History of Chongqing in Timeline

Chongqing is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China, one of four such municipalities under the Central People's Government. Unique for being located inland, it is geographically large, comparable in size to Austria, encompassing several urban areas beyond Chongqing proper. As a municipality, it is the largest city proper globally by population, although it is not the most populous urban area.

1904: Consulate Opening

In 1904, the Japanese consulate was opened in Chongqing.

1907: Steamship Journey

In 1907, a steamship made the journey without the help of manual haulers to Chongqing.

August 1933: Unofficial Highest Temperature

On August 8 and 9, 1933, an unofficial record of 44.0 °C (111 °F) was set in Chongqing.

November 1937: Provisional Capital

From November 1937, Chongqing was Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's provisional capital during and after the Second Sino-Japanese War.

1937: Second Sino-Japanese War

During the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, the fog in Chongqing possibly played a role in protecting the city from the Imperial Japanese Army.

1937: Chongqing as Provisional Capital of China from 1937

From 1937, Chongqing served as the provisional Capital of China.

1937: Wartime Capital

From 1937, Chongqing was the wartime capital of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War (i.e., World War II).

1938: Base of Resistance

From 1938 onwards, General Chiang-Kai Shek and the army were forced to use Chongqing as base of resistance.

1938: Bombing Campaigns

From 1938, Chongqing suffered from continuous massive bombing campaigns of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Army Air Forces.

1938: Retreat to Chongqing

In 1938, General Chiang Kai-shek and the remaining army retreated from Wuhan and resided in Chongqing for a time.

September 1940: Second Capital City

On September 6, 1940, Chongqing was formally declared the second capital city (陪都; péidū; p'ei-tu).

December 1941: Allied Presence

In December 1941, after Britain, the United States, and other Allies entered the war in Asia, Joseph Stilwell, one of the Allies' deputy commanders of operations in Southeast Asia (Southeast Asia Command SEAC), was based in Chongqing.

February 1943: Unofficial Lowest Temperature

On February 8, 1943, an unofficial record of −2.5 °C (27 °F) was set in Chongqing.

1943: Continued Bombing

Until 1943, Chongqing suffered from continuous massive bombing campaigns of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Army Air Forces.

1945: Chongqing as Provisional Capital of China until 1945

Chongqing remained the provisional Capital of China until 1945 and was one of the three headquarters of the Allies during World War II.

1945: Second Sino-Japanese War

During the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1945, the fog in Chongqing possibly played a role in protecting the city from the Imperial Japanese Army.

1945: End of War

In 1945, Chongqing was the wartime capital for the Republic of China (ROC) when the Second Sino-Japanese War ended.

1945: End of War Time Capital

In 1945, Chongqing was the wartime capital of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War (i.e., World War II).

May 1946: End of Provisional Capital

In May 1946, Chongqing stopped being Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's provisional capital after the Second Sino-Japanese War.

November 1949: Nationalist Government Withdrawal

In late November 1949, the Nationalist KMT government withdrew from Chongqing by air.

1951: Temperature Extremes

Since 1951, the extremes in temperature have been recorded in Chongqing.

January 1955: Lowest Temperature

On January 11, 1955, the temperature reached a low of −1.8 °C (29 °F) in Chongqing.

1958: Construction of Niujiaotuo Jialing River Bridge in 1958

In 1958, the Niujiaotuo Jialing River Bridge, the first important bridge in urban Chongqing, was built.

1960: First Yangtze River Bridge Built in 1960

In 1960, Chongqing built its first Yangtze River bridge.

1977: Second Yangtze River Bridge Built in 1977

In 1977, Chongqing built its second Yangtze River bridge.

1977: Construction of Shibanpo Yangtze River Bridge in 1977

In 1977, the Shibanpo Yangtze River Bridge (Chongqing Yangtze River Bridge), the first bridge over the Yangtze River, was built.

1995: Formation of Qianwei Wuhan in 1995

In 1995, Qianwei (Vanguard) Wuhan, later known as Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic, was formed to participate in the Chinese Soccer League.

1995: Bridge Construction Surge after 1995

Since 1995, Chongqing significantly increased its bridge construction, with the completion of numerous bridges over the Yangtze River.

September 1996: Governance on Behalf of the Province

Since September 1996, the sub-provincial city had governed Fuling, Wanxian, and Qianjiang prefectures on behalf of the province.

March 1997: Separation from Sichuan

In March 1997, Chongqing was separated from Sichuan province to further development in the central and western parts of China.

March 1997: Chongqing Municipality Formation

On March 14, 1997, the Eighth National People's Congress decided to merge Chongqing with adjacent Fuling, Wanxian, and Qianjiang prefectures to grant it independence from Sichuan.

June 1997: Official Ceremony

On June 18, 1997, the first official ceremony of the Chongqing Municipality took place.

1997: Merging of Chongqing

In 1997, Chongqing, Fuling, Wanxian (now Wanzhou) and Qianjiang were merged.

1997: Subdivision Abolishment

In 1997, three subdivisions were abolished in Chongqing.

1997: Direct-Controlled Municipality

Since 1997, Chongqing has been a direct-controlled municipality in the Chinese administrative structure.

