Chongqing, China

Chongqing is essentially a mountain city, surrounded on all sides by steep hills which keep the fog and mist in the basin. The Yangtze and Jialing Rivers embrace the downtown area here however, providing light relief from the industrial city views prevalent throughout much of the area. The suburbs are home to some of the best spots including various Hot Springs and pleasant mountain walks. In terms of sights and attractions, the reason most people visit this spot is to see (or take a trip along) the Yangtze. Boats for the Three Gorges leave form this city. Please see the information in the Three Gorges section for more details. Some of the more interesting spots in Chongqing are relics left over from the revolutionary era. Although many of these places have a colorful history, today, they are not particularly fascinating and not worth more than a couple of hours consideration. The Chongqing Municipal Museum, Hongyan Revolutionary Museum (the former office of the Eight Route Army), the cemetery of the revolutionary martyr in the Gele Mountain (Zhazi Cave and Bias' Residence), the Official Residence of Jiang Jieshi and the Residence of Zhang Zhizhong (Gui Yuan) are all worth a look. There are also a few prisons dotted about the town, reminders of the radical past Chongqing has.