The Profound Culture of Chongqing

Chongqing is a famous historical cultural city of China. Ba-Yu culture, Three Gorges culture and anti-Japanese war culture constitute the principal part of the local historic culture of the city.

In the long years of historical development, sons and daughters of Ba-Yu created their Ba-Yu culture with distinct local characteristics. During the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.), songs of Ba people became the most popular songs in the state of Chu. This shows how great the influence of Ba culture was. Ba-Yu dances, bold and vigorous, accompanied by forceful music with strong rhythms, clearly showed the characteristics of the valiant and militant Ba people. Many ancient poets sang and wrote about Ba: Li Bai sang his songs praising the fascinating scenery on the river, Du Fu climbed the mountain to recite his poems about the people, Liu Yuxi hummed his ci-poem about the spring water and the peach blossoms, and Li Shangyin wrote to his beloved in a rainy night in the mountains of Ba'" Scholars of the past have contributed a great deal to make the culture of Chongqing so pro-found and great.

During the War of Resistance Against Japan, many patriotic and progressive writers and artists gathered in the mountain city, bringing boom to literature and art, making Chongqing the cultural center in the great rear areas of China. "China's literature and art for the War of Resistance" of Chongqing, with its unique features, went down in the annals of history of modem art of the world. The novel Red Crag, depicting the arduous struggles of revolutionary martyrs against the enemy in the prisons of Baigongguan and Zhazidong, accompanied the healthy growth of a few generations in China. The Reportage Play of Red Crag Spirit made a sensation throughout the country and won a high praise from the Party and state leaders. A number of works with their fine ideological content, high artistic level, distinct local color and the spirit of the time, such as the Sichuan opera Jinzi and the opera The Goddess of Wushan, the modem drama Shazhouping, and the dance drama Memorial Cereanony for the Beloved at Wuxia Gorge, have won important awards of the national level, including “Five One Project Award”, “Wenhua Award”, “Sky flying Award”, “Starry Award” etc. The Sichuan opera Jinzi made a breakthrough in winnig"Wenhua Award", the highest award in likerary field of our country and 13 important awards of the national level. During the 5 years since Chongqing became a municipality, more than 200 plays and programs have been created and performed more than 10000 times, winning 317 awards of the international, national and provincial levels. 4 counties have been awarded the State's Advanced Cultural County and 3units have been awarded the State's Cultural Feature Unit.

Chongqing's acrobatic performances are well known in the world for their fantastic feat, and they won many important national and international awards. The acrobatics Bright Shooting Stars won the only Gold K Award at the 13th World Acrobatic Premiere Show in Monoca. Chongqing acrobatics and Sichuan operas have appeared on the stage in many foreign countries. The painting Father by Luo Zhongli deserves the name of a classical work of fine arts of the time. Music, dances, the quyi performing folk art, and photographs in Chongqing have also produced fruitful achievements. Greater attention has been paid to construction of archives, museums, and libraries, with their equipment gradually modernized.

Flourishing Press and Publication

The cause of press and publication in Chongqing has enjoyed a continuous development. The city boasts 54 papers, including Chongqing Daily, Chongqing Shangbao, Popular Computer Week, Modern Worker, and Chongqing Youth.548 million copies of these papers are printed each year. The office of Chongqing Daily has organized the first newspaper group in Chongqing, forming the pattern of "eight papers and one website", namely, the eight newspapers of Chongqing Daily, Chongqing Evening News, Chongqing Morning News, Chongqing Economy News, Healthy People, Consumers' Guide, Sports, New Women, and the news website of Hualong Website.

Chongqing publishes 126 periodicals, including Modern Communists, Chongqing Today, and Hongyan Chunqiu, publishing 33 million copies a year. Besides, 113 million books of various kinds are printed in Chongqing each year. An all-embracing, multi-functional system of newspapers and periodicals has formed in Chongqing that covers politics, economy, science and technology, education, medicine, sports, consumption, tourism, law and other fields of social life.

