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Chongqing, China's fastest growing city
 Chongqing is the fastest growing city in the fastest growing country in the world. It is China's youngest direct municipality, which means it is largely autonomous and has the power to direct its own future.
Chongqing is built on the junction of the Yangtze and Jailing Rivers. Its growth has made it known as the "gateway to the West". The city's population is over 33 million. This means it has the equivalent of more than half the population of the United Kingdom. Little known outside China itself, Chongqing became the seat of Chinese government during the Second World War.
The city claims fame for several reasons:
> It is a city built in mountains, where most of the other development in China is in flat areas
> It is the home of the hotpot, a special cooking style developed here
> It is famous for its fog, which seldom lifts from the city
> The fiercely proud people of Chongqing also believe it is famous for its beautiful women
Chongqing is also famous for its night lights. All new building projects are required to have built-in night illuminations. This is part of the city government's urban beautification programme. They believe that the night illuminations make up for the poor visibility during the day.
British influence through the British Consul and the British council is growing within Chongqing. Many UK companies now have well established bases in the city.
The Academy's link to No. 37 Middle School will be a further development of the UK-Chongqing partnership.
Chongqing offers access to three famous site-seeing venues for visitors:
> Ciqikou, which is the ancient town of Chongqing – built on the River Jailing, it has been preserved as a local heritage site
> The Three Gorges Dam – although it is 630km distant, it is reached via Chongqing
> The Dazu stone carvings, an UNESCO world heritage site
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