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Chongqing, the Largest City – In Pictures
- alephnerd 2y ago> The largest city in the world is as big as Austria, but few people have ever heard of it Pet peeve but this article is confusing Chongqing's entire land area with the city of Chongqing and associated urban areas (only 6% of Chongqing's total land area). The issue is 直辖市 is translated as "direct-administered city" but should be treated as a "Direct-administered municipality" or "Direct-administered state". Much of Chongqing (the 直辖市 not the city) was formed due to a reorganization of Sichuan in 1997.
- luotuoshangdui 2y agoThis. Chongqing is not a "city" in the English sense of the word. Even in China, they jokingly call it a 省 (province).
- olalonde 2y agoIt's also because it's not part of any province. So if you ask Chongqing people which province they are from, it's natural for them to reply "Chongqing". Same for Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin.
- xg15 2y agoIsn't the same regularly done? If you're talking e.g. about NYC, Tokyo, London or other large cities, there is usually the distinction between "Greater <city name>" or "metropolitan area" and the actual city boundaries.
- echelon 2y agoThese photos don't do Chongqing justice. Google it and marvel at the beauty. It's an incredible city.
- phantomathkg 2y ago[flagged]
- kristopolous 2y agoEpoch Times is run by the Falun Gong cult, the RFA was started by the CIA and hket was involved in a mob riot. .. I'm not saying you don't have a point but it's completely discredited by your choice of sources.
- suraci 2y ago[flagged]
- forinti 2y agoIf you take the list of largest cities in China and google them from largest down, you'll find an incredible number of cities that just look like they're in the future.
- rpozarickij 2y agoSometimes I wonder what future Chinese cities will look like in a few decades from now, given that the current ones already look so futuristic.
- pezezin 2y agoIt depends if they stagnate or not. Japan used to be future, but it got stuck in the past.
- stevenwoo 2y agoThat bookstore is beautiful but how does one access books on that twenty foot tall shelf - it seems a bit impractical for even looking at the spine of a book.
- oldpersonintx 2y ago[dead]
- stevenwoo 2y agoI had to look it up and could not find any English sources for this location but the book store chain is named after Sisyphus (my first thought was the struggle against online retailers) and has multiple stores in Chongqing, this one looks more practical and like a stylish library and store for books: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/08/04/chongqing-zhongshuge-bookstore-interiors-staircases/ https://www.dezeen.com/2019/08/04/chongqing-zhongshuge-books...
- Mithriil 2y agoIt feels like the books higher up are not actual book. But it's hard to tell from the picture.
- oldpersonintx 2y ago[dead]
- kappasan 2y agoHaven't been to Chongqing in a while, but the vertical nature of the city is fascinating [1]. It's like they layered multiple cities on top of each other! Curious how that affects social interactions in daily life. [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/CityPorn/comments/8kqwnf/chongqing_china_the_vertical_city_1068x1600/ https://www.reddit.com/r/CityPorn/comments/8kqwnf/chongqing_...
- nosianu 2y agoVertical, as in those incredible never-ending stairs: https://youtu.be/257PMPqPgXE https://youtu.be/257PMPqPgXE
- nickkell 2y agoNo need for a gym membership if you climb those stairs often enough!
- tetris11 2y agoI loved it when I saw it, it had easily more charm and diversity than Beijing or Shanghai
- rwmj 2y agoSeems to depend a bit on how you define "city proper". Wikipedia has two lists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_cities#List https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_cities#List https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megacity#List_of_megacities https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megacity#List_of_megacities which disagree with this (and each other) on which city is largest.
- gonzobonzo 2y agoThe first list appears to come from one U.N. report where they're using completely different standards for different cities - some are using population estimates for the municipality, others population estimates of just the urban core, and others still using population estimates for the entire region. As far as I can tell, Tokyo is at the top of the list because because they seem to be using the estimates for the entire region. Other estimates for Tokyo's population - even on Wikipedia - are less than half the number listed there.
- glimshe 2y agoJacksonville, FL also claims to be the largest city in the contiguous US... by area. It's not a small or bad city, but not even in the top 10 in most other metrics.