The cause of publication represented by Chongqing Publishing House, Chongqing University Press, and Southwest China Normal University Press, is developing fast. In the last few years, they published a number of fine books that enjoy high popularity in China, including Categories of Literature Works in the Liberated Areas in China and Categories of Literature Works Against Fascism in the World.

Rapidly Developing Radio and TV

There has been a rapid development in radio and TV in Chongqing during the five years since after it was pointed a municipality. A radio and TV network has formed in the urban and rural areas, including radios and TV stations (often with programs aired on different channels for each station), cable TV stations, and radio and TV specially for rural areas. With the construction of the Chongqing earth station of telecom satellite, some radio and TV programs of the city are relayed by satellite. And with the completion of the project of "radio and TV programs to every village", rate of coverage of radio and TV in Chongqing has reached 91.02% from 85.02%, 94.3% from 84.52% respectively.

Chongqing TV Station has become the largest center of color TV broadcast in southwest China. It is able to give live telecast and relay of major sport events and cultural performances. A number of programs of good quality produced by this station, such as TV series, Li Xiaomi, A Police on the Train, Xinhua Field Army The Breakthrough, Green Mountain, Clear Water, Zhao Shiyan, and the radio show Call of the Angel, have won important awards of the national level including the "Five One Project Award" and the "Sky Flying Award". The TV series The Foolish Division Commander and Carriers with ShouMer-Poles in the Mountain City, both in Chongqing dialect and rich in local color, are regarded as representative works of Chongqing TV culture. Meanwhile, friendly ties have been established between Chongqing TV Station and overseas TV institutions. In 2001, the first film produced by Chongqing after liberation, Fragrant Oath was given its birth here. Meanwhile, Chongqing TV Station has built up a friendship between Russian TV, Hongkong Asian TV, the Phoenix, Macao Radio & TV, Hiroshima TV, Inchon TV, German Central TV, France National TV II, and etc. the hours of program transmitted outside reached over 3000 minutes.

Powerful Science and Technology Industries

Chongqing is an important base for science and technology. It has a strong comprehensive strength in science and technology and a high level of scientific and technological development. It has a complete system of scientific research and development and a solid foundation for the scientific and technological industry. The city has some advantages in certain fields of science and some new technology in China. At present in the city there are nearly 1,000 institutions engaged in scientific research and development of new technology, including 17 key laboratories of national or municipal level, engineering and technological centers and development centers in some enterprises. There are more than 560,000 specialists and technical personnel, of whom 190,000 have senior or junior professional titles. In 2001, the high-tech enterprises reached 543,and high tech products reached 598. There were 14 high-tech enterprises at national level. A series of products with independent property fight went out of China. In 2001, the high-tech industrial value reached 52 billion Yuan, 11.9% higher than previous year, accounting for 31.4% of the industrial production value. The high-tech production value reached 24.7 billion Yuan, making up 14.5% of the industrial production value. The high-tech industry has become a mainstay industry. There were 2047 patent applications that year, and the National PR Bureau granted 1197 patents to Chongqing.

The Chongqing University Science and Technology Garden was ratified the national grade by the Ministry of Science And Technology and the Ministry of Education. The city is vigorously developing its new science and technology industry. The overall income realized 32.167 billion Yuan, 19.1% higher than previous year.

The Chongqing Fair for Achievements in New Scientific and Technological Research has been held three times since 1999. Together with the Committee of the National Defense Science, Chinese Association of Invention, Department of Science and Technology and The Chinese Academy of Science, the sales volume reached 5, 5.4, and 6.24 billion Yuan respectively. And it has become a big event in scientific and technological activities in the western regions of China.

A Constantly Improving Educational System

Chongqing has been deepening its education reform. The educational structure in Chongqing has gone multielement. A modem educational system has been set up that embraces preschool education, primary school education, middle school education, vocational school education, higher education, adult education, and multi-national education. Some colleges in Chongqing, including Chongqing University, Southwest China Normal University, South-west China University of Political Science and Law, Southwest China Agricultural University, Sichuan International Studies University, and Chongqing College of Communications, are becoming influential institutions in China. In 2000, the original Chongqing University, Chongqing University of Architectural Engineering and Chongqing Senior College of Architectural Engineering incorporated into the Chongqing University, making it one of the most powerful uni'versities in the western regions of China. The new Southwest Agricultural University, Western Chongqing College, Fuling Teacher's College and Chongqing Industry and Commerce University have come into being successively.

