Chongqing

Chongqing is a river municipality situated at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers in southwestern China. The name means double celebration, bestowed when Prince Zhao Dun became both an imperial prince and Emperor Guangzong of the Song dynasty. Steep hillsides along the waterways shaped its historic reputation as the mountain city.

The State of Ba established its capital on the rocky peninsula in the 11th century BC before the State of Qin conquered the territory in 316 BC. Imperial rulers renamed the settlement Chongqing in 1189 during the Southern Song dynasty. Stone defensive walls and fortified gates surrounded the cliffs in the 13th century to repel northern armies. The Republic of China relocated its provisional wartime government to the river bluffs during the Second World War. The municipality gained direct-administered status from the central government in the 1990s, separating from Sichuan province.

Changan Automobile manufactures electric passenger cars and sport utility vehicles at automated production plants along the northern river valleys. Lifan Technology, founded in the city in the 1990s, produces commuter motorcycles, light scooters, and water-cooled combustion engines for regional transport. Chongqing Iron and Steel Company rolls heavy steel plates and structural beams for railway spans, highway bridges, and maritime cargo docks. Zongshen Industrial Group manufactures small motorized generators, portable gasoline engines, and agricultural power machinery in suburban industrial parks.

The People's Liberation Monument is a stone clock tower erected in the 1940s at the center of the downtown pedestrian district. Hongyadong incorporates multi-level wooden stilt houses built directly against steep sandstone cliffs overlooking the Jialing River. The Great Hall of the People features a circular auditorium with glazed green roof tiles modeled after imperial Ming architecture. The Three Gorges Museum displays ancient bronze bells, stone carvings, and traditional wooden boats from settlements along the Yangtze River.