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I was born and brought up in a beautiful mountain city - Chongqing, China. Though the city is hilly, it is very characteristic and picturesque. There are two rivers running by the city. One river is called the Jialing river and the other is called the Yangzhi River, the third longest river in the world. I love the city because I spent my childhood and youth there.
Chongqing is a big city with an area of 82, 400 square kilometers (31, 800 square miles). Actually it is the largest city in the world as far as the population is concerned. There are over 32 million people there. Chongqing was founded 3000 years ago and got its present name nearly 800 years, meaning Double Happiness. Since the Qin Dynasty (22 BE - 206 BC), many dynasties have set up capitals there. It was the capital city for 7 years during the second world war. It has become the center of economy, education and culture since then.
Chongqing today is a modern city. It is the fourth municipality after Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. It is the economic center and the hub of water, land and air transportation in Southwest China. Chongqing attracts visitors from all over China and the world for its cultural heritage and other tourist attractions. The tourist attractions include the Yangtze River cruise (the beautiful scenery of the Three Gorges and the Three Gorges Dam, the largest Dam in the world), Dazu Stone sculptures carved during the 9th century, the Taoist and Buddhist Temples and ancient Ci Qi Kou village.
Chongqing is famous for its hot and pungent flavoring Sichuan cuisine. However, Sichuan cuisine boasts a variety of flavors and different methods of cooking. A Sichuan dish can be hot, sweet, sour, salty or tongue-numbing. One of the most famous Chongqing dishes is hot pot. Hot pot is considered a local specialty, which is well-known for being peppery, hot, fresh and tender. |