Chongqing (short name
渝 Yú) became a provincial-level municipality (
直辖市) in 1997, separated from Sichuan. Built on steep hills at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, it is famous for its vertical cityscape, fiery
麻辣 hot pot, and as the wartime capital of Nationalist China (1937–1945). Its administrative area is unusually large, covering many rural counties.
