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China Information » Places in China » Chongqing Province
Places in China: Chongqing Province
Just as Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjing, Chongqing is not actually a province but a municipality under the direct control of the central government of the PRC. The province of Sichuan is not presently the controller of the city. Chongqing is the first centrally located municipality in the country. This article is about the municipality which resembles a province rather than about the city of Chongqing itself. Look at the article for Chongqing under China's cities for more information about the town.
The city of Chongqing is on the Yangtze River in the south west of the provincial municipality. The municipality is the twentieth ranked population region in China. Around 31 million people inhabit the municipality. The region ranks tenth in population density with around 379 people per square kilometre.
Chongqing lies near the south-central region of China, bordering Guizhou, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hubei and Hunan provinces. The Three Gorges Dam lies beyond the north eastern border and causes most of a huge reservoir to be located inside Chongqing municipality. When the project reaches completion, Chongqing will link the east and the west within China, making the city/province a central location for international trade. This seems appropriate since Chongqing became the first inland port in the country to be open to foreigners.
Chongqing has ambitions to become a modern industrial leader. The central PRC government is investing heavily in the city's infrastructure to help this come to pass. New development zones have been established, foreign investment is growing and commuter railways are being constructed.
Chongqing's past shows its importance as a port city. During the Sino-Japanese War, the city began transforming into an industrial centre. Military industries helped the city become adept at industrial output. Chiang Kai-shek made Chongqing his regional capital during his time in the area. Although industry is still important, agriculture is the most important source of the region's income.
The city was not always a municipality directly controlled by the central government. In 1954, Chongqing lost its municipal status to become a city under the Sichuan Province. The municipal status returned in 1997 when it merged with Fuling, Wanxian and Qianjiang. There are now several counties, districts, and county subdivisions within Chongqing.
Ninety-one percent of the 31 million in population is Han Chinese with Tujia and Miao making up most of the rest of the people in the region.
The weather in Chongqing during summers is hot while winters experience lots of fog and wetness during the winter months.
Chongqing as the major industrial centre of southwestern China has a past dating back to the 13th century BC when it was the capital of the Ba kingdom. The city was named by the Southern Song Emperor Guangzong in 1189, a name which means "Double Celebration".
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