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Abrreviated as
¡°Yu¡±, Chongqing is located in the center of
northwestern China where the Yangtze River and
Jialing River meet. It became the fourth
municipality directly under the central
government in 1997. with an area of more than
82,300 square kilometers, Chongqing has a total
population of 30 million, including Hans, Huis,
Miaos, Tujias and other ethnic peoples.
Situated in the
eastern part of Sichuan Basin, Chongqing is |
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screened by mountains in three sides of north,
east and south, hence the nickname, ¡° the
Mountain City¡±. The Yangtze River cross the
province from southwest to northeast, and cuts
through mountains. Here the river course
suddenly narrows and the waters become
turbulent. Sheer cliffs and steep mountains rise
on either side, creating one of nature¡¯s most
fantastic sights --- the Three Gorges. Situated
in the subtropical zone with a monsoon climate, Chongqing is hot and suffocating in summer, and
is called one of the three ¡°heating stoves¡± on
the Yangtze River. Chongqing is also known as a
¡°Fog City¡± due to the fact that it is wet and
foggy in winter and spring, and it has 100 to
150 foggy days averagely in one year.
Chongqing enjoys a time-honored history. It is
one of the famous Chinese cities endowed with
historical and cultural significance. During the
Spring and Autumn and the Warring State Periods,
it belonged to the State of Ba; it was in the
territory of Yuzhou in the Sui and Tang
dynasties, and became the capital of the State
of Daxia during the late Yuan Dynasty. In 1927,
Chongqing is incorporated as a city. During the
War of Resistance against Japan, it was the
¡°provisional capital¡± of China under the
Kuomintang¡¯s rule. Major attractions include
Dazu Rock Carvings, one of the UNESCO¡¯s world
heritage sites, Yangtze River¡¯s Three Gorges,
Revolutionary Memorial Hall of the Red Crag
Village, Bai¡¯s Mansion and Pipa (Loquat)
Mountain.
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4Dazu
Rock Carvings |
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Dazu Rock Carvings,
located 163 kilometers away from Chongqing
Municipality, is one of five major grottoes in
China. The carvings stared in 892 and completed
by the end of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127
¨C1278) lasting more than 250 years. They are the
excellent works of rock carvings produced during
the later period of grotto arts in China.In Dazu
County, more than 50,000 pieces of carved rock
figures are scattered 75 major sites in an area
of 1,390 square kilometers. Those carved out of the rocks
at Beishan |
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(North Hill), the Baodingshan
(Precious Peak Hill) and Nanshan (South Hill)
are most concentrated in number, the largest in
scale, the finest in craftsmanship and the
richest in contents.
Dazu Rock Carvings, mainly consisting-of
Buddhist images, are the commented as the
¡°Oriental Carved Bible¡±. However, there are also
separate areas of Confucian and Taoist images,
and caves in which the founders of Confucianism,
Buddhism and Taoism are placed together.
Besides, there are statures of a commemorative
nature of historical personages. What makes Dazu
rock carvings unique is the large amount of
statues, the refined carving techniques, the
diversified subjects, the rich content and the
excellent conservation. On June 22,2000, the
World Heritage Committee of UNESCO presented
Dazu the title of ¡°World Heritage Site¡±. |
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| 4The
Mean Temperature (Centigrade) |
|
Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Temperature |
7.5 |
9.1 |
13.8 |
18.4 |
21.8 |
24.7 |
28.3 |
28.3 |
23.4 |
18.4 |
13.6 |
9.1 |
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