Chongqing has a large area with an area of up to 8,243 km2, which is much larger than other countries in the world and equal to 1/4 of the area of our country. This city also has a population of about 32 million people, which is also among the cities with large populations in China, but it must be understood that Chongqing is a centrally run unit, a city directly under the Central Government of China. This city is located in the southwest of China on the banks of the Yangtze River and Jialing River. This place has an important strategic position connecting the economically developed regions in the East and the slower developing areas in the West of China. Previously, Zhongqing belonged to Sichuan.
Why is it called Trung Khanh?
The name Chongqing has a special and interesting meaning. Chong means overlap, and Khanh means festival or celebration. Combined, Chongqing can be understood as double joy or the joy of growing quality. This name originates from the Song Dynasty when Emperor Song Quang Tong ascended the throne. Before becoming emperor, he was granted the title of King in this land. And when he ascended the throne, he named this land Trung Khanh to commemorate two important events in his life. One is to be crowned king and the other is to become emperor.
Chongqing plays a very important role in China
It is one of China's four centrally run cities along with Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin, and is an important economic, industrial, commercial, and transportation center. The city is also one of the fastest growing regions in China with continuously strong GDP growth. Tru Khanh's GDP is estimated at about 400 billion USD, which is a little more than our Vietnam. Chongqing is a city that is a major automobile manufacturing center in China with an annual output of more than 3 million vehicles, and when talking about cars, we have to mention the traffic of Chongqing. With a modern transportation system including an international airport, metro system and high-speed train lines, Chongqing serves as a major transportation hub connecting Western China with other regions.
Interesting things
This city is famous for its mountainous terrain and many bridges, known as the city of bridges. The mountainous terrain has created steep roads and unique landscapes of Chongqing. Chongqing has hot and humid summers and cold winters, and the city is often called China's steamer due to its high summer temperatures.
Specialties and culture
Speaking of Chongqing, this city is famous for specialties such as spicy hot pot, a part of the old Sichuan hot pot. This is one of the typical Chinese dishes. Chongqing hotpot has a spicy flavor and is often eaten with a variety of vegetables, meat and seafood. From Chongqing, this will also be the gateway to the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, one of the famous wonders of China. One can take river cruises to admire the wonderful scenery.
Why is Chongqing traffic so complicated?
Traffic is complicated because of complex terrain. Chongqing is located on the southwest plateau of China, formerly part of Sichuan, so it's easy to imagine this mountainous area. The city is surrounded by mountains and there are many hills right in the inner city area. The city center area has a very large elevation difference from about 160 m to more than 1400 m up to the suburbs. This is one of the main reasons why building infrastructure becomes complex and expensive. Statistics show that about 70% of Chongqing's area is mountainous, with high peaks and deep valleys creating an uneven terrain.
Yangtze River and Jialing River
The Yangtze River, a famous long river in the world, passes through Chongqing with a length of about 665 km within the scope of this city. This river also creates many deep valleys and is a large natural barrier. If you want to cross the river, you have to bridge it. Or the Jialing River, about 119 km long, also flows through Chongqing, playing an important role in the city's hydrological system. The presence of these two large rivers creates many low-lying areas and canyons, making it difficult to build and develop surface transportation systems. The complex terrain of Trung Khanh combined with the presence of more than 30 million people, so the need to build a multi-layered transportation system, effectively utilizing space and ensuring smooth circulation is an urgent requirement for Chongqing, making Chongqing a city not for the road-blind.
City of bridges
This city has more than 20,000 different bridges, more than any other city in the world. The bridges here are not only bridges across the river but also viaducts connecting different components of this city together. The city also has a nearly 7 km long tunnel that is one of the longest urban tunnels in China, helping to relieve traffic pressure on the ground and connect important urban areas.
Metro city
Chongqing is famous for its train system. The Chongqing metro system has a total of nine lines with a total length of more than 370 km and more than 200 stations. This is one of the fastest growing train systems in China and is not just a subway but many parts are floating. Line two of Zhongqing is China's first elevated train line, 31.4 km long, including 25 stations, running along hillsides and passing over many overpasses, and especially the train in Zhongqing also runs through buildings.
Specifically, a train station in Trung Khanh passing through the apartment building is a characteristic feature of this city. The city is surrounded by rivers and mountains, regardless of day or night, this place is always an extremely hot check-in spot for tourists. Chinese railway engineers had a clever solution by building a train line through a 19-storey apartment building instead of going around the building, helping the building not be demolished while the building's residents could easily catch the train.
When passing through the building, the train makes only 60 dB of noise, equivalent to a conversation in a restaurant. According to the floor division, residents live from the 9th to the 19th floor, and the train runs from the 6th to the 8th floor. The station is located on the 8th floor. The 1st to 5th floors are where the stores will do business. So it seemed like this apartment building would have to be moved, but thanks to that uniqueness, the value of the apartments here increased significantly, thanks to the convenience of transportation as well as the convenience of traveling.
Buses and trams
As for the public transportation system, Chongqing has more than 8,000 buses operating on 500 routes serving tens of millions of passengers every day. The vehicle system is designed for easy travel through hilly and mountainous areas. If the numbers and information above are not enough to give you an impression of the complex traffic in Chongqing, let's look at a specific example. An intersection at Chongqing Giao Lu consists of many floors and many exits and is not for those with poor memory.
Hoang Giac Loan intersection
Huangjiewan Interchange in Chongqing is not only an engineering wonder but also a work of modern transportation art. Imagine, you are driving on a giant structure that resembles a maze. But instead of walking you are moving at high speed, Hoang Giac Loan intersection has up to five floors overlapping each other like a giant birthday cake with many layers. The highest floor is 37 meters above the ground, while the lowest floor is just high enough to make you feel like you are driving through a park. This intersection is like a supermarket with more than 20 branches and each branch has a different path leading to destinations inside and outside the city as you desire.
Known as the traffic heart of Chongqing, Hoang Giac Loan connects every corner of the city. This is not only a place for traffic to move but also a bridge between the strongly developed areas of Chongqing and neighboring provinces. One can drive from this intersection to famous tourist destinations to busy industrial zones or even other major Chinese cities. Have you ever seen science fiction movies with super smart traffic systems? That's exactly what you will see at Hoang Giac Loan, the traffic management system here is equipped with AI to monitor and regulate vehicle flow to ensure that not a single moment is wasted on the move.
Surveillance cameras operate 24/7 to help you always feel safe and comfortable when driving. Every day thousands of vehicles from cars, buses to trucks rush through Hoang Giac Loan intersection. This intersection 16 km is the total length of the paths in this intersection. 200,000 m2 is the total road surface area. Thus, the area of Hoang Giac Loan intersection is equivalent to more than 27 standard football fields. This shows the vast and impressive scale of this intersection.
Looking at this intersection, many people will probably have a question in their mind, what happens if you go the wrong way? In case of going in the wrong lane, the driver can choose another route within 10 minutes based on the easily visible signs.