1997: Expansion of Infrastructure since 1997

Since its elevation to a national-level municipality in 1997, Chongqing dramatically expanded its infrastructure, becoming a major transportation hub in southwestern China through the construction of railways and expressways.

2000: Chinese FA Cup win in 2000

In 2000, Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic won the Chinese FA Cup and came in fourth in the league.

May 2007: Chongqing's Investment in Transportation System in May 2007

In May 2007, the Chongqing Municipal Government announced an ambitious plan to invest 150 billion RMB over 13 years to complete a transportation system that combines underground metro lines with a heavy monorail.

2007: Religion Survey

According to a survey conducted in 2007, 26.63% of the population in Chongqing practices Chinese ancestral religion.

2007: Chongqing's Motor Vehicle Production in 2007

In 2007, Chongqing was China's third-largest motor vehicle production center and the largest for motorcycles, with an annual output capacity of 1 million cars and 8.6 million motorcycles. Leading makers included Changan Automotive Corp, Lifan Hongda Enterprise, and Ford Motor Company, which had 3 plants in Chongqing in 2007.

2009: Religion Survey

According to a survey conducted in 2009, 26.63% of the population in Chongqing practices Chinese ancestral religion, while 1.05% of the population identifies as Christian.

February 2010: National Central City Status

On February 8, 2010, Chongqing became one of the nine National Central Cities in China.

November 2010: Chongqing Identified as a CHAMPS City in November 2010

In November 2010, the Economist Intelligence Unit's Access China White Paper identified Chongqing as a member of the CHAMPS (Chongqing, Hefei, Anshan, Maanshan, Pingdingshan, and Shenyang), highlighting its economic profile as one of the top 20 emerging cities in China.

2010: Metropolitan Area Population

As of 2010, the metropolitan area encompassing the central urban area was estimated by the OECD to have a population of 17 million.

2010: Muslim Population

In 2010, there were 9,056 Muslims in Chongqing.

October 2011: District Abolishment

In October 2011, Wansheng and Shuangqiao districts were abolished in Chongqing.

2012: Transportation Infrastructure in 2012

In 2012, Chongqing's transportation infrastructure had 111 metro stations.

2013: Chongqing Soaring Dragons in Chinese Basketball Association in 2013

In 2013, Chongqing Soaring Dragons became the 20th team playing in the Chinese Basketball Association.

October 2014: Bridges Across the Yangtze River in October 2014

As of October 2014, Chongqing had 31 bridges across the Yangtze River within the municipality, including over a dozen in the city's urban core.

2014: Bridges on Yangtze and Jialing Rivers in 2014

In 2014, there were 20 bridges on the Yangtze River and 28 bridges on the Jialing River within the area of the 9 districts of Chongqing.

2015: Chongqing Soaring Dragons Move to Beijing in 2015

In 2015, Chongqing Soaring Dragons moved to Beijing and became known as Beijing Royal Fighters.

2016: Reorganization into Western Theater Command

In 2016, the Chengdu Military Region, which formerly comprised the 13th Group Army, was reorganized into the Western Theater Command.

2017: Metro Lines in Operation as of 2017

As of 2017, Chongqing had four metro lines in operation, including CRT Line 1, CRT Line 2, Line 3, and Line 6. Line 5 also opened in late 2017.

2018: Year End Population

At the end of year 2018, the total population of Chongqing is 31.02 million.

2020: National Census

According to the 2020 national census, Chongqing has a population of 32,054,159.

2020: Announcement of Cloud Valley Project in 2020

At the end of 2020, the Cloud Valley project, a collaboration between a Danish architecture firm and the Chinese tech company Terminus to create an AI-controlled campus, was announced.

2020: Largest Municipality by Urban Population

In 2020, Chongqing surpassed Shanghai to become China's largest municipality by urban population.

2020: CRT Expansion Plan by 2020

It was planned that by 2020, the CRT (Chongqing Rail Transit) would consist of 6 lines and 1 loop line, adding 363.5 km of road and railway to the 2012 transportation infrastructure.

2021: Population Estimation

As of 2021, 70.4% of Chongqing's population is estimated to be urban, and 29.6% rural.

2021: Jiangbei Airport's Ranking in 2021

As of 2021, Jiangbei Airport was the 4th busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic in mainland China.

August 2022: Highest Temperature

On August 18 and 19, 2022, the temperature reached a high of 43.7 °C (111 °F) in Chongqing.

2022: Higher Education Institutions in Chongqing as of 2022

As of 2022, Chongqing hosted 70 institutions of higher education, excluding adult colleges. This made it the fourth city with the most higher education institutions nationwide and the first city in Western China.

2022: Largest Chinese City

As of 2022, Chongqing is the largest Chinese city by urban population, with a population of 22.80 million.

2022: Chongqing's Nominal GDP in 2022

In 2022, Chongqing's nominal GDP was US$433 billion, representing 2.41% of the country's GDP and ranking 16th among province-level administrative units. The municipality's primary, secondary, and tertiary industries were worth CN¥201.21 billion, CN¥1.169 trillion, and CN¥1.542 trillion, respectively. Its nominal GDP per capita was US$13,479, ranking 10th in the country in 2022.