- csomar 2y agoThey should replace this with a density metric. If a city is big enough, it becomes just "cities" next to each other. The difference is in central density and time from the extremities to the center. In this case, Chongqing, HongKong and Paris are denser than say Los Angeles; even though the Los Angeles metro area has a comparable/higher number of people.
- Stevvo 2y ago"Chongqing, which is the largest city proper in the world by population, comprises a huge administrative area of 82,403 km2, around the size of Austria. However, more than 70% of its 30-million population are agricultural workers living in a rural setting."
- mightypirate 2y ago[dead]
- kubb 2y agoChongqing seems incredible on pictures and YouTube videos. No doubt it's a comfortable place to live for many people, and surely it isn't perfect, especially when it comes to things like air pollution. What amazes me is China's capacity to do development on a large scale, something that's completely missing in Europe. If we had efficient large-scale construction solved, we could really put a dent in the cost of living crisis, and reverse the overcrowding of the existing urban centers.
- whatever1 2y agoThe cost of housing in the large Chinese megacities is comparable to, if not higher than, that in Western countries. Therefore, they are not constructing housing at a fast enough pace to meet their population’s needs. However, they do build at a rate that is 2-4 times faster than that of Western countries.
- dan-robertson 2y agoWhat does ‘comparable’ mean? Is it about ratios between incomes and costs? Or cost of the same apartment in two places? Or something else?
- markus_zhang 2y agoCost/income is a good ratio. The megacities (Shanghai, Shenzhen etc.) probably have a ratio similar to New York. Just from top of my head as I left Shanghai 10 years ago, a typical condo in Shanghai could cost over 5 million yuan (urban but definitely not core city), while a salary of 300k pre-tax is considered as a good salary. On the other side, housing is affordable for locals -- locals usually got very generous compensation from the demolition of their original home.
- chgs 2y agoMedian monthly cost in terms of median take home pay would be the sensible comparison. This would exclude ex-pats.
- yusaydat 2y ago
- rado 2y agoIn a walking video from there, it had incredibly clean random streets
- Havoc 2y agoHow accessible is this for western tourists?
- decimalenough 2y agoAbout the same as the rest of China, meaning not very accessible, but not impossible either. There's a major airport, you need WeChat/Alipay for everything (but you can now easily set up foreign credit cards for these), approximately nobody speaks English but translation apps work and tour guides are cheap, the Great Firewall is a hassle but roaming SIMs can bypass it. The sheer spice level of the food is a challenge though, even other Chinese think that Chongqing level spiciness is nuts.
- lifty 2y agoSo, very accessible
- Snoozus 2y agoMost EU passports get 30 days visa free entry, everything is quite inexpensive, the super apps both have a translation feature now, which helps a lot since most restaurants take orders through them. It is super safe, no theft, almost no scams. Hotels and train trips on trip.com. The main challenges are to find a non smoking hotel room and to not gain too much weight.
- lossolo 2y agoLike any other country from my POV. I was in Chongqing last month.
- sagacity 2y agoGerman television made a very interesting documentary about the city a few months back: https://youtu.be/p49QRxO_n2c https://youtu.be/p49QRxO_n2c
- rasso 2y agoInteresting - not available for me (in Germany!)…
- andrioni 2y agoIt's a ZDF documentary, I imagine DW only got the rights to show the translation outside of Germany. Here's a link to the original: https://www.zdf.de/video/dokus/megacitys-wenn-es-nacht-wird-in-chongqing-mexico-city-lagos-100/megacitys-nachtleben-chongqing-china-100 https://www.zdf.de/video/dokus/megacitys-wenn-es-nacht-wird-...
- LargoLasskhyfv 2y agoIf nothing else helps, maybe https://mediathekviewweb.de/#query=Wenn%20-%20es%20nacht%20wird%20in%20Chongqing&future=false https://mediathekviewweb.de/#query=Wenn%20-%20es%20nacht%20w... will do?
- feverzsj 2y agoThe city is also famous for its hot and humid climate. Locals have to eat lots of spicy foods to make their life a little bit easier. You won't last more than a week there.
- master_crab 2y agoSo it’s just Chinese Houston? Got it. I’ll pass. Done it once. I don’t have enough shirts in the world for that humidity.
- refactor_master 2y agoI’ve been there. It’s crazy how the smell of spicy hotpot permeates every street. And it’s also crazy the spice levels they’re used to. It’s the only place in China I’ve seen 微微辣 (“very very little spicy”). And it was still incredibly spicy!
- sampullman 2y agoIt gets hot and there's a couple days each year it's probably best to stay inside, but it's really not that bad. I'd take Chongqing over Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur, personally (in terms of weather).
- IncreasePosts 2y agoDoesn't sweat stop working in hot+humid climates, since it doesn't evaporate?
- hskalin 2y agoYes. It feels like hell
- Havoc 2y agoHow does spicy food help with hot & humid?
- freetime2 2y agoThose photos are fantastic.
- encom 2y ago>Rail line going through an apartment building. Absolutely hellish.
- mathverse 2y agoI am totally uninterested in China mainly due to them being so hostile to foreigners. Yes cities are impressive, technology and culture as well. But you are not welcome. At all. You are sometimes not even tolerated. And because of that your time in that country will be always limited. If China was to become like BKK or other SEA countries .... That's another story.
- dinkblam 2y ago> I am totally uninterested in China mainly due to them being so hostile to foreigners I am totally interested in the USA mainly due to them being so very welcoming to foreigners and migrants
- bethekidyouwant 2y ago[flagged]
- lifty 2y agoWhat are you talking about?
- bsnnkv 2y agoThere is a very interesting and fast-growing (video) niche of African Americans who have moved to China sharing their experiences of daily life in different Chinese areas ranging from these megacities to rural towns and villages. The common thread throughout these videos is how much safer it feels to be black in China vs. America, and more generally how welcoming and friendly China is to foreigners (in stark contrast to the expectations that were set for them by non-Chinese people repeating comments like the parent comment here)
- ailun 2y agoThe person you're replying to is ridiculous and ignorant. But also many of the creators you're talking about are paid by the Chinese government. If they're living in China on an ongoing basis creating content it's almost certain. Even if they're not paid, you have to be careful what you post if you're building a life in China. That's not to say that they are completely wrong or lying. China is safer than the US in almost every way, for everyone. But racism manifests differently there. I was in the country through the entire Covid pandemic. Ask the African community in Guangzhou how they were treated.
- _fat_santa 2y agoI have to say I didn't really have an interest in visiting China until I saw pictures of Chongqing. I spent a whole night one day watching walking videos in that city and vertical nature of it is just incredible.
- throwaway743 2y agoYou should definitely go. I haven't been to Chongqing myself, but I spent a month in Beijing, two weeks in Shanghai, and a week in Baotou, and each place offered a completely different experience. My personal favorite was Beijing. Honestly, it felt like stepping into another world, with a vibe unlike anywhere else I have been, even compared to Shanghai or other East Asian cities like Tokyo. The people were incredibly warm and friendly, the street food was outstanding, the environment felt almost otherworldly, and the historical sites were phenomenal. Getting lost in the hutongs felt like its own adventure, the punk culture was alive and thriving, and the art district was the best I have experienced (even coming from New York City). If you skate, it's a paradise with spots everywhere you turn. Public transportation and taxis were also super affordable, clean, and efficient. Shanghai was cool too, but it felt much more familiar. At its core, it reminded me of Manhattan, just more intense. The people there also gave off a similar vibe to New Yorkers. If you are into electronics, it's a great place to explore, although I hear Shenzhen is really the true hub for that. Baotou felt a lot more desolate but also very peaceful. I spent most of my time there on a farm and hiking around the Gobi Desert though. One thing to be aware of is the air quality in Beijing and Shanghai. On bad days, you would come back with black snot. I was a smoker at the time, which did not help, but even non-smokers experienced it. There always seemed to be random particles or even feathers floating in the air lol. As someone who skates, I found the police and security surprisingly relaxed. They would usually let you skate for a while before politely asking you to move along. The only unsettling thing I witnessed was a group of officers with SMGs escorting someone out of Tsinghua University. The saddest thing I saw was the desperate poverty on the outskirts of Beijing. There were large piles of trash, open sewage, and pollution. At one point, a concerned local pulled over and told us to turn around because of violent protests between farmers and the government up ahead. The outskirts of Shanghai showed similar poverty, though without the protests. That said, aside from the outskirts and days of bad air quality, all three cities were incredibly clean, especially compared to New York. This was all about 15 years ago, so I imagine a lot has changed since then. Still, I would absolutely recommend going. If you can, spend time in places that feel unfamiliar, especially Beijing. It's an experience you will never forget.