At present, the city has more than 25,000 schools of various levels of different kinds, with more than 4.8 million students. There are 28 institutions of higher learning, and 161600 regular college students and two- or three-year course college students and 11800 postgraduate students. There are 334 units for master degree studies and 82 for doctoral degree studies, 22 for post-doctoral researches, and 13 units with the power to grant first-degree professional titles. The city has 14colleges for adult students, with 102,000 students, 271 vocational training schools with 216,900 students, and 42 institutions of special education with 9,007 handicapped students. 82.9% of the blind, deaf and retarded children go to school. 99.8% of the school-aged children go to primary school, and 97.7% of them receive a middle school education, and 75% of graduates of senior middle school go to college. More and more fund is used in education in areas of national minorities to improve conditions for schools there. There are a number of multinational schools, including the Tibetan Middle School, the No. 2 Middle School of Youyang County and Nanbin Primary School in Shizhu County.

Chongqing Sports with Its Distinct Advantages

With a long history of sports, Chongqing is regarded as "the birthplace of sports activities in New China". Since ancient times, sports activities such as martial arts, wrestling, chess, dragon-boat racing, swimming, mountain climbing, and dragon dancing, have been very popular in the Ba-Yu area. Changshou County, Yubei District and Jiangjin city in Chongqing are known as China's "homeland of track and field events" and "homeland of martial arts".

Chongqing has some advantages in such items as football, track and field events, martial arts, diving, and weiqi (go). The city has cultivated more than 2,000 fine sportsmen and sportswomen for the country, and more than 100 of them went to different national teams. Some world champions, such as Zhu Ling, Gui Yu, Cai Zhiyong, Wu Xiangdong, Tian Liang, and Liu Yanyan, started their march onto the world arena from Chongqing.

Chongqing has the hottest football market, the most enthusiastic football fans, and one of the best football teams in China. In November 2000, The Longxin (Today's Lifan) Team of Chongqing won the "Football Association Cup", and this marked the sudden rise of football in western China.

Chongqing successfully hosted a number of major sports events, including the 8th World Cup Boxing Contest, the World Women's Volleyball Match, and the National Football A of Group A League Match, gaining much experience as the organizer of these events.

Great attention has been paid to construction of sports facilities. At present, the city has 9,962 sports fields and stadiums of 21 kinds, covering an area of 11.46 million square meters. The Datianwan Floodlit Stadium can hold 40,000 people. The track and field sports ground is covered with plastic tracks, the first of its kind in southwest and northwest China. The Yuanjiagang Sports Center, which will cover an area of 2,000 mu of land (about 120 hectares), is under construction. Sports in Chongqing are developing into an industry and coming to the market. As an industry, sports are gradually becoming a new area for economic development in Chongqing.

Features The Profound Culture of Chongqing

In their long years of labor, sons and daughters of Chongqing have created their unique folk arts, such as sculpture, engraving, lantern making, couplet composition, and chants of boat- men on rivers in Sichuan. Tongliang dragon lantern making started during the Sui (581-618 A.D.) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, and boomed during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. The dragon lantern is an art in two ways: the making of the colorful lantern in the shape of a dragon, and playing of the lantern as a dance. It is an art combining dance, music, drawing, and handcraft. Tongliang dragon lantern dance often comes as an important event for some major mass celebrations as it adds greatly to the joyful atmosphere, and on many occasions it won major national and international awards, winning worldwide fame.

Qijiang peasant engraved print is an art that combines other forms of ancient folk arts such as stone inscription, woodcarving, clay sculpture, paper cut, embroidery, and wax printing. This makes it more lively and attractive. It went on exhibition in Beijing on many occasions and won high praises from the art circles in the capital. And thus Qijiang County was named by the Ministry of Culture "homeland of modern folk engraving in China". Meanwhile, Jiulong Township in Jiulong District was named by the Ministry of Culture "homeland of couplets".