Chicago on the Yangtze

[ethereal_reality]

Here is the link to a very interesting article in Foreign Policy Magazine about Chongqing (Chungking) China.
The slight Chicago connection is explained in the 6th paragraph from the end, on page 4.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/08/16/chicago_on_the_yangtze?page=0,0







Below are some of the photographs accompanying the article.




Matthew Niederhauser

A bridge under construction across the Yangtze River. There were no bridges before the 1960s ; now there are more than a dozen in the downtown area of Chongqing.






Matthew Niederhauser





Matthew Niederhauser

above: A woman walks past Chongqing's futuristic opera house.







Matthew Niederhauser






Matthew Niederhauser

above: Chongqing's citizens are hardly rich...their annual per capita income is $3,300 dollars....a third of Beijing's.






Matthew Niederhauser

above: Older apartment buildings soon to be replaced by mega-towers.







Matthew Niederhauser

above: Cable cars complement the system of bridges.






Matthew Niederhauser







Matthew Niederhauser










Matthew Niederhauser









Matthew Niederhauser








Mark Niederhauser








Matthew Niederhauser

above: Model in the Urban Planning Exhibition Hall hopelessly out of date in only two years.

[fflint]

I've always liked the look of Chongqing--it is one of the more distinctive skylines and settings in China, and while I've never been there, it appears more organic (if that's the right word) than Shanghai or Beijing.

[MolsonExport]

It sure ain't Chongqing on Lake Michigan.

[uaarkson]

Chongqing is probably my favorite Chinese city based on what I've seen. It has a rich, earthy feel and an enormous amount of potential.

[plinko]

Steely needs to make a kayaking trip on that lovely river and give us some photos.

I wanted to go last time I was in China, but I didn't have time. Seems like an interesting place.

[Hot Rod]

Chongqing is definitely my #1 city in China and it IS very organic. It really is a perfect mix of chinese culture and history with growing/bidding the best from the west. It has NONE of the fakeness of Shanghai or Beijing, yet has most of the amenities and retained much of the historical culture (mostly due to it's geography, but hey. ...).

I encourage everyone to visit, Chongqing really is the Chicago on the Yangtse (Chicago of China) - already the world's largest municipality [34m in its control] and fastest growing city [adds 1million per year] and largest central city and metro in the interiour of China!!!

Don't be surprised if you don't start hearing much more noise coming from this city in the next few years, and it isn't going to be just wind.

[Nowhereman1280]

I still don't understand the Chicago connection in this article. I must have missed something reading it. I even "find on page"'d the word Chicago and it only showed up in the title. Is it because the city is overlooked like Chicago?

Originally Posted by plinko

Steely needs to make a kayaking trip on that lovely river and give us some photos.

Steely will probably get cancer if he goes kayaking on that river...

[giallo]

I love CQ as well. I plan on returning this year for a week-long photo shoot.

Here's a photo thread of Chengdu and Chongqing I put up last year:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=181826

[10023]

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

I still don't understand the Chicago connection in this article. I must have missed something reading it. I even "find on page"'d the word Chicago and it only showed up in the title. Is it because the city is overlooked like Chicago?

I've heard it compared to Chicago as well because it's in the middle of the country rather than on the coast. But my impression is more of Pittsburgh - a gritty, industrial city amidst rivers and interesting topography.

[Nowhereman1280]

Originally Posted by 10023

I've heard it compared to Chicago as well because it's in the middle of the country rather than on the coast. But my impression is more of Pittsburgh - a gritty, industrial city amidst rivers and interesting topography.

Yeah, that's what I inferred, but other than being centrally located I don't see any other similarities. The article doesn't explain its title in the least, adding to the confusion.

[ethereal_reality]

Chicago is briefly mentioned in the article on the last page.



"Tall, charismatic, and media-savvy -- all rare traits in a Chinese politician -- Bo is the closest thing China has today to a celebrity mayor. If Chongqing is China's Chicago (as local officials now like to brag), then Bo Xilai is surely its Richard Daley."

[vid]

Geographically, I think it's more like Pittsburgh. Downtown situated at the fork in the river, with hills to either side. I don't really see much of a similarity with Chicago at all. If you're going by the number of high rises I'd say it is more like Toronto.

[SpongeG]

i think it reads to me that its overlooked or not as thought about compared to beijing and shangai the same way chicago is to new york and los angeles

[10023]

It makes more sense if local officials are using the comparison themselves. "Chicago on the Yangtze" is then just an update of "Chicago on the Spree" (from an 1899 quote by mayor Walter Rathenau about a rapidly industrializing Berlin "Athens on the Spree is dead, and Chicago on the Spree is growing").

For people with a sense of history, Chicago is still the epitome of a successful industrial boomtown.

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ I can agree if that is their comparison, but still no one explains why they are making the comparison. If just one line in the article said "like the industrial boomtown of the late 1800's Chicago..." or something, then it would make perfect sense. But they do not offer anything like that which just confuses me.

[JDRCRASH]

One thing I noticed in those pictures is that, to me, there doesn't seem to be a lot of office buildings.

[M II A II R II K]

It has a tall building in the middle of the skyline, among many other buildings but they look more like commieblocks lacking in any kind of high quality style and variety at all.

Maybe with the river going down the middle they could have strived for a London comparison.

[SkyscrapersOfNewYork]

Originally Posted by M II A II R II K

It has a tall building in the middle of the skyline, among many other buildings but they look more like commieblocks lacking in any kind of high quality style and variety at all.

Maybe with the river going down the middle they could have strived for a London comparison.

i love Chongqing's look,its just an amazing blend of natural and man made structures. though i will agree with you,on a general outlook on its architecture it does seem to lack proper aesthetics that make other skylines beautiful.imo most of the buildings in Chongqing lack any type of intellectual design and or type of planning. the only thing that saves the city is its natural terrain that it coexist with. Shanghai would definitely be a good teacher and template for Chongqing's future developments.

[Pandemonious]

I would think Nanchang is a better comparison to Chicago. Centrally located along major river that leads into China's largest freshwater lake just to the east, and it is also a giant rail hub.

[Austinlee]

Awesome pics! I always love to see clear photos of emerging Chinese cities that I can study and pick out details to mull over.