Chongqing
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| Municipality of Chongqing 重庆市 Chóngqìng Shì |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country |  People's Republic of China |
| County-level divisions | 40 |
| Township divisions | 1259 |
| Settled | ca. 316 BC |
| Government | |
| - CPC Chongqing | Bo Xilai Committee Secretary |
| - Mayor | Wang Hongju |
| Area (ranked 26th) | |
| - Municipality | 82,300 km² (31,776.2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 43.5 m (143 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Municipality | 31,442,300 |
| - Density | 382/km² (989.5/sq mi) |
| - Urban | 4,196,000 |
| - Ranks in China | Populations: 20th; Density: 12th |
| - Major nationalities | Han - 91% Tujia - 5% Miao - 2% |
| Time zone | China Standard Time (UTC+8) |
| Postal code | 4000 00 - 4099 00 |
| Area code(s) | 23 |
| License plate prefixes | 渝 A, B, C, F, G, H |
| ISO 3166-2 | CN-50 |
| GDP (2007) | CNY 411.18 billion |
| - per capita | CNY 14,622 (19th)(2007) |
| HDI (2005) | 0.745 (18th) — medium |
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Ficus lacor Camellia (Camellia japonica) |
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| Website: (Chinese) www.cq.gov.cn (English) english.cq.gov.cn/ |
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Chongqing (simplified Chinese: 重庆; traditional Chinese: 重慶; pinyin: Chóngqìng; Postal map spelling: Chungking; Wade-Giles: Ch'ung-ch'ing) is the largest and most populous of the People's Republic of China's four provincial-level municipalities, and the only one in the less densely populated western region of China. Formerly (until 14 March 1997) a sub-provincial city within Sichuan Province, the municipality of Chongqing has a registered population of 31,442,300 (2005). The boundaries of Chongqing municipality reach much further into the city's hinterland than the boundaries of the other three provincial level municipalities (Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin), and much of the municipality, which spans over 20 million acres, is rural. The population of the urban area of Chongqing proper was 4.1 million in 2005 although this figure is disputed owing to difficulties as to where the urban area of Chongqing begins and ends.
The municipal abbreviation, 渝 (Yú), was approved by the State Council on 18 April 1997. Chongqing was also a municipality of the old Republic of China. Its abbreviated name is derived from the old name of a part of the Jialing River that runs through Chongqing and feeds the Yangtze River.
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[edit] History
Chongqing is said to be the semi-mythical State of Ba that the Ba people supposedly established during the eleventh century BCE. By 316 BCE, however, it had been overrun by the State of Qin. The Qin emperor ordered a new city to be constructed, which was called Jiang (江州) and Chu Prefecture (楚州).
Chongqing was subsequently renamed in 581 CE (Sui Dynasty) and 1102, to Yu Prefecture (渝州) and then Gong Prefecture (). It received its current name in 1189, after Prince Zhao Dun of the Southern Song Dynasty described his crowning as king and then Emperor Guangzong as a "double/repeated happy celebration" (simplified Chinese: 双重喜庆; traditional Chinese: 雙重喜慶; pinyin: shuāngchóng xǐqìng). Hence, Yu Prefecture became Chongqing subprefecture to mark the occasion.[citation needed]
In 1362, (Yuan Dynasty), Ming Yuzhen, a peasant rebel leader, established the Daxia Kingdom at Chongqing for a short time.
In 1621, another short-lived kingdom of Daliang was established there.
Between 1627-1645, with the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Chongqing, together with Sichuan, were captured by the Revolts who overthrew the Ming Dynasty across the nation. Later during the Qing Dynasty, immigration to Chongqing and Sichuan took place with the support of Qing emperor.
In 1891, Chongqing became the first inland commerce port open to foreigners.
From 1929, Chongqing became a municipality of the Republic of China. During the Second Chinese-Japanese War (1937-1945), it was Chiang Kai-shek's provisional capital and was heavily bombed by the Japanese Air Force. Luckily, due to its mountainous environment, many people were saved from the bombing. Many factories and universities were moved from eastern China to Chongqing during WWII, transforming this city from inland port to a heavily industrialized city.
In 1954, the municipality was reduced to a provincial city within the Sichuan Province of the People's Republic of China.
On 14 March 1997, the Eighth National People's Congress decided to merge the city with the neighbouring Fuling, Wanxian, and Qianjiang prefecture-level districts that it had governed on behalf of the province since September 1996. The resulting single division was the Chongqing Municipality, containing 30,020,000 people in forty-three former counties (without intermediate political levels). The municipality became the spearhead of China's effort to develop its western regions and coordinate the resettlement of residents from the reservoir areas of the Three Gorges Dam project. Its first official ceremony took place on 18 June 1997.
[edit] Administrative divisions
Chongqing Municipality is divided into forty county-level subdivisions (three abolished in 1997), consisting of nineteen districts, seventeen counties, and four autonomous counties.
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| Pinyin name | Hanzi | Previous associationa |
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| Pengshui Miao and Tujia | 彭水苗族土家族自治县 | Qianjiang |
| Shizhu Tujia | 石柱土家族自治县 | |
| Xiushan Tujia and Miao | 秀山土家族苗族自治县 | |
| Youyang Tujia and Miao | 酉阳土家族苗族自治县 |
a Indicates with which district the division was associated below prior to the merging of Chongqing, Fuling, Wanxian (now Wanzhou) and Qianjiang in 1997.
The urban area of Chongqing proper (重庆市区) includes the following districts:
- Yuzhong (渝中区, or "Central Chongqing District"), the central and most densely populated district, where government offices are located
- Nan'an (南岸区, or "Southern Bank District")
- Jiangbei (江北区, or "North of the River District")
- Shapingba (沙坪坝区)
- Jiulongpo (九龙坡区)
- Dadukou (大渡口区)
[edit] Geography
- Geographic coordinates
- 105°17'-110°11' East, 28°10'－32°13' North
- Annual average temperature
- 18°C (64°F)
- Temperature range
- 0 C - 43 C (32 F - 109 F)
- Total annual hours of sunshine
- 1000 to 1200
- Annual precipitation
- 1000 to 1400 mm (39 in - 47 in)
- Neighboring provinces
- Hubei (east), Hunan (southeast), Guizhou (south), Sichuan (west), Shaanxi (north)
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. Chongqing has a humid subtropical climate influenced by monsoon. Summers are amongst the hottest in China, with an average high of 95F (35C) in August. Winters are fairly mild, but damp and overcast; average January highs are 48F (9C). Chongqing has one of the lowest sunshine totals annually in China.
The city is very hilly and is the only major metropolitan area in China without significant numbers of bicycles.
[edit] Politics
The politics of Chongqing is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in the People's Republic of China.
The Mayor of Chongqing is the highest ranking official in the People's Government of Chongqing. Since Chongqing is a centrally administered municipality, the mayor occupies the same level in the order of precedence as provincial governors. However, in the city's dual party-government governing system, the mayor has less power than the Chongqing Communist Party of China Municipal Committee Secretary, colloquially termed the "Chongqing CPC Party Chief".
In terms of political status, Chongqing is as important as Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai.
[edit] Economy
INDUSTRY: Historically, Chongqing has been a major trading inland port, transporting goods from the southwestern provinces to eastern China. During the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), Chongqing was transformed into a heavy industrial city, especially the military industry which continued to thrive for decades after 1949. Since the 1980s, many of these military industry enterprises have undergone reforms and turned from producing military goods to mostly civilian products for survival and growth. Today, Chongqing is one of the most significant economic powerhouses of China.
Important industries in Chongqing:[2]
- Mining
- Military
- Auto, motorcycle
- Chemical
- Textiles
- Machinery
- Electronics
- Food processing
- Retail
- Tourism [3]
AGRICULTURE: Chongqing's agricultural sector still employs a significant portion of the population. Other than rice, fruits especially oranges are important sources of income for the farmers. In the past twenty-five years, surplus labor caused a huge number of farmers to migrate to the relatively more developed industrial centers of southern and eastern China for employment opportunities, thus making Chongqing one of the biggest labor export areas in China.
MINING: Chongqing is rich in natural resources, with more than forty kinds of minerals. Its coal reserves are estimated to be 4.8 billion tonnes. The Chuandong Natural Gas Field in Chongqing is China's largest inland production base of natural gas, with deposits of 270 billion m³, accounting for more than one-fifth of China's total. Chongqing contains China’s largest reserve of strontium, and China has the second largest reserve of the mineral in the world.
Automobile: Chongqing is the one of the several automobile manufacturing centers in China and also the largest one in the southwest China. Currently, Ford and Suzuki have already launched their joint-venture with Chongqing Changan Automobile CO Limited, the largest local automobile manufacturer. The first successful model produced in Chongqing was a minivan whose prototype was a corresponding Japanese vehicle. After 20 years' development, there are a wide range of vehicle type provided by the local automobile manufacturers, including passenger car, bus, heavy duty truck, military vehicle, etc.
Chongqing is home to Asia's largest aluminum plant, South West Aluminium, which rolled out 213,000 tonnes of finished products in 2004 for companies engaged in building materials, printing, electrical appliances, aerospace, packaging, and vehicle production [4]. Manganese mining is the most important industry in the Xiushan area, but has been criticised for wasting resources, ruining the local environment and causing industrial accidents. A survey in 2005 by China’s State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) found 13 firms in the manganese triangle had breached targets on the release of hexavalent chromium and ammonia-nitrogen – in the worst case, by a factor of 180. The clean-up ordered by SEPA resulted in firms closing and the expenditure of 280 million yuan.
ECONOMIC STRATEGIES AND DEVELOPMENTS: The central government has recently embarked on an economic policy that is aimed to develop western China: the China Western Development strategy. As part of this new plan, the central government has heavily invested in Chongqing's infrastructure and has made a plan for Chongqing to become the "Gateway to the West"!
Located at the head of the reservoir behind the Three Gorges Dam, Chongqing is planned to be the beachhead for the development of the western part of the country.
With the completion of the Three Gorges Project, its reservoir will bring ocean going ships to the quays of Chongqing. The hope is to make this megalopolis a "Chinese Chicago", opening up the interior, shifting the country's centre of gravity west, and kick-starting the economy – as did Chicago in the United States of the nineteenth century.
Massive public works are currently under way in the city, including overhead and surface commuter rail lines connecting the many districts of the city. Foreign investment in the city is growing at a fast pace. Chongqing is enlarging its commercial sector and will become the financial centre of the West and Central China.
New development zones such as the Chongqing New North Zone (CNNZ) located north of the downtown district have been established to form Chongqing's modern twenty-first century industrial base. [5]
ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE:
In 2006, the nominal GDP of Chongqing Municipality was 348.62 billion yuan (US$45.2 billion), a rise of 11.5%. Its per capita GDP was 12,437 yuan (US$1,610). In 2006, Chongqing was the world's fastest growing metropolis. In a single day new construction added approximately 137,000 square meters of usable floor space to satisfy demands for residential, commercial and factory space. Every day the local population grew by more than 1,300 people and the local economy grew by almost ¥100 million ($12 million USD).[1]
In 2007, the nominal GDP of Chongqing Municipality was 411.18 billion yuan (US$56.3 billion), a rise of 15.3%. Its per capita GDP was 14,339 yuan (US$ 1,964). Among all cities, the economic growth of Chongqing is ranked as the third fastest in China.
[edit] Media
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This section requires expansion. |
Chongqing is served by the Chongqing People's Broadcast Station as the largest radio station. The only municipal-level TV network is Chongqing TV station, claimed to be the 4th largest television station. Chongqing Daily is the largest newspaper group, controlling more than 10 newspapers and one website.
[edit] Transportation
Chongqing is the biggest inland river port in western China. Historically, most of its transportation, especially to eastern China, is via the Yangtze River.
According to Chongqing Municipal Government's ambitious plan in May 2007, Chongqing is going to invest 150 billion RMB in 13 years to finish 513 km of underground/light track system. A transportation network will consist of 9 straight and 1 circular line. However, only one light track line of 19km (Chongqing lightrail line 2 project 1) was finished (2005).
Chongqing is linked to other provinces and cities through several railways and highways, including:
RAILWAYS:
- Chongqing-Chengdu (Sichuan province) railway
- Chongqing-Guiyang (Guizhou province) railway
- Chongqing-Xiangfan (Hubei province) railway
- Chongqing-Huaihua (Hunan province) railway
- Chongqing-Suining (Sichuan province) express railway
- Chongqing Wanzhou-Yichang (Hubei province) railway (under construction)
- Chongqing-Lanzhou (Gansu province) railway (under construction)
HIGHWAYS:
- Chongqing-Chengdu highway
- Chongqing-Wanzhou-Yichang highway (Wanzhou-Yichang section under construction)
- Chongqing-Guiyang highway
- Chongqing-Dazhou-Xi'an highway (Dazhou-Xi'an section under construction)
- Chongqing-Suining highway
Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, located in Yubei district, north of Chongqing, provides links to most parts of China and to other countries. In year 2007, a total of 10,355,730 person-time transporting volume was reported, which ranks this airport as the 10th largest one in China and the third largest one in southwest China.
[edit] 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°C (109°F). Luckily, wind is often cold and this makes people comfortable during those days.
In the winter, it is a bit wet, but warm.
Chongqing can get foggy sometimes. Chongqing is very famours for the foggy weather in spring and winter days, which gives this city a nickname of "雾都", in English "foggy city". This special weather once protected Chongqing from being coventrated by the Japanese invaders during the Second World War.
The best seasons to visit this city are spring and fall.
[edit] Tourism & Landmarks
Chongqing has a number of tourist attractions.
The Dazu Rock Carvings (Chinese: 大足石刻; pinyin: Dàzú Shíkè), in Dazu county, are a series of Chinese religious sculptures and carvings, dating back as far as the 7th century A.D., depicting and influenced by Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs. Listed as a World Heritage Site, the Dazu Rock Carvings are made up of 75 protected sites containing some 50,000 statues, with over 100,000 Chinese characters forming inscriptions and epigraphs.
