Chongqing

Chongqing ( CHONG-CHING or chong-CHING; simplified Chinese: 重庆; traditional Chinese: 重慶; pinyin: Chóngqìng; Sichuanese pronunciation: [tsʰoŋ˨˩tɕʰin˨˩˦], Standard Mandarin pronunciation: [ʈʂʰʊ̌ŋ.tɕʰîŋ] ; alternately romanized as Chungking, ) is a major city in the People's Republic of China. Chongqing is a connection in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and a base for China's Belt and Road Initiative.Administratively, it is one of the four municipalities under the direct administration of the Central People's Government (the other three are Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin), and the only such municipality located deep inland. It is therefore not administratively part of Sichuan province.
The municipality of Chongqing, roughly the size of Austria or the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, includes the city of Chongqing as well as various discontiguous cities. Due to a classification technicality, Chongqing municipality can claim to be the largest city proper in the world—though it does not have the world's largest urban area. Chongqing is the only city in China with a permanent population of over 30 million, however this number includes a large rural population. As of 2022, Chongqing is the largest Chinese city by urban population, with a population of 22.80 million. According to the 2010 census, Chongqing is the most populous Chinese municipality, and also the largest direct-controlled municipality in China, containing 26 districts, eight counties, and four autonomous counties.
During the Republic of China (ROC) era, Chongqing served as its wartime capital during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945). The current municipality was separated from Sichuan province on 14 March 1997 to help develop the central and western parts of China. As one of China's National Central Cities, it serves as a financial center of the Sichuan Basin and the upstream Yangtze and is a major manufacturing and transportation center. Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, a major aviation hub serving Chongqing metropolitan areas and Western China, is one of the top 50 busiest airports in the world,and the second busiest airport in China. The city's monorail system is the world's longest and busiest monorail system with the greatest number of stations (70). Chongqing is ranked as a Beta (global second-tier) city. Chongqing is the headquarters of the Changan Automobile, one of the "Big Four" car manufacturers of China. As of 2023, the city also hosts 12 foreign representations, the fifth most in China behind Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu.Chongqing is one of the top 40 cities in the world by scientific research outputs as tracked by the Nature Index, and home to several notable universities, including Chongqing University, Southwest University, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing Normal University, Sichuan International Studies University, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and Chongqing University of Technology.