Torch around China - Chongqing (Jun.15-16) 六月 12, 2008
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Located in a transitional area between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the plain on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Chongqing is known as both a “mountain city” and a “city on rivers.” It occupies an area of 82,400 sq km and borders Hubei and Hunan provinces to the east, Guizhou to the south, Sichuan to the west and north and Shaanxi province at its northeast corner. The total population reached 31.9887 million at the end of 2006, with 1.75 million ethnic minorities (Tujia and Miao being the largest groups).
Chongqing has maintained regional importance in defense, politics, trade, and logistics for over 3,000 years. Evidence of human activity found here dates back to the end of the Old Stone Age, 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. Chongqing was given different names during different dynasties and received its present name, meaning “double happiness,” in 1189 A.D. from Emperor Guangzong of the Song Dynasty (1147-1200). In 1891, Chongqing became China’s first inland port to open to the outside world. Since then it has remained the political, economic, and cultural center of southwestern China. In 1997, Chongqing became China’s fourth municipality directly under the central government.
Chongqing has a sub-tropical climate characterized by moist monsoons. With an average annual temperature of 18 degrees Celsius, it has mild winters (lows at 6-8 degrees Celsius) and hot summers (highs at 27-29 degrees Celsius). It often rains at night in late spring and early summer, and thus is famous for its “night rain in the Ba Mountains.”
Chongqing covers a large area crisscrossed by rivers and mountain ranges. The Daba Mountains stand in the north, the Wushan Mountains in the east, the Wuling Mountains in the southeast and the Dalou Mountains in the south. Sloping downward from north to south towards the Yangtze River valley, Chongqing’s hilly geography features a karst landscape of stone forests, limestone caves and valleys. The Yangtze River runs through the whole area from west to east, covering a course of 665 kilometers, cutting through the Wushan Mountains at three places known as the Three Gorges (the Qutang, the Wuxia and the Xiling gorges).
Chongqing proper is a beautiful city with unique features. The nighttime cityscape is enchanting; millions of lights and their reflection on the rivers form a Milky Way on Earth. With special topographical features, Chongqing has unique sceneries of mountains, rivers, forests, springs, waterfalls, gorges and caves. The best natural scenery is found in the Yangtze Three Gorges where High cliffs on either side of the Yangtze form a natural art gallery. Traveling through the Three Gorges inspired Li Bai (701-762), the great poet of the Tang dynasty, so much that he wrote about his experience in a poem.
Chongqing is particularly rich in cultural heritage. In 1999, UNESCO listed the Dazu Stone Sculptures on the World Register of Culture Heritage. Along the Yangtze River, in addition to the Three Gorges and great new Dam, there are the Ghost City of Fengdu, the Three Little Gorges, Stone Treasure Block, Zhang Fei Temple and White Emperor City. During World War II, Chongqing served as China’s wartime capital, and the former residences of Gen. George C. Marshall, Chiang Kai-shek and Madam Sun Yat-sun as well as the Museum of Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell are vestiges of that time.
People in Chongqing never seem to tire of eating. Thousands of restaurants are scattered throughout every corner of the city. As a branch of Sichuan cuisine, Chongqing cuisine is noted for its distinctive spicy and pungent flavors. Chili pepper, sesame, fermented black beans, scallions, ginger, garlic, wine, soy sauce and an array of flavorings are used in almost 40 different cooking methods. These methods include drying, salting, spicing, pickling, frying and smoking. Color, smell, flavor, shape, and nutrition are all carefully balanced in Chongqing dishes.
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重庆是很不错的城市！