From the spicy food to its sizzling streets and violent history, David Dawson finds the heat has always been on in Chongqing
You can see the effects of the heat before you feel it.
Stepping off the subway at Xiaoshizi, right in the heart of the Yuzhong peninsula (渝中半岛) that forms the core of Chongqing city, elderly people and children prop themselves up against the walls and stairs of both exits, fanning themselves and biding their time.
On reaching the top of the stairs, you find out why. Chongqing is considered one of the four “furnaces” of China, along with Wuhan, Nanjing, and, depending who you ask, Changsha or Nanchang. The heat is oppressive; if you’re visiting during summer, you’re going to end up planning whole days around the temperature.
Chongqing is not an easy city to navigate. Aside from the fact two rivers join at the heart of the city, walking anywhere requires covering almost as much vertical distance as horizontal. Traffic, for the most part, is surprisingly uncongested but on the flip side, roads are long and winding. What might be an 800-meter trip, as the crow flies, can very easily become a five-kilometer journey around serpentine trails, even right near the center of town. (If possible, register on a transport app like Didi Chuxing before you go, to avoid roasting in the sun while struggling to get a cab).
Endless Summer is a story from our issue, “Down to Earth.” To read the entire issue, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine.
David Dawson is the former deputy editor of The World of Chinese.
