Chongqing
photos from 1991
Chungking Hotel
Chongqing, also Chungking, autonomous municipality, southwestern China, surrounded on all sides by Sichuan Province. Chongqing is situated on a rocky peninsula at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers. It is a major inland port of China and the leading commercial, transportation, and industrial center of the country's southwestern region. The city is located near iron-ore and coal deposits in a fertile agricultural region. Manufactures include iron and steel, machinery, motor vehicles, cotton and silk textiles, chemicals, and processed foods. Major railroads and highways link Chongqing to all parts of the country. The city is the site of Chongqing University and several colleges. Several resorts and mineral spas are located in the surrounding region.
A city has existed on the site for more than 4000 years. In the 4th century BC
it was absorbed by the Qin (Ch'in) dynasty into what would become the first
unified Chinese state. In 1890 Chongqing was opened to foreign trade. After the
outbreak of hostilities between China and Japan in 1937, Chongqing was made the
capital of the Chinese Nationalist government, and it remained so until 1946.
Although it suffered heavy damage from Japanese bombings, the city grew greatly
in population and increased its industrial base during the war years. Since the
1950s the Chinese government has developed heavy industry in Chongqing. The city
was part of Sichuan Province until 1996, when it became an autonomous
municipality and gained considerable rural area. Population (1991) 4,717,750.
Text from Microsoft Encarta
transporting materials
state owned textile factory
weaving machines
belt of blocks to program the weaving machines
yarn winder
safety poster
homes for the factory workers
meeting room for the worker's committee
performance awards
my guide (left) with the head of
the worker's committee (right)
(often a retired female worker, who controls much of the lives of the workers)
entrance to # 2020
(children following as I toured the area with my guide and the head woman)
food preparation
a kitchen
washing
children watching TV
bed room
major appliance
an old man
playing the game
a bed frame
kindergarden
play area
traffic policeperson