History of Chongqing
Evidence of human activity in Chongqing has been discovered dating back to the Paleolithic, approximately 20–30 thousand years ago.
It is unknown why the State of Ba fell so quickly into decline, but it is thought that due to a lack of unity, a powerful army could not be raised, leaving it open to attack by invaders.
[4][3] In 316 BC, the state of Qin conquered Ba, bringing the Chongqing area under the control of various Central Plains dynasties.
[5] The Three Kingdoms period left many legacies in the Chongqing area, including White Emperor City and Zhang Fei Temple.
During this period, the chaos in the Central Plains caused frequent population movements, significantly influencing Sichuan, with Chongqing at the forefront.
Additionally, the area gradually developed into a major transportation hub connecting Sichuan with central China and the Jiangnan region, leading to a rapid growth in handicrafts.
[10] In the Qing Dynasty, Chongqing Prefecture expanded its administrative reach, becoming a key political and economic hub in eastern Sichuan.
The city's infrastructure, including its walls rebuilt by Dai Ding, shaped Chongqing's urban landscape for centuries.
In 1891, the city's port was made open to the outside world, and a customs house was set up, marking its integration into global trade networks.
[8] These additions provide a more comprehensive historical overview of Chongqing's name changes and its development during the Ming, Qing, and early 20th-century periods.
They emphasize its role as a regional center under different ruling dynasties and its integration into international trade during the late Qing.
In the second year of the Guangxu reign (1876 AD), citing the Margary Affair, Britain coerced the Qing government into signing the Treaty of Yantai, which stipulated in Article III, Clause 1: "Furthermore, the Chongqing Prefecture of Sichuan may have a British resident to oversee British commercial affairs.
[8] After the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, with the frontline deteriorating, shortly after the start of the Battle of Shanghai, the Nationalist Army fell into passivity.
[15] On November 20, President Lin Sen of the National Government, following the plan to move the capital, ordered civilian and military officials to inventory important items such as the ROC flag and emblems, and left Nanjing for Chongqing overnight.
[18] As the wartime capital of China, Chongqing saw millions of migrants from the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze basin from 1937 to 1944, including from Zhejiang, Hunan, Anhui, Hubei, Jiangsu, and Shanghai.
[1] A drought affected the area in the summer of 2022,[25] with the Yangtze River dropping to levels unseen in decades if not centuries.
