Standing at the confluence of the Jialing and Yangtze rivers, Chongqing is known as "the City of Fog", "the Mountain City", and "the River Town" as well. Surrounded by mountains, the city is hot and rainy in summer, so it is sometimes called "the Furnaces". In history, Chongqing was originally the capital of the State of Ba three thousand years ago, and the place was renamed for many times till it got the name Chongqing (Double Celebration)eventually. In 1997,Chongqing became the fourth municipality directly under the Central Government, together with Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin.

As the largest city of China, Chongqing covers an area of 82,400 sq kilometers with a population of 30 million. There are many famous spots in the city, including the Beiwenquan, Nanwenquan, the Longevity Lake and other places. During the Anti-Japanese War, the Kuomintang moved from Nanjing to Chongqing and made it a war-time capital, which results in many commemorative sites such as the Red Crag Village, the Chongqing Office of the Eighth Route Army, and so on. But to enjoy the dim shadows of the boats and steamers will be most attractive. Meanwhile, Chongqing is also the starting point for a cruise on the Yangtze River with many historical and scenic spots along its bank.