Chongqing Biggest City On Earth

Chongqing China has more than 30 million people living in the city. Admittedly, the city did re-draw the lines, but there is no question that it is an unbelievably populated place.

Chongqing was formerly known as Chunking (yes, like the canned noodle product) and was the capital city of China during WWII when the Japanese were shelling Peking and Shanghai. Many people migrated there to try to recoup.

Chongqing today is astoundingly polluted. There are many experts who say it is the most polluted city on earth. (I was on a task force there that dealt with Environment and Energy, so I was pretty close to the subject at hand). There are more than 30 million people there and a whopping 70% heat with coal!

And, Chongqing is filled with old factories that churn out toxic fluids and gases. It rained when I was there and there was a gray paste that fell out of the sky - raindrops pulling ash down and covering everything with a slick muck. Unreal.

The food is incredibly good if you like spicy food - it's in the Sichuan province, so it's quite hot. Chongqing is not Westernized like Beijing and Shanghai. It is on the Yangtze river and is about a 2 hour flight inland from Hong Kong. The airport is tiny for such a population - obviously not many people fly.

Things to see:

The Stone Carvings - built during late Tang Dynasty and scattered across 40 different places, comprised of more than 500 stones in buddha's image or as stories of Buddha.

Chaotianmen Dock - modern river transport mingles with traditional junks and sampans.

Chongqing's North Hot Springs Park - located next to the Jialing Jiang, major scenic areas include ancient view parks, stone carvings park, fish viewing pool and lotus pool with lots of Ming and Qing architectural designs.

Chongqing's South Hot Springs Park - built during the Ming Dynasty and located at the south of Yangtze River. The most famous ones are the "Lung Quan" (Dragon Spring), " Yu Quan" (Jade Spring) and the "Wuhu Quan" (Five Lakes Spring).

Pipa Shan (Loquat Hill) - Chongqing's highest point rises 208 meters, the tower "Hong Xing Ting" is built on the top of the hill and provides an excellent view of the city, the rivers and the surrounding area.

Red Crag Village - home of the former Premier Zhou Enlai and the wartime headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party and the 8th Route Army.

The Three Gorges - The Three Gorges along the Yangtze River include Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. It extends from White King City in Fengjie, Sichuan Province in the west to Nanjing Pass, Wuchang, in the east, with a total distance of 189 km. Along the route are many mountains and rivers, while its two ends link Chongqing and Wuhan.

Check it out!