Chongqing traces its ancient history all the way back to the 13th century BC, when it was the capital of the Ba kingdom, with a distinctive local culture contemporary with the Shang. It was given its present name, which means “Double Celebration,” by the Southern Song Emperor Guangzong in 1189, to commemorate his accessions to princely and then imperial rank. At the end of the Song period, from 1242 to 1278, Song forces held off Mongol invaders in the longest continuous military campaign ever on Chinese soil, lasting some 36 years at nearby Hechuan, 60 km to the north of the city. Chongqing was opened as a treaty port to British and Japanese traders in 1890.

Chongqing arguably has one of the most unpleasant climates in the country, situated in the subtropical zone and fostering an intensive and moist atmosphere. The annual average temperature of Chongqing is 18°C (64.4°F) with the average lowest temperature 6°C (42.8°F) and the average highest 29°C (84.2°F). The Winters of Chongqing are quite warm, and plum blossoms bloom beautifully; hence the best time to visit is when winter is changing to spring. Rain is plentiful in Chongqing, especially in the evenings when spring changes to summer. Chongqing is frequent cloudy and foggy, even in the summer months and pollution levels here are high.

Chongqing abounds in coal, iron, natural gas, gypsum, limestone and water resources. it's industries include a large-scale integrated iron and steel complex, oil and copper refineries, motor vehicle and munitions factories, cotton and silk mills, chemical and cement plants, food-processing establishments, machine shops, paper mills, and tanneries. In agriculture, it produces large quantity of rice, rapes, peanuts, sugarcanes, tobacco, oranges, silk-cocoons and pigs. Chongqing is the largest commercial center and land and water communication hub in South-West China. The port of Chongqing is the biggest in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

The metropolis boasts a three dimensional transportation system which has helped to make it one of the most significant transportation hubs in the country. The Jiangbei International Airport is 21km from the city center and is accessible from the city via express way. There are four main railway lines which meet in Chongqing. They are the Sichuan-Guizhou line, Chengdu-Chongqing line, Chongqing-Huaihua line and Xiangfan-Chongqing line, which are connected with the other main railway lines in China. Ferry is a very common transportation means to and from Chongqing. There are regular ferries to Yichang, Wuhan and other cities along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangzi River daily except during flood seasons. The three main forms of public transport in Chongqing are subway, light rail transit and intercity railway, alongside the ubiquitous bus system. Taxis are readily available and can be hailed in the street or picked up outside major hotels and bus and train stations.

The center of the old city of Chongqing is almost completely encircled by the two arms of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers. Row upon row of buildings climb the hills beside the rivers, giving rise to its nickname the 'City of Mountains', 'City of Rivers' and the phrase "night views of the hilly city" known well both at home and abroad.

Dazu Rock Carving, 162 km northwest of Chongqing, is very popular for its stone carving Buddha Statues - more than100 locations and 100,000 statues. These sculptures are a mixture of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. Two of the locations are the most noted: Beishan (Northern Hill) and Baodingshan (Treasured Peak Mountain), listed by UNESCO (UN Education, Science and Culture Organization) in 1999 as " the World Cultural Heritage " . The Northern Hill is a km away in the Northwest of the city of Dazu. The first statue was created in late Tang Dynasty (9 century), with more than 10,000 statues. Baodingshan (Treasure Peak Mountain) is 15 km to the Northeast of the city, first sculpted in South Song Dynasty (1179-1249). Centered at Dafowan (Grand Buddha Bay), nearly 10,000 Buddha statues are displayed along a 400 long U shape hill ridge.

Situated on the top of the Pipashan Mountain, Chongqing Museum was founded in 1951 as the Southwest Museum and was renamed as Chongqing Museum in 1955. Covering a construction area of 5500 sqm, the museum has over 40 exhibiting halls with about 100,000 pieces of relics, which spans over 3000 years history from the ancient Kingdom of Ba and the near-mythical Three Kingdoms Period to World War Two and the Chinese Revolution. These antiquities mainly include bronze wares, pottery, paintings, porcelain, sculptures, etc, of which relics of Ba-Shu culture, painting of various dynasties, terra-cotta and sculpture of the Han dynasty and pottery and porcelain are most famous.

Located at Xuetianwan, Renmin Lu, the People's Assembly Hall is one of the landmarks of the city. The lobby of the hall is decorated in a delicate traditional Chinese architecture to look like the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest in Temple of Heaven. Three five-storied buildings surround the lobby which can hold 4,200 people. In front of the People's Assembly Hall is the granite-paved Renmin Square with verdant lawns and music fountains. It is a popular leisure place for people to spend their evenings and weekends.