Chongqing was approved and established by the State Council as one of the four provincial-level municipalities in 1997 in China (the other three being Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai).

It is situated in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, at the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Jialing River, and adjacent to Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei and Shaanxi.

Chongqing is situated within the humid sub-tropical monsoon climate belt. It has an annual average temperature of 18 C to 20 C. Famous for its hot summers, it is known as one of the ‘three furnace cities' (the other two being Nanjing and Wuhan).

Chongqing City's transportation system has been well developed in recent years and it is one of the important transportation hubs connecting eastern and western China. Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport realized a 10.4 million-passenger throughput in 2007, ranking tenth in China...Click to continue...