Located in China's less developed west, with 31 million inhabitants Chongqing is the largest of the four provincial-level municipalities in China under direct administration by the central government. The city of Chongqing itself has 12 million inhabitants. Despite being a very old city with a history dating back to the 11th century BC, not many old buildings or structures are visible nowadays in Chongqing - in fact skyscrapers and modern buildings are everywhere. This is probably due to the heavy bombardment the city experienced during WW II or the urge of the Chinese to replace old buildings with new.
Currently Chongqing is undergoing a rapid development phase with $1 billion/month being invested in new infrastructure, as the aim is to have Chongqing ignite the economy of the less developed western region as Chicago did for the USA in the last century. As a consequence of this rapid development, but also because Chongqing is surrounded by hills blocking the exchange of air, the air in Chongqing is very heavily polluted with a thick layer of smog almost permanently covering the city. For most tourists Chongqing is the starting point for cruises on the Yangtze river through the famous Three Gorges region.
Around the Liberation Monument Square photo gallery  - 13 pictures of Around the Liberation Monument Square
Yangtze river photo gallery  - 8 pictures of Yangtze river
People photo gallery  - 11 pictures of People
Downtown Chongqing photo gallery  - 12 pictures of Downtown Chongqing
International Convention and Exhibition Centre photo gallery  - 9 pictures of International Convention and Exhibition Centre
13 photos of the area around the Liberation Monument, the fashionable centre of Chongqing
8 photos of the Yangtze river in Chongqing and of Chongqing skylines
11 photos of people in Chongqing
12 photos of downtown Chongqing, an area consisting almost essentially of modern buildings
9 photos of the new international Convention and Exhibition Centre in Chongqing
Chongqing by Night photo gallery  - 12 pictures of Chongqing by Night
12 photos of Chongqing by night
Gallery with all images
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