Welcome to Chongqing!I went there recently on a business trip and managed to grab a few hours to have a look around.
Chongqing is know as "the fog capital" ( 雾都) and one of the "Three Furnaces" (三大火炉) in China. It is situated in the Sichuan Basin, a very low lying area, in Southwest China. It is a peninsula with two rivers flowing either side of it; the Yangtze and the Jialing. Its geographical position, together with the pollution caused by local industries burning coal, means it has one of the lowest annual sunshine totals in China. I was lucky that the day I had some time to be the tourist was one of the better days. As the day progressed the fog receded.
Come with me for a walk, a boat trip and a hotpot lunch and discover this quickly developing city with a population of around 7 million.
I stayed and worked in the
Central Business District (CBD).
This area is called Jiefangbei.
Expensive western brand shops in
shopping malls, Starbucks
coffee and office blocks make this
part of Chongqing like so many others
around the world
The column is the city's liberation monument
to celebrate the end of China's war with Japan.
It was built in 1945
Crossing the road
The square, which is likened to Times Square
in New York, by night
The gateway to the "People's Square".
Construction of the square and the People's
Hall was started in 1951
From here we can see beyond
the gateway to the "Three Gorges
Museum" A visit gives you a feel
for the City and its past
The square is paved with smooth marble tiles.
It is a great place for people watching
The People's Hall resembles the Temple of
Heaven in Beijing
The whole building is composed of an
auditorium, and three accompanying buildings.
The architecture of the People's Great Hall
mimics that of the Ming (1368-1644) and
Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties
The fog is beginning to lift as we arrive at
the river and I take a boat trip
Chaotianmen Bridge. At 552 metres its span makes
it currently the longest arch bridge in the world
The sun is beginning to shine through
Here you can see very clearly the confluence
of the two rivers. In the foreground is the
"yellow" Yangtze and where the ship is,
the clearer waters of the Jialing
Chaotianmen Square. You can get a cruise
from here to The 3 Gorges
A 'Bang-Bang' man. Chongqing is full of men
and women with thick bamboo poles
waiting for goods to carry
Having fun on the square
My boat is the small one on the left. You can
see again here where the two rivers meet
This is a marriage market. Parents and
grandparents try to find a husband for their
(grand) children
A traditional building looking out
over the river. It houses shops
and restaurants
Back to the market. I wonder if any
arrangements are taking place
You can guess, more or less, what these
notices say! I am.....and I am looking for........
If you are a Mandarin speaker perhaps you
could leave a comment with the translation!
This is a view of the front of the building
on Nan Bin Road by the bank of the
Yangtze
Here's me and my apron, about to experience
the famous hotpot in a restaurant in the same
building
And here's the hotpot boiling away! I loved it
but I stayed away from internal organs.
Difficult to stay away from the chillies though!
Making spicey noodles
The view from near where we had lunch
And looking the other way. The green ship-like
building is a concert hall I believe. The sun has
now really beaten the fog!
I love this wall
I think there must have been pirates in
Chongqing. It is definitely a theme here
Representing old Chongqingian
architecture, but it's surrounded
by modern architecture
Mum and baby.
Very serious baby!
Back to the CBD at the end of my tour.
I then picked up my suitcases and took a taxi
to the airport to fly back to Singapore. I wished
I could have stayed longer and seen more
