Attractions in Chongqing: Angling City Ba Yu Culture Village Baoding Mountain Beishan Hill Grotto Chaotian Gate Jinfo Nature Reserve People's Great Hall Wansheng Stone Forest

Chongqing Introduction

With a history of over 3,000 years, Chongqing, the birthplace of Ba and Yu culture is one of the least well known but most important historical cities in all of China. Today, little of this interesting past is visible and the city is essentially an industrial mass. Much of it is dirty and seedy but there is a lively atmosphere prevalent about the place that often goes hand in hand with the more "hardcore" cities in China.

The area known as Chongqing became the capital of the Ba State in the 11 century BC under the mythical King of the Yu. By the 12th Century AD, this small city had grown in size and was renamed Chongqing, meaning "Double happiness" in Chinese.Despite the name, the city in fact has a rather turbulent past, and the residents here have spent much of their history keeping invaders out. In 1242 Chongqing put up a defence against the Mongols and in 1937, the Kuomingtang fled here from the Japanese. The city withstood attack and was one of the last Kuomingtang bastions. In 1997, Chongqing separated from Sichuan to become an independent prefecture in its own right. Today, this vast southwestern dynamo is known as Chongqing Municipality.

Sight Overview

Chongqing is essentially a mountain city, surrounded on all sides by steep hills which keep the fog and mist in the basin. The Yangtze and Jialing Rivers embrace the downtown area here however, providing light relief from the industrial city views prevalent throughout much of the area.

The suburbs are home to some of the best spots including various Hot Springs and pleasant mountain walks. In terms of sights and attractions, the reason most people visit this spot is to see (or take a trip along) the Yangtze. Boats for the Three Gorges leave form this city. Please see the information in the Three Gorges section for more details.

Some of the more interesting spots in Chongqing are relics left over from the revolutionary era. Although many of these places have a colorful history, today, they are not particularly fascinating and not worth more than a couple of hours consideration. The Chongqing Municipal Museum, Hongyan Revolutionary Museum (the former office of the Eight Route Army), the cemetery of the revolutionary martyr in the Gele Mountain (Zhazi Cave and Bais' Residence), the Official Residence of Jiang Jieshi and the Residence of Zhang Zhizhong (Gui Yuan) are all worth a look. There are also a few prisons dotted about the town, reminders of the radical past Chongqing has.