Chongqing: Chinese Megacity, 1990s vs. 2000s

staff · #1 Posted **Aug 27, 2009, 1:02 PM**

This is Chongqing, which will act as one of the leading urban centres in the world's largest country throughout the 21st century. It has undergone insane transformation in the last 15 odd years, and will continue to do so in the future.

Early 90s:

2007:

Early 90s:

2007:

Early 90s:

2007:

Early 90s:

2007:

Some more recent comparisons (which in a way are even more impressive considering the short time span):

2004-2007:

All pics from http://bbs.cqnews.net/forum-175-1.html via z0rg.

Jeeper · #2 Posted **Aug 27, 2009, 1:12 PM**

I'm so jealous of China right now. They're really hitting their stride, much like we did in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

staff · #3 Posted **Aug 27, 2009, 1:18 PM**

If you are going to change the thread title, at least try to spell the name of the city correctly...

Steely Dan · #4 Posted **Aug 27, 2009, 3:55 PM**

the rate of chinese urbanization is nothing short of mind boggling to me. people in this country are impressed by a place like miami because they've thrown up several hundred new skyscrapers down there this past decade and have radically altered the city's skyline, but china takes it to an entirely different level. shit, china takes it to an entirely different stratosphere.

fascinating thread, thanks for posting it.

Austinlee · #5 Posted **Aug 27, 2009, 3:56 PM**

Definitely one of the more amazing Chinese cities.

MolsonExport · #6 Posted **Aug 27, 2009, 4:03 PM**

Is there any parallel in history (outside of "greater" China, that is) for the sheer magnitude and speed of this urban progress? MAYBE NYC in the 1920s?

peanut gallery · #7 Posted **Aug 27, 2009, 4:51 PM**

What an amazing transformation. Since this is in the general area of the Three Gorges Dam, could some of this growth be directly related to the relocation of the cities that were in the flood zone? In other words, was Chongqing one of the primary destinations for those who had to move?

CGII · #8 Posted **Aug 27, 2009, 5:18 PM**

I see a lot of progress, but it looks to be at the cost of its history and character. Of course, all of our cities are built upon perpetual change, but this image made me a little sad by what replaced it:

BnaBreaker · #9 Posted **Aug 27, 2009, 6:56 PM**

The growth is remarkable in Chongqing. When I was there in 2006 it literally looked like the entire city was under construction and being built simultaneously from the ground up. But the really remarkable thing is that not only is the city growing rapidly, but it's growing rapidly into a very beautiful, well built city. I absolutely love it.

Fusey · #10 Posted **Aug 27, 2009, 7:11 PM**

And I thought the suburb I was raised in grew up fast...

Jasonhouse · #11 Posted **Aug 27, 2009, 9:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Is there any parallel in history (outside of "greater" China, that is) for the sheer magnitude and speed of this urban progress? MAYBE NYC in the 1920s?

Chicago's early growth rate will always trump them all imo. The city was essentially built by hand.

This thing with China is it has 3-5 cities growing with almost 'Chicago-like' speed at any given time.

Steely Dan · #12 Posted **Aug 27, 2009, 10:01 PM**

^ chicago's growth certainly doesn't trump some of the insanity currently going on in china, but chicago's leap from an uninhabitted swamp to a city of millions in just 3 generations was certainly remarkable for its time in the 19th century.

as i said before, china has taken this whole rapid urbanization thing to a new level.

antinimby · #13 Posted **Aug 28, 2009, 1:21 AM**

Did they clear away the mountain here?

theWatusi · #14 Posted **Aug 28, 2009, 1:27 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by staff

Check out the difference in the river color. I guess that they don't require silt fence.

fflint · #15 Posted **Aug 28, 2009, 1:53 AM**

Almost as amazing as the rapid urbanization--it looks better than before. Because of the river and the hills (like a Chinese Pittsburgh?), I think Chongqing may be one of the most aesthetically pleasing of the Chinese cities. That monorail is kickass, and I like the gold and purple high-rise towers--wish we had a couple of those over here.

Jasonhouse · #16 Posted **Aug 28, 2009, 3:42 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by antinimby

Did they clear away the mountain here?

Yep... It looks like it was necessary to be able to widen the road, and eliminate the act of passing through a tunnel as a natural bottleneck.

Chicago3rd · #17 Posted **Aug 28, 2009, 3:46 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by theWatusi

Check out the difference in the river color. I guess that they don't require silt fence.

The river is higher so it is probably the rainy season. Milwaukee's river does the same thing...darker brown...but it comes from the rural area.

Muji · #18 Posted **Aug 28, 2009, 3:27 PM**

Wow, very cool. Then and now montages are some of my favorite things!

Also, the way we in the US look at China today is really not at all unlike the way Europeans perceived our own cities between the 1870s and the 1920s. Then, America seemed like pioneer backwater that through miraculously fast industrialization suddenly began building enormous metropolises, littered with dazzling feats of engineering on a scale completely unheard of in Europe. Newer cities the Old World had never even heard of like Detroit, Chicago, and St. Louis quickly eclipsed many European capitals in population, with plenty of fascinatingly tall skyscrapers to boot. Sound a bit familiar?

Jasonhouse · #19 Posted **Aug 28, 2009, 5:10 PM**

^Yes, then and now photos are awesome, aren't they?... And after a development boom, like the one we've had for the past few years, it's a great time to look back and see the changes visually. Another thread from last week actually got me thinking about coming up with a feature for the forum centered around this concept. I think it is something that would be quite popular, both for members to discuss and visitors to enjoy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by staff

If you are going to change the thread title, at least try to spell the name of the city correctly...

The funny part is, I know how to spell it, as I'm a fan of the city and have been for years, but I often add the 'u' after 'q' to anything I type reflexively.

It's like how I have this thing where I almost never type the words 'if', 'of' and 'from' correctly. They almost always come out 'fi' 'fo' and 'form', and then I have to fix them. It's ridiculously annoying.

JDRCRASH · #20 Posted **Aug 28, 2009, 10:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

the rate of chinese urbanization is nothing short of mind boggling to me. people in this country are impressed by a place like miami because they've thrown up several hundred new skyscrapers down there this past decade and have radically altered the city's skyline, but china takes it to an entirely different level. shit, china takes it to an entirely different stratosphere.

It's like a larger version of Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires.