Chongqing
Local Greeting
你好 (Nǐ hǎo); Chongqing dialect (Chongqinghua) — a Southwestern Mandarin variant, closer to Sichuan dialect
How locals say hello in Chongqing
Best Time to Visit
March–May or September–November — Chongqing is called 'Fog Capital' (雾都) and 'Furnace City' (火炉) for its extreme summer heat (often 40°C+) and winter fog
Must Eat
Local Tip
Chongqing is built vertically on hills between the Yangtze and Jialing rivers — there are no bicycles here because the city has no flat ground. The Hongyadong 'hanging house' complex at night, reflected in the Jialing River, is the most dramatic urban spectacle in China. For the Ciqikou experience, arrive before 10 am — by noon it's wall-to-wall tour groups.
Origin Story
AncientThe Chongqing area has been inhabited since at least the Palaeolithic era and was the capital of the Ba Kingdom — a confederation famous for tiger shamans and bronze drums — before Qin's General Zhang Yi conquered it in 316 BC, incorporating it into the empire that would unify China five years later. The city's name was given in 1189 in celebration of a prince's double good fortune. During World War II, Chongqing served as the wartime capital of the Republic of China from 1937–1945 when the government retreated before Japanese advances — the city was subjected to the most sustained bombing campaign on a civilian population in history up to that point. In 1997, Chongqing was separated from Sichuan Province and elevated to one of China's four direct-controlled municipalities (alongside Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin), triggering an economic and construction boom that transformed the river gorge skyline into one of the world's most spectacular urban landscapes.
Fun Fact
Chongqing is technically the world's largest city by administrative area — its municipality covers 82,400 km², roughly the size of Austria. The Three Gorges Dam project displaced over 1 million Chongqing residents in the early 2000s. The city's unique vertical topography means some metro stations have exits 7 floors apart, and the Liziba station passes directly through a residential skyscraper.
Cultural Dos
- ✓Try the hotpot at a local restaurant off the main tourist strip — Chongqing hotpot is a religion, not a meal
- ✓Take the Yangtze River night cruise to see the city illuminated on its cliffs from the water
- ✓Visit Ciqikou on a weekday to see the tea houses and local life rather than tourist crowds
Cultural Don'ts
- ✕Order 'mild' hotpot expecting it to be mild by non-Chinese standards — even mild Chongqing hotpot is intensely spiced
- ✕Visit only Ciqikou — the rest of the old city at Huguang Guild Hall and Hongyadong is equally spectacular
- ✕Underestimate the heat in July–August — Chongqing regularly leads China's temperature rankings
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