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HISTORY OF CHONGQING
In the fourth century BC, Chongqing
(then called Yuzhou) was the capital of the
State of Ba, whose men were renowned for their
prowess in battle and their military successes.
In the Southern Song dynasty (l127--l279) the
city's name was changed to Chongqing--meaning
'double celebration'--to mark the princedom
and en-thronement of Emperor Zhaodun in l l89.
He was himself a native of the city.
Chongqing had always been an important
port, bustling with junks from Sichuan's hinterlands
and neighbouring provinces, and acting as the
collection point for the abundant produce of
the region, including hides and furs from Tibet,
hemp, salt, silk, rhubarb, copper and iron.
Under the Qifu Agreement of l890, Chongqing
was opened to foreign trade. This marked the
beginning of the exciting history of steamboat
navigation from Yichang through the treacherous
gorges to Chongqing, a development aimed at
opening up the riches of Sichuan to trade with
the outside
world. By the early part of this century, a
massive trade in opium grown in southwest China
had sprung up, abetted by warlord factionalism
and greed.
Visitors to the city in the 1920s
and '30s commented on its 30-metre (l00-foot)
high city wall and the rough steps from the
river up to the city gates 'dripping with slime
from the endless procession of water carriers'.
At that time, Chongqing, with a population of
over 600,000, had 
no
other water supply. Between l0,000 and 20,000
coolies carried water daily to shops and houses
through the steep and narrow lanes of the city.
All porterage was done by coolies as there were
no wheeled vehicles in the city, only sedan
chairs. The staircase streets are still there,
but all that remains of the city wall today
is the odd outcrop of masonry that props up
a house here, or abuts a path there.
In 1939, during the Sino-Japanese
War, the Nationalist Guomindang government of
China moved the capital from Nanjing to Chongqing,
and on the south bank of the Yangtze foreign
delegations built substantial quarters, which
can be seen from the river. The airstrip used
then can still be seen on the Penghu Sandbar
as one crosses the Yangtze River Bridge. The
Guomindang government headquarters is now the
People's City Government Offices (only the gateway
is left of that period), situated just opposite
the Renmin Hotel.
During the Sino-Japanese War (l937--45), Chongqing's
notorious foggy weather conditions probably
saved the city from complete devastation, for
only on clear days could the Japanese bombers,
which flew over in 20-minute waves, succeed
in accurately dropping their thousands of bombs.
• ChongQing
Introduction
• History Of ChongQing
