Brief Introduction To Chongqing Municipality 

    Geography: Chongqing is situated in the southeastern part of Sichuan Province and Sanxia (the Three Gorges) area on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. It is an economic center and land- and water-transport hub on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. It covers an area of 23,000 square kilometers including 158 sq km urban districts, and has a total population of 15.2 million including more than three million urban residents. Its downtown is located where the Yangtze and Jialing rivers meet. The urban buildings at the foot of hills and beside the rivers stand majestic. Chongqing is a really beautiful city. Chongqing's terrain slopes from south and north to the Yangtze River featuring hills, flat land and mountains.

    Climate: Belonging to Central Asian sub-tropical humid monsoon climate, Chongqing is warm in winter and hot in summer. It has a long frost-free period and abundant rainfall with an average daily temperature of 18.4 degrees centigrade.

    Historical Background: Chongqing is one of China's historical and cultural cities. It opened wider to the  outside world in 1891, and was designated as "Peidu" by the Kuomintang Government during the War of Resistance Against Japan (1937-1945). It became one of the central municipalities after the founding of the New China. In 1983, Chongqing took the lead in carrying out a comprehensive reform of the economic system, and in enjoying the provincial status in economic management. In 1992, it was designated as one of the open cities along the Yangtze River.

    Economic Achievements: Since the founding of New China, especially since China initiated the reform and open policy in 1979, Chongqing's economy has developed by leaps and bounds. In 1995, its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reached 74 billion yuan, and the ratio of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries was 20.8: 45.9: 33.3, forming an overall development pattern of industry, agriculture, circulation and transportation.

    Chongqing is one of China's old industrial bases with heavy industry in the main, and has a complete industrial setup. It has more than 6,000 industrial enterprises including over 300 major ones employing a total of 1.3 million people.

    One of Chongqing's industrial advantages is having more military industrial enterprises and a stronger technical force. The city's pillar industries range from automobile, large machinery equipment, metallurgy and chemicals to building and building materials. It is one of the country's production centers for motor vehicles and motorcycles.