The formal twinning agreement between Leicester and Chongqing was signed in 1993.
Chongqing is situated in the East of Southwest China, about 2,500km up the Yangtze river from Shanghai. Like Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai, Chongqing is an independent municipality directly responsible to central government. The municipality consists of 40 county-level subdivisions, consisting of 19 districts, 17 counties and 4 autonomous counties. Chonqqing covers an area of 82,300 square kilometres with a population of 32.35 million.
Chongqing is located at the core of the economic belt of the upper Yangtze, connecting China's vast west and eastern coast. It is the key region for implementing China's Go West Policy. The Policy aims to improve the investment climate, open more sectors in the region to foreign investment and encourage more domestic firms to go abroad to carry out economic and technological co-operation with Central Asian nations.
Chongqing is a subtropical climate with an average temperature of 18oC. The four seasons in Chongqing are characterised as an early spring, a hot summer, a rainy autumn and a warm winter. The best weather is in April, May, September and October.
With its central district located at the confluence of Jailing and Yangtze rivers Chongqing is built on hilly land. Known as the 'Mountain City' because its roads and buildings are constructed on steep hillsides, every evening brings a charming picture of millions of household lamplights.
The unique gardens in Eling Park, the flowers on Nanshan Mountain, and the beautiful North and South Hot Spring parks form an enchanting landscape of the mountain city. In 1986, camellia was officially made the city flower of Chongqing. This flower can be find everywhere in Chongqing, in parks, scenic spots, in front of the houses and on balconies of tall buildings. The ficus lacor was officially made the city tree of Chongqing in 1986.
What is more, such scenic spots in the Chongqing area as the Furong Cave, Shibaozhai, the Three Gorges on the Yangtze, the Lesser Three Gorges on the Daning River and Heaven Pits and Earth Crevice in Fengjie are all world famous.
Chongqing a 3,000-year old Cultural City
Chongqing is particularly rich in human landscape as well as in cultural relics and historic sites. There are now 49 national, provincial and municipal preservation places of treasured historical relics.
Dazu Stone Sculptures, with a history of over 1000 years, has 50,000 sculptures and provides visitors and pilgrims with excellent carvings of stone and examples of Buddhist culture. In 1999, it was listed by UNESCO on the World Register of Cultural Heritage.
Chongqing has 12 museums and memorial halls, around 46 community centres of art and culture, 1,211 cultures stations and 1,944 units of film projection. There are 43 public libraries with a deposit of 8,23 million volumes of books.
Link to Chongqing Municipal Government
