Chongqing Customs：

Ba-yu culture is one of the important part of China’s rich traditional cultures. The history of Emperor Yan and Huang originated in the Yellow River,but the legends of these emperors started to spread in south China till Emperor Xia and Yu. It is said that there are three birth places for Emperor Yu, namely Sichuan, Jiujiang in Jiangxi and Anhui, which are all along Yangtze River. It is recorded that Yu was in fact born in Shiniu Town, Guangrou County, Wenshan City in Sichuan province and then married in TuShan,Jiangzhou, now known as Chongqing. After beaten by Qin and ruled as Ba county, its people were put in a long process of sinicization .

All the customs formed over the past long history, including visits in Spring festival, Lantern festival in the mid of January of lunar calendar, Tomb-sweeping Day, Mid-autumn festival, hanging wine flag, holding a temple fair, sitting in a sedan and flying a kite have covered all the categories and almost the same as everywhere else from Weddings and funerals, entertainment and games, ideas of ghost, worship and taboos, time and seasons, as well as industry and commercialism.

In folk, there is said to be 18 strange things in Chongqing, which are referred to “one 70-year-old woman being called a girl”,“one 80-year-old woman being called a baby”,“men dying their hair to be foreigners”, “women exposing their stomachs and talking as in a race”,“dialects being innumerous and eccentric”,“hot-pot being much more popular in hot weather”,“being uncomfortable without Xiaomian”, “growing vegetables along slopes”, “driving slower than walking”,“enjoying looking around in journey” and “labors searching business all the time”. Ba-yu culture can also be indicated by the rich variety of dramas, music, drawing, hand-made arts and festivals.

Chongqing people are upright and plainspoken, hospitable but no exclusive to outsiders, and good at learning and absorbing others’ advanced civilization. In ancient times, it was quite common for Sichuan people to emigrate due to the heavy floods; and Chongqing firstly opened up a commercial port and built up a close relationship with important cities along Yangtze River such as Shanghai. During the war times, with grand immigration to inland, groups of elites gathered in Chongqing; three-line construction in the 60’s gathered a new group of talents. The opening-up reform made Chongqing an outstanding example and brought lots of people to develop business overseas. It’s those opening-up activities that contributed to the mixture of Ba-yu culture and traditional Chinese elites culture, especially seaside culture and then formed the unique Ba-yu customs and activities

There are 23 peoples in Chongqing with Tujia Zu the main one of a population of 1500,000. They usually live in the five counties in southeastern Chongqing, including Qiu, Xiu, Qian, Peng and Shizhu. Thanks to the isolation, Ba-yu culture is well preserved in Tujia people and widely spread in Qian zone. Joining in the beautiful waving dance, watching the joyful Xiushan lanterns and leaning against the Hanging house of the Tu-ethn surrounded by green water and mountain, tourists will feel like being in close touch with the original Ba-yu culture.

Constructed between the river and mountain, Chongqing is characterized by the special city view and transportation system, which enables tourists to have a pleasant and wonderful experience. Though lack of the beauty and wonder by the blending of plain city’s grandness and metropolis’s prosperity, it will make you mouth-open by applying the guests-drivers such as lifters, elevators and cabins to connecting the blocks and roads. Especially the unique cabin car connecting the YangtzeRiver and Yellow River in world makes people walk as though in sky and have a good sightseeing in excitement. The traditional and modern buildings and special transportation equips Chongqing, the old city with rich history and cultures.

The environment of Chongqing is quite favorable for a girl’s beautiful appearance. Walking down a noisy street, you will be busy with looking at so many beauties, who are gorgeous, fashionable and warm-hearted and become a noticeable spot in Chongqing street. In another word, with beauties born in Suzhou and Hangzhou in ancient times, now they are in Ba-yu. What to be proud of is the century’s beauty pageant among China’s six metropolises in 1999, with the first three winners all from Chongqing, which becomes a story in everybody's lips.

It is also worth mentioning the Bangbang Army (similar as bearers) in Chongqing, who will go to provide you service at your calling “bangbang”. This group in fact make a great contribution to local economic development and is a unique economic phenomenon in the city of mountains.

Chongqing hot pot, as a representative of Chongqing Chuan dish, is a weirdo in Chinese Food culture. Chuan dishes, affected by culture meltingsseveraltimes in history,especially absorbing the advantage of Jiangzhe dish and Yue dish, ,are of various tastes and continuously highlight the merits of Chongqing dishes.The dishes like Laifeng fish, Suancai fish, Tai’an fish, Wujiang fish, Huajiang dog meat,spicy Tianluo,spicy chicken,Quanshui chicken, Shaojigong, Bear duck,Youting Fish, Salted and Drunk duck are leading the position for hundreds of years.Chongqing’sexclusive hot pot makinggood use of linen,peppery,freshness, fragrance and hotness is the most well-known dish around the world and much of localism. Chongqing hot pot has been favored by people all around the world and has the tendency to go abroad and becomes one of the most popular dishes in the world.

Traveling

Chongqing is abundant in traveling resources with a three-thousand-year long history, which owns not only the natural scenery of mountain, water, forest, river, waterfall, valley and caves but also the cultural scenery of Chongqing culture, Nationality culture, Immigration culture,Sanxia culture, Peidu culture and city culture. For natural scenery, Sanxiaalong Yangtze Riveris the most outstanding.There are about 300 natuaral and cultural scenic spots with one world culture legacy(DazuShike), one world natural legacy, 13 National key cultural relics protection units, 6 national key scenic spots, 24 national forest parks, 6 national geological parks,4 national nature reserves, 20 national key cultural relics protection units. Chongqing is also entitles as National Environmental Protection Model City, National Excellent Tourism City, National Garden City. In the report "2015 China tourist city attractive list" released by China’s research center in May 2015, Chongqing ranked No.1 and becomes the most attractive tourist city in China.

Specialty

1.Teas: YongchuanXiuya, Junshan Silver needle, JinyunMaofen, Xinyang MaoJian, Jingxing green tea, Tuocha, HeishanXueya, YouyangBuckwheat, Jasmine tea, etc.

2.Snacks: Ciqikou Chenmahua, dengying beef, JiangjinMihuaSugar,Hechuanpeach slice, chicken toe with pickle pepper, Dry Salted Duck of Bai Shi-yi,Yangjiaodried long beans, Chenkou Bacon, peanuts of special flavors, traditional beef, Hot and Sour Rice Noodles, natural fishes in Furong Water,Allspice,QianjiangShendou, etc.

3.Condiments: hot pot spices, Fuling pickle, Zhongxian fermented bean curd, Yongchuan lobster sauce, Dazu county, spiced cabbage, spring chicken condiment, old duck soup seasoning sauce, boiled fish sauce, chicken, etc.

4.Artworks: Rongchang folding fan, Rongchanghandmade pottery, Dazu grottoes, Sanxiainkstone, Qijiang prints by migrant workers, bamboo weaving,combs by Carpenter Tan.

5.Health preservation: rhizomacoptidis in Shizhu,Gastrodiaelata, Codonopsispilosula in Wu Mountain, eucommiaulmoides in southern Sichuan, delicaciesin wulong mountain, Bamboo Shootsin southern Sichuan.