China's Largest Municipality Exceeds the Combined Area of Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou
Many tourists know that there are four direct municipalities in China, with Shanghai and Beijing being the most powerful in terms of overall strength, followed by Tianjin and Chongqing.
Although Chongqing is not the economic leader, it has the largest area among the four direct municipalities, with an area of 8.2402 square kilometers, which is larger than the combined area of Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin, and about 39% of the combined area of the four major first-tier cities of North, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.
The long history of culture and literature, unique mountain landforms, and port culture have left Chongqing with a large number of tourism resources. In recent years, with the promotion, more and more tourists have traveled to Chongqing specifically for tourism. During major festivals, Chongqing is always among the top cities in the national cumulative ranking of inbound Chinese and foreign tourists, surpassing old tourist cities such as Hangzhou and Beijing.
Chongqing has many tourist attractions, such as Tiandangmen and Hongya Cave, which are popular check-in points. The Bazihu Old Street in Nanhua District is also a worthwhile place to visit.
“One street, two ports, four courtyards, and ten scenic spots” is the core landscape of Bazihu Old Street. It was once an important water and land trade port in Southwest China. The street is lined with numerous exquisite buildings. The sightseeing process is like climbing a mountain.
Today, Bazihu Old Street has both modern skyscrapers and large shopping malls built with European-style architectural craftsmanship. There are coffee shops, restaurants, beverage shops, and cinemas inside.
Zujia Garden and Wangjia Courtyard are classic buildings in Bazihu Old Street.
Zujia Garden combines Chinese and Western styles. The flowers are blooming everywhere in the garden and outside the garden. The carvings at the entrance of the gate are exquisite and delicate.
Wangjia Courtyard was built in the early 19th century and is an important historical landmark in the opening of Chongqing. The owner was a famous salt merchant in the Chongqing area.
Wangjia Courtyard is a large rectangular courtyard-style structure, with three-story buildings. Each floor has a corridor. The first floor has a stage. In the past, opera troupes were invited to perform during festivals or when the owner was celebrating.
Chongqing is vast, from driving from the downtown area to the bottom of some county-level areas takes several hours.
If you depart from Chongqing Jiangbei Airport, driving to (Gongtan Ancient Town) in Yiyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County takes at least 4.5 hours, which takes up a whole day to go and return.
Gongtan Ancient Town is known as “the secret town on the Yangtze River”. It is an important port on the Yangtze River and Aba River, with a history of more than a thousand years.
In ancient times, salt industry supported the development of Gongtan. It was also a gathering place for various daily necessities.
The ancient town is built on steep cliffs. Various wooden footbridges are beautiful scenery on the Yangtze River.
The surrounding areas of the ancient town are steep and rugged karst mountains.
In the morning, evening, and after rain, the Yangtze River and Aba River always rise layer upon layer of mist, and the ancient town is partially hidden in the mist, like a paradise, which is a water-ink painting that every tourist loves.
