China’s Fastest-Growing City: GDP Only 23 Billion Less Than Guangzhou, Tourism Popularity Surpasses First-Tier Cities
As for Chongqing, tourists know it’s Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, but as for the hottest tourist cities, it has topped the rankings in recent years, namely located in the southwest region – Chongqing.
How fast is Chongqing developing? In the latest 2019 GDP ranking, it ranked fifth, only behind Guangzhou’s GDP of 50 billion 23 billion yuan, one of the five cities with a GDP greater than 2 trillion yuan, which is very impressive.
Chongqing’s rapid development, besides its own heritage, is an important factor in the tourism industry.
Compared to Guangzhou, Chongqing is more tourism-oriented, with many ‘internet celebrity’ attractions within the city and outside, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists to travel and check in every year. Last National Day, the local government even mobilized citizens to stay at home as much as possible to give tourists more space, which won the support of the citizens, indicating that it is a city with love and enthusiasm.
Chongqing has many tourist attractions, mostly concentrated in Yuzhong District, Nanan District and Shapengba District, with the most in Yuzhong District. They have been the central districts of Chongqing in the past and present.
Jiaotianmen ()
Jiaotianmen is a water and land pier, the birthplace of Chongqing dock culture, and the origin of Chongqing’s commerce. It is located at the corner of Yuzhong Peninsula east, in front of the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Han River. Its history can be traced back to 314 BC. In the Ming Dynasty, it was the largest of the 17 city gates in Chongqing, facing Nanjing at the time, hence the name Jiaotianmen ( – ‘Morning Heaven Gate’).
Tourists visiting Jiaotianmen for tourism can not only appreciate the magnificent Yangtze River and Han River views and the fashionable cityscapes of the three districts, but also visit Furui Square, which is like a sailing ship and was designed by the same designer as Singapore’s Sands Island.
Climb to the top of Jiaotianmen Square, and you can truly feel Chongqing’s huge changes. In terms of the scale of construction and the city’s appearance, it can be comparable to North, Broad, Deep and America’s New York, San Francisco, etc.
There is a pier in front of Jiaotianmen Square, which used to be a cargo pier, now it has become a tourist pier. Tourists can take a boat to cruise the two rivers. In the riverside scenery, you can appreciate the Chongqing’s earliest river view buildings.
Small tips: Chongqing Light Rail Xiao Shixie Station, walk to the exit near Xinhua Road.
Yangtze River Cableway ()
Chongqing originally had several cross-river cableways, now only one Yangtze River Cableway remains. It was originally a Chongqing’s “aerial bus” line connecting Yuzhong District and Nanan District. Many locals used to take the cable car to work or go to markets. Now it's difficult to see locals, because after becoming a tourist experience route, it has become very crowded.
From being on the cable car to arriving at the destination, it takes about five minutes. Tourists can enjoy the high-angle view of the fashionable cityscapes along the two rivers and also appreciate Chongqing’s earliest river view buildings. If you travel from Yuzhong District to Nanan District by cable car, after arriving at the destination, you can take the sightseeing bus to visit Banzi Shi Old Street, which is a tourist area with a history of foreign settlement in the past.
Small tips:Chongqing Light Rail Xiao Shixie Station, new Xinhua Road Exit 5.
Banzi Shi Old Street ()
Banzi Shi Old Street is located on Taichang Road, near the dock, a mixed area of Chinese and Western residents. The street is distributed with many Chinese and Western buildings, with one of the most representative buildings being Otter Hall, French Water Infantry Barracks, Xiajia Courtyard, Sunjia Garden, etc.
The old street is not a street, but a collective term for several nearby streets. This district is not flat, but rises layer by layer along the slope of the hill. The same building, tourists can’t distinguish how many floors it is, to reach a destination, you can only use the street name to locate it.
Normally, tourists don’t visit Banzi Shi Old Street during the weekdays, but once the holiday arrives, this area is crowded like Hongya Cave and Liberation Boulevard, which is a characteristic of Chongqing tourism in recent years.
Transportation tips: Chongqing Tourist Shuttle Line T026 and Night Scenic Shuttle T041, you can also take the subway to Banzi Shi Station.
