11 astonishing photos that show how Chongqing became the biggest megacity in China in 25 years

Marielle DescalsotaFeb 28, 2022, 13:32 IST

This picture taken on March 22, 2019 shows a skyline of Chongqing from the top of Raffles City Chongqing under construction in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images

Chongqing is China's biggest city in terms of total population and land area, but it was only developed in 1997.
The biggest misconception about Chongqing is that it is the biggest city in the world, associate professor Kyle Jaros told Insider.

Chongqing is the biggest city in China. With a population of over 30 million people, the city covers roughly the same land area as South Carolina.

Navigation on the Yangzi Jiang in Chongqing, China, December 1980.Marie Mathelin/Roger Viollet/Getty Images

The biggest misconception about Chongqing is that it is the biggest city in the world, Jaros said. That title, when measured by population, belongs to Tokyo, population 39 million, as estimated by Demographia.

The reconstructed Wushan on the Yangtze (Yangzi) River, Chongqing Municipality, in 2006.History/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

The biggest misconception about Chongqing is that it is the biggest city in the world, Jaros said. That title, when measured by population, belongs to Tokyo, population 39 million, as estimated by Demographia.

Chongqing has historically been an industrial city; a photo from 1997 (below) shows densely packed buildings and a bustling port.

Chongqing, the largest Chinese city located on the upper Yangtze, in October 1997.Robert Wallis/Corbis/Getty Images

Before China's national-level development of inland cities in the late 1990s, there was "extreme urban poverty" in many parts of Sichuan province, Jaros said.

New buildings are under construction in Chongqing, China, in February 1995.Elaine Chan/South China Morning Post/Getty Images

One defining moment in Chongqing's evolution as a city came in 1994, when construction started on the Three Gorges Dam. The dam was completed in 2003.

Ferry passengers walk past the remains of apartment buildings at a demolition site in the Yangtze River town of Wanzhou, near Chongqing in the south of China in November 2002.Mark Ralston/South China Morning Post/Getty Images

Historically, most people in Chongqing lived in rural areas.

Old boatmen drag a boat along the river at the Shidi Township on July 16, 2008 in Xiushan Tujia and Miao Autonomous County of Chongqing Municipality, China.China Photos/Getty Images

In the mid-2000s, people from the countryside began moving into high-rise apartments in the Chongqing city center, according to a paper by Georgetown University professor Kristen Looney.

A view of Chongqing's skyline in March 2010 with new high-rise buildings under construction. Chongqing is one of China's five "city states" and Chongqing city is the most densely populated urban region in China.Ryan Pyle/Corbis via Getty Images

In the mid-2000s, people from the countryside began moving into high-rise apartments in the Chongqing city center, according to a paper by Georgetown University professor Kristen Looney.

To accommodate the rapidly urbanizing city, Chongqing had to create a vast infrastructure network.

A view of the Yanggongqiao Overpass, the biggest of its kind in southwest China is seen March 21, 2006 in Chongqing Municipality, China.China Photos/Getty Images

Foreign investment helped grow the city's economy in the late 2000s.

Aerial view of new vehicles sitting parked at the 2nd factory of Chang'an Ford Automobile Co., Ltd on November 30, 2021 in Chongqing, China.Visual China Group/Getty Images

Today, Chongqing is a modern city with a sprawling skyline.

People enjoy the night view at a bar in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Dec. 8, 2021. Chongqing has adopted various activities to promote night economy.Tang Yi/Xinhua/Getty Images

But Chongqing's ever-expanding housing sprawl is also a cause for concern, Jaros said.

This picture taken on March 22, 2019 shows buildings from the top of Raffles City Chongqing under construction in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images

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11 astonishing photos that show how Chongqing became the biggest megacity in China in 25 years

Chongqing is the biggest city in China. With a population of over 30 million people, the city covers roughly the same land area as South Carolina.

The biggest misconception about Chongqing is that it is the biggest city in the world, Jaros said. That title, when measured by population, belongs to Tokyo, population 39 million, as estimated by Demographia.

Chongqing has historically been an industrial city; a photo from 1997 (below) shows densely packed buildings and a bustling port.

Before China's national-level development of inland cities in the late 1990s, there was "extreme urban poverty" in many parts of Sichuan province, Jaros said.

One defining moment in Chongqing's evolution as a city came in 1994, when construction started on the Three Gorges Dam. The dam was completed in 2003.

Historically, most people in Chongqing lived in rural areas.

In the mid-2000s, people from the countryside began moving into high-rise apartments in the Chongqing city center, according to a paper by Georgetown University professor Kristen Looney.

To accommodate the rapidly urbanizing city, Chongqing had to create a vast infrastructure network.

Foreign investment helped grow the city's economy in the late 2000s.

Today, Chongqing is a modern city with a sprawling skyline.

But Chongqing's ever-expanding housing sprawl is also a cause for concern, Jaros said.