery. Recommended sightseeing spots include the Hongxing Pavilion(红星亭) in Chongqing Pipashan Park, Liangjiang Tower in E’ling Park, Nanshan Yikeshu observation platform(南山一棵树观景台), Nanbin Road, Jiefangbei and Hongya Cave.

Take a Cruise on Yangtze River and Jialing River

Taking a cruise at Chaotianmen wharf to tour the two rivers (namely the Yangtze River and the Jialing River), is a classic project of enjoying the night scenery in Chongqing. The cruise ship offers a 360-degree panoramic view of the mountain city. The ship moves slowly, and it’s nice to have a blast on a summer night, but at other times, you’d better to prepare one more clothes, and be sure to keep warm in winter. There are both luxurious and ordinary ships. The overall price difference between the two is 30-60 yuan, which will decrease by 10-20 yuan in the off-season (such as winter). In fact, there is not much difference between the two for the night view, you can just choose an ordinary boat for a simple experience. The general route is to and from Chaotianmen Wharf and Jialing River bridge, and then to and from Changjiang Chaotianmen Wharf and Yangtze River bridge, cruising around Yuzhong Mountain City peninsula, and you will see Hongya Cave, Grand Theater, Jiefangbei and other attractions on the way. 

Eating Hot Pot

Chongqing hot pot is on the first place of the top 10 cultural symbols in Chongqing. It originated in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, when the boatmen invented it to ward off the cold. Then, it became popular all over the country, and an essential delicacy for the Chongqing locals. The authentic Chongqing hotpot is the "Squared Up(九宫格)" (there are nine compartments in the pot), which is mainly featuring chilies, Sichuan peppercorns and beef tallow. Hotpot restaurants, including old hot pot and new style hot pot restaurants, can be seen everywhere in Chongqing. 

Take a Bath in the Hot Springs 

Chongqing hot spring is a world-class tourist resource. Only Budapest of Hungary, known as the hot spring capital in the world, has as many hot springs as Chongqing. 

Read More: Hot Springs and Spas in Chongqing

Walk the Mountain City Trails(走山城步道)

The mountain city trail is one of the best ways to get deep into Chongqing, as it is a series of uphill alleys in the city going through old residential areas.There are many mountain city trails in Chongqing, but the one with most beautiful scenery is The Third Trail. Along the way, there are many architectural ruins, and you can see local people basking and chatting. All of these can make people calm down, and feel the most real life of the old Chongqing under the bright and flashy appearance.

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Economy

Chongqing's economic construction has basically formed the pattern of the coexistence of agriculture, industry, transportation and circulation. Chongqing is the largest economic center city in southwest China and the upper reaches of the Yangtze river. In 2018, Chongqing's GDP was 2,036,319 billion yuan, up 6% year-on-year at comparable prices. By industry, the added value of the primary industry reached 137.827 billion yuan, up 4.4%; The added value of the secondary industry reached 832.879 billion yuan, up 3%; The added value of the tertiary industry reached 1065.613 billion yuan, up 9.1%.

Read More: Economy of Chongqing

Natural Resources

Water Resource

The annual average water resources of Chongqing is about 500 billion cube meters, with the first water area per square kilometer in China. The theoretical reserves of water energy resources are 14.3828 million kilowatts, the developable amount is 7.5 million kilowatts. Chongqing has the total installed capacity of developable hydropower per square kilometers is 3 times of the national average. In addition, Chongqing is also rich in underground heat and drinking mineral water. The main rivers in Chongqing are the Yangtze river, Jialing river, Wujiang river, Fujiang river, Qijiang river, Daning river, Apeng river, Youshui river and so on. The main stream of the Yangtze river traverses the whole territory from west to east, with a flow length of 665 kilometers. It crosses the three anticline of Wushan mountain, forming the famous Qutang gorge, Wu gorge and Xiling gorge, namely the world-famous three gorges of the Yangtze river.

Biological Resource

There are more than 6000 kinds of plants in Chongqing, including cyathea, metasequoia, taiwania flousiana, silver fir, Chinese dove tree and so on, which are known as living fossils of plants. The forest coverage rate is 20.49%. Known as "Bayu Emei", Jinyun mountain has more than 1,700 species of subtropical trees, as well as living fossils 160 million years ago including metasequoia, parlex tree and other rare plants in the world. There are 5880 species of plants belonging to 333 families in Nanchuan Jinfo Mountain, a national nature conservation and famous scenic spot, including 52 species of rare plants such as silver fir, Ginkgo and ginseng, and 36 species of national protected animals such as francois's leaf monkey and leopard. Chongqing is one of the important producing areas of traditional Chinese medicinal materials in China. The wild medicinal materials growing in large areas of mountainous areas and artificially cultivated traditional Chinese medicinal materials include coptis chinensis, atractylodes, honeysuckle, codonopsis, fritillaria, gastrodia elata, magnolia officinalis, eucommia ulmoides and angelica sinensis. The production of coptis chinensis in Shizhu Tujia autonomous county is on the first place in the whole country, and Shizhu is known as "the land of coptis chinensis". There are more than 600 kinds of animal resources in Chongqing, including nearly 100 kinds of rare animals under state protection like golden monkey, south China tiger, slow loris and black stork.