A Glimpse at Chongqing (Photos)

There is no other place in the world like Chongqing. It is a city on top of a mountain that’s pinched between the V of a confluence of two big rivers: the Yangtze and the Jia. Like its topography, the people themselves here are very unique from the rest of China, having their own set of food, traditions, and trades.

Even after over a decade of travel in and out of China, I found myself surprised over Chongqing. The place is raw, rugged, and real. It is still a major logistics hub for river transport, boats still call into its ports, and coolies still haul loads up hundreds of stairs with bamboo carrying sticks from the docks below.

In a China whose regional variations are so quickly becoming mono-culturalized and standardized, Chongqing remains what it’s always been. Which is refreshing.

Click on the thumbnails in the gallery for larger images.