Chongqing became China’s fourth municipality on March 14, 1997 when the National People’s Congress approved motion by the State Council. Like the municipalities of Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai, Chongqing now runs its own affairs under the direct control of the central government, instead of Sichuan provincechongqing. It administers 14 districts, 4 cities and 19 counties. Of 30.90 million people in Chongqing, over 24.4 million are farmers, accounting for 79 per cent of the total population of Chongqing; minority people number more than 1.7 million, accounting for 5.5 per cent of the total population in Chongqing.
The city is proud of its splendid natural scenery with a representation of hills, rivers, forests, springs, waterfalls, gorges, and caves. The city’s culture is a combination of Ba and Yu culture, migration culture and Three-Gorges culture. Famous scenic spots and relics include the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, and the Dazu Grottoes, which was inscribed by UNESCO on the World heritage List in 1999.

Inscribed by UNESCO on the list as one of the World Cultural Heritages in December 1999, Dazu Rock Carvings lie 163 kilometers away from Chongqing Municipality, which was established in March 1997. The carvings started in 892 and completed by the end of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) lasting more than 250 years. They are the excellent works of rock carvings produced during the later period of grotto arts in China.
More than 50,000 pieces of carved rock figures are scattered 75 major sites in the 1,390-square-kilometer county. Those carved out of the rocks at Beishan (North Hill), the Baodingshan (Precious Peak Hill) and Nanshan (North Hill) are the most concentrated in number, the largest in scale, the finest in craftsmanship and the richest in contents. In 1961, the appeared on the list of the first group of important cultural relics under the state protection as announced by the State Council.

The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, a world-renowned tourist attraction, start at Baidicheng (White Emperor City) in Fengjie County (population 990,000) in the west and end at Nanjingguan (Southern Crossing) Pass in Yichang to the east, passing through Badong, Zigui counties and Yichang City in Hubei provincechongqing. The total length of the gorges extends 193 kilometers. Except the Daning River Valley and the Xiangxi (Fragrant stream) Valley, the gorges themselves are 93 kilometers long. The first gorge of the three from west to east, known as Qutang Gorge, is 7 kilometers, Wuxia Gorge, the second one, runs west to east for 44 kilometers; Xiling Gorge, the last of the three, covers a distance of 42 kilometers.