Advantageous Geographic Position

Chongqing, also known as Yu for short, is the only municipality directly under the central government in western China. It is located between 105 ~ 11' to 110 ~ 11' E and 28 ~ 10' to 32 ~13' N, at the transitional area between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the plain on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and between east China where economy is better developed and west China where natural resources are plentiful. The area under Chongqing's jurisdiction is 470 kilometers from east to west, and 450 kilometers from north to south, covering an area of 82,403 square kilometers. It borders on Hubei and Hunan provinces in the east, Guizhou Province in the south, Sichuan Province in the west and north and Shaanxi Province at its northeast comer. Chongqing is located at the "dragon tail" of the Yangtze economic belt and the inland of the Three Gorges Dam area. It is the gate to southwest China on water route and a pivot connecting the Yangtze economic belt and southwest China at the crossroad between east, central and west China and a corridor in the country's transportation.

A Land That Has Produced Many Talents

Chongqing covers a large area crisscrossed by rivers and mountains. 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. The whole area slopes down from north and south towards the Yangtze valley, with sharp rises and falls. The area is featured by mountains and hills 500meters at sea level, with large sloping areas at different heights. Typical karst topographic features are common in this area, and stone forests, forests of peaks, limestone caves and valleys can be found in many places. The Yangtze river runs through the whole area from west to east, covering a course of 665 kilometers, and forming the well-known Three Gorges on the Yangtze: the Qutang, Wuxia and Xiling gorges. Coming from northwest and running through "the Lesser Three Gorges" of Libi, Wentang and Guanyin, the Jialing River joins the Yangtze after three large twist and turns.

Chongqing is located in the sub-tropical climate zone swept by the moist monsoon. It has mild winters, hot summers, long frost-free periods and ample rain, warm and wet, with rain and heat occurring in the same season. The average annual temperature of the city is 16 - 18℃, the annual rainfall averages 1000 - 1400 millimeters, and the total sunshine time is 1000-1200 hours.

Loyal, Brave and Patriotic Chongqing people

Chongqing is a glorious place and a birthplace of great people. Sons and daughters of the city are characterized with loyalty, patriotism, straightforwardness, hardworking, simplicity, boldness, heroism and other good virtues. These people have made the history of three thousand years of civilization and the glorious spirit of revolution.

Quite a number of noted figures appeared in the history of Chongqing. They include General Manzi of the State of Ba who defended the dignity of his state by sacrificing his own head; the wise prince Chunshenjun of the Warring States period; General Gan Ning of the Three Kingdoms time who led a hundred brave soldiers in a raid of the troops of Cao Cao; Dong Yun, one of the four prime ministers of the State of Shu (the other three being Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wan, and Fei Hui); Qin Liangyu, a heroine who took the command in defense of her homeland after her husband died; Zou Rong, a bourgeois revolutionary in modern Chinese history; Rao Guoliang, one of the "Seventy-two Martyrs of Huanghuagang"; Lu Zuofu, a pioneer of Chinese national industry; Zhao Shiyan and Yang An-gong, revolutionary pioneers; Marshal Liu Bocheng and Marshal Nie Rongzhen, founders of the People's Republic; Qiu Shaoyun, a combat hero in the Korean war, and Ding Xuesong, the first ambassadress of new China. They are outstanding representatives of sons and daughters of the ancient Ba-Yu land.

A Harmonious Home for Different Ethnic Groups

Han people make up the main part of the population of Chongqing. The city is a harmonious home for the Han and 49 national minorities such as Tujia, Miao, Hui, Manchu, Yi, and Tibetan. The total population of the city is 30,970,000. Non-agricultural population is 10,750,000, and agricultural population is 20,680,000, making up 33.1% and 66.9% of the total respectively. The population of national minorities in Chongqing is over 2,000,000, making up 6% of the total population. Tujias and Miaos make up most part of the population of national minorities in Chongqing. People of different ethnic groups live in harmony, and together they take part in political, economic and cultural affairs, creating the glorious history and culture of the city.