Fishing Town or Fishing City (Simplified Chinese: 钓鱼城; Traditional Chinese: 釣魚城; Pingyin: diaoyucheng), also called the “Oriental Mecca” and “the Place That Broke God's Whip”, is one of the three great ancient battlefields of China. It is famous for its resistance to the Mongol armies in the latter half of the Song Dynasty. One of the most notable events was the death of Mongol leader Mongke Khan by cannon shot, which forced the immediate withdrawal of Mongol troops from Europe and Asia and prevented the Mongolian Empire from expanding towards Africa and Western Europe.
In 2005 Chinese tourist authorities began development of an attraction to be known as "Ladies’ Town" in the Shuangqiao District. The 'town's' motto is to be: "Ladies Can Never Be Wrong, and Gentlemen Should Never Refuse Ladies’ Requests." The project is expected to be completed in 2008-2010.
Chongqing has an impressive skyline consisting of numerous skyscrapers. The city is also well known for it's more than three thousand bridges.
Hot pot is Chongqing's local culinary specialty. Tables in hotpot restaurants usually contain a central vat (or pot) where food ordered by the customers is boiled/deep fried. As well as beef, pork, lotus and other vegetables, items such as pig's kidney, brain; duck's bowels; and cow's stomach are often added to the pot.
- The city is home to one of the largest public assembly buildings in China, the Great Hall of the People which, though built in modern times, emulates traditional architectural styles. It is adjacent to the densely populated and hilly central district, with narrow streets and pedestrian only walkways.
- There is a museum at the World War II headquarters of General "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell.
- A giant ferris wheel offers spectacular views of the metropolitan area, although it is currently out of action.
- A modern and well stocked zoo exhibits many national and regional animals, including the Giant Panda and the extremely rare South China Tiger.
- The People's Liberation Monument, located in the center of Chongqing city, attracts many visitors. It is surrounded by numerous shopping centres.
- Red Rock Village Museum is a place to attract a lot of people, it is the home of Communist Party Leaders Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai stayed there for negotiation with Kuomintang on coalition between two parties.
- In July 2007, the city built a bathroom with 1,000 toilets spread out over 32,290 square feet. Some urinals are uniquely shaped, including ones inside open crocodile mouths and several that are topped by the bust of a woman resembling the Virgin Mary. Officials submitted an application to Guinness World Records to have the free four-story public bathroom listed as the world's largest.[2]
[edit] Astronomical phenomena
The previous total solar eclipse as seen from downtown Chongqing was the solar eclipse of 26 June 1824. The next will be the solar eclipse of 22 July 2009.
[edit] Sister cities
Washington, D.C., USA
Düsseldorf, Germany- Seattle, USA
Hiroshima, Japan- Mito, Ibaraki, Japan
Toronto, Canada
Brisbane, Australia
Toulouse, France
Leicester, England- Detroit, Michigan, USA
Shiraz, Iran
Chongqing Municipality has a Memorandum of Understanding (a form of twinning arrangement) with Wales, UK and became a 'sister region' of Wales in March 2008.[3]
In June 2007, a twinning agreement between Chongqing and Sør-Trøndelag was signed.[4]
[edit] City Tree and Flower
The city's tree is the evergreen magnolia (magnolia delavayi) abundant in street plantings, with the tulip-like shape of its mature unopened blooms repeated in street lights. The city's flower is the Common Camellia (Camellia japomica ).
[edit] Colleges and universities
| Chongqing University | 重庆大学 | founded in 1929 |
| Southwest University | 西南大学 | founded in 1906 |
| Chongqing Institute of Technology | 重庆工学院 | |
| Chongqing Jiaotong University | 重庆交通大学 | |
| Chongqing Normal University | 重庆师范大学 | |
| Chongqing Technology and Business University | 重庆工商大学 | |
| Chongqing Three Gorges University | 重庆三峡学院 | |
| Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications | 重庆邮电学院 | |
| Yangtze Nomal University | 长江师范学院 | founded in 1931 |
| Sichuan Fine Arts Institute | 四川美术学院 | |
| Sichuan International Studies University | 四川外语学院 | |
| Southwest University of Political Science and Law | 西南政法大学 | |
| Third Military Medical University | 第三军医大学 | |
| Western Chongqing University | 渝西学院 | |
| Chongqing University of Medical Sciences | 重庆医科大学 | |
| Chongqing University of Science and Technology | 重庆科技学院 |
Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.
[edit] Sports
Professional sports teams in Chongqing include:
[edit] See also
- List of cities in the People's Republic of China by population
- List of laojiaos in Chongqing municipality
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything," Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams, Penguin, p. 218, 2006.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Why Chongqing? Wales Week The Trade Mission Chongqing, 1 – 8 March
- ^ http://www.norway.cn/norway_and_china/friendship/TwinningAgreement.htm
[edit] External links
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