- ShonT 2y ago[dead]
- barbazoo 2y agoFascinating. But not a single picture showing a non polluted sky.
- topspin 2y agoThe "Eling Palace complex" photo is interesting. In the midst of all the "rooftop gardens, terraces, stairways, promenades and metal screens," someone nailed up about 4 meters of razor wire on the exterior wall. Not paradise then.
- throw38363wuw 2y agoNah, it's so much better than it was just 10 years ago. I was actually surprised by how clear the skies are now. Good to see they're working hard to stop air pollution.
- barbazoo 2y agoThank you totally legit single-comment account created 5 hours ago.
- rcpt 2y agoI see countless US stories about how "family farmers defend themselves from evil development" or "Oakland residents suffer the effects of global trade booming in their city". But when I read about China's incredible growth nothing like that is ever mentioned. Why is that?
- arrosenberg 2y agoThe CCP has a pretty tight grip on the domestic narrative. The farmers in China have no agency to complain. US farmers, on the other hand, are a powerful constituency, especially the consolidated, corporate entities.
- yieldcrv 2y agoMultiple things at play here For candid Chinese dissidence there are a couple of tolerated zones on wechat, like an American Embassy’s wechat page. Its not protected, people just use it that way sometimes. And you just have to learn some of the slang. There are in person clashes sometimes. The municipal level isn’t as quick to seem every little action as an affront to the territorial unity of China, which is against the Chinese constitution. The social safety nets are very expansive and work decent for the population. Housing, healthcare, busy work for income.
- stevenwoo 2y agoChinese citizens actually can stand up to private developers. Not so much stuff like the Three Gorges Dam. The developers just build right around them. It pops up as a single photo with one of these homes on reddit sometimes but CNN ran a story a decade ago, there's even a name for the way the home sticks out. https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/19/asia/gallery/china-nail-houses/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/19/asia/gallery/china-nail-house...
- em-bee 2y agobecause it's not evil development. what i have seen that actually happens is that the farmers get enough money to build a new house. it is based on the size of the house they had in the village which lead to the curious situation that people expanded their buildings even though they knew already that their village was slated to be wiped. then the farmers pool their money and build multistory apartment buildings not far from the area where their village was so they are not being chased away and left helpless.
- jimt1234 2y agoI visited Chongqing when I lived in Shanghai around 2002. People regarded it as an insignificant city back then - everyone was so fixated on Shanghai and Beijing. Anyway, Chongqing was under major construction, as was most of the country. But I remember the locals used to say that when you walked to work in the morning you needed to leave a trail of rice because the city changes so rapidly that you'll never find your way home by the time your shift is done. LOL
- seanmcdirmid 2y agoChongqing became an autonomous city back in 1998, so it wasn’t considered that insignificant (not to mention it was the wartime capital of China during WW2). However, as a city (vs a state-like municipality), I think Chengdu has passed it…eg chengdu has more people passing through its airports.
- seanmcdirmid 2y agoAs a city in western terms, Chongqing only has around 8 million people, and is not even in the top twenty of Chinese cities. If you include the entire municipality that is the size of Vermont, it’s largely rural with other cities inside it (so 31 million people total, 22 million urban, 8 million for Chongqing proper). Compare with Beijing which has around 10 million in its proper area (inside 5th ring) and 20 million people total.
- rurban 2y agoIf you call Chongqing the largest city in the world (it is not), you need to call Canton (the Greater Bay Area, GBA) bigger. With 86m and the cities of Guangzhou, Shenzen, Foshan,... even without Hong Kong and Macao, it's the largest mega city by far. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangdong%E2%80%93Hong_Kong%E2%80%93Macao_Greater_Bay_Area https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangdong%E2%80%93Hong_Kong%E2...
- waltercool 2y ago[dead]