Chongqing The biggest city you've never heard of

Another alley way mazes its way up into the centre of town

In the future I'd expect there to be trains that run along tracks set in the sky, through uncountable sky scrappers, with the ground barely in sight and the journey length shortened by the fact the track would run in a straight line with mountains or rivers being no obstacle for the tunnels and bridges man can make. Well the future is out there, its a place called Chongqing, a municipality of 31 million people in the heart of China. That train ride was my four hour pleasant journey from Chengdu into the heart of Chongqing city proper. This is the start of my controversial exploration of China.

The ever watching eye of the law

Chongqing, pronounced Ch'ung-ch'ing, is Chinas solution for the problem of having too many poor farmers in the country. The need to modernise the area resulted in the forming of the municipality in 1997 and has resulted in over ten years of huge economic growth and turning out one of the biggest industrial, economic and inhabited cities on earth. This sudden growth also accounts for the fact that no one from outside of China has heard of this place. But all this city growth has come at the cost of a lot of peoples freedom. The urbanisation from farmers, which is greatly contributed by the flooding of the Yangtze River for the Three Gorges Dam, means forcing people from their homes and placing them in the city where they face unemployment and poverty from having none of the skills needed for city life.

Shoe shiners take it to the streets. Job satisfaction guaranteed.

Protest, a daily activity in Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street, see it at the People's Liberation Monument

Technically everyone's homes where all government property a few decades ago under communist rule, so they have some legal right to move people into Chongqing at will. But ethically is it alright? In a place such as New Zealand where overpopulation is not a problem this would never be allowed. But in a place where there is a huge number of people rapidly being made relevantly poorer compared to the rich, something like this is needed to be done. Part of the solution does require more infrastructure such as the Three Gorges Dam, which comes at a more than monetary cost. From reading urbanisation plans while in Chongqing I came to understand somewhat that the government is trying its best to answer the problems faced, there just isn't any magic bullet that doesn't leave someone screwed over. Then there is the problem of a corrupt upper class which causes the lower to lose their voice, but this is a greed issue that lies at the heart of capitalism which has a western world to blame for. If only communism worked out the way was dreamed of.

The People's Liberation Monument is towered by their liberation into commercialism

This is my map I had of Chongqing, this is why I got lost numerous times

Anyway, I stayed two nights here organising myself onto a cruise down the Yangtze River, eating food, getting lost and being overwhelmed by the scale of everything. There is another fantastic hostel here in Chongqing which I stayed at being the Yangtze River International Hostel. Well worth the 35 Yuan a night, I got a free personally escorted taxi ride from a lovely hostel staff member off the train to the hostel which cost about the same as the first nights stay. The location being right across the road from the Yangtze provided the perfect view to accompany 3 Yuan beers bought from the man running some form of shop downstairs (they are 10 Yuan from the hostel). My highlights from the city were the renovated old town where some incredible food was bought, and sipping on the cheap brews with an English fella who'd had an 'eye opening' experience down in Thailand which involved getting into trouble with prostitutes.

A lovely poo brown Yangtze River as seen from the hostel

Jialing River at night, surrounded by office space

Otherwise I didn't do too much in Chongqing apart from walking round taking photos. Despite its controversy it is a pretty cool city that deserved more time that I could give it, and I'd love to come back and see it again in ten years. From here I'm joining a Chinese tour down the Yangtze to the Three Gorges Dam. Right into the depths of controversy.

The new old town of Chongqing

Panoramic of Jialing and Yangtze River confluence, marked by a new mega building

For those who have no idea where Chongqing is:

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