It is normally cities like New York and Tokyo that take center stage during conversations about big urban landscapes. But there’s one particular city so colossal that it is roughly the size of Austria; yet, most people haven’t even heard of it.
With multi-level highways, trains that casually slice through residential buildings, and a skyline studded with brightly lit skyscrapers, the city has an otherworldly kind of futuristic charm.
There is one city, roughly the size of Austria, that is home to a staggering 32 million people
Image credits: Erin With / Unsplash
Image credits: Jackson Lu
Welcome to the city of Chongqing, a major hotspot in southwest China and one of the biggest cities in the world. It was given the title of the world’s fastest-growing tourism city in a 2017 report released by the World Travel & Tourism Council, according to CNN.
The city has been gaining popularity in recent times, especially with plenty of travel vloggers and influencers adding the megacity to their bucket list.
YouTuber PPPeter explored Chongqing’s unique urbanscape, showing his 1 million subscribers how the city's concept of a “ground floor” is very “flexible.”
Full of urban chaos, the city of Chongqing in southwest China is one of the world's biggest cities
Image credits: Jackson Lu
Image credits: Jackson Lu
“Getting lost is just part of the fun,” he said as he navigated through the city’s “layers.”
He explained that what may seem like solid ground could actually be the 20th floor of an office or residential building.
“The story of this Chinese megacity starts and also kind of ends in 1997,” the YouTuber said in his video. “Back then Chongqing was just a big city somewhere in South Western China.”
“Getting lost is just part of the fun,” said YouTuber PPPeter, who explored the city's unique urban landscape
Image credits: PPPeter
Image credits: Ang Lee / Pexels
“To boost the economy and make administration smoother Chinese government added three districts of Fuling, Wanxian, and Quanjiang to Chongqing,” he continued. “This step made Chongqing the biggest city proper in the world with a population of 32,000,000 people and the area of 82,403km², which is about the size Austria."
Another content creator named Jackson Lu also showed the internet what it’s like to live in the megacity.
“Why is commuting to work in Chongqing so hard?” he began his video.
Image credits: 英杰 郑 / Pexels
“So I start by heading down my 18-story apartment with no elevator, but thankfully, I only need to go down a few stories because the ground floor is on the 12th floor,” he told his viewers.
“Then comes the subway that looks like a roller coaster ride, and the train casually goes through a residential building,” he added.
The TikToker then shows a clip of himself walking on what appears to be a paved public area—but it actually isn’t.
In his own video, TikToker Jackson Lu explained how commuting can be a bit of a nightmare in the massive city
Image credits: Jackson Lu
Image credits: Jackson Lu
“Finally, I get over the city square, solid ground at last right? Nope, I’m actually on the 22nd floor of my office building. There’s heavy traffic all the way down there by the riverside,” he said.
Jackson often calls Chongqing “the most cyberpunk dystopian city in the world” on social media.
Viewers were stunned to see the marvelous—but also confusing—infrastructure of the unique city.
“I can't decide if it's cool or terrifying,” one said, while another described it as “so dystopian but so cool at the same time.”
The city has multi-level highways and trains slicing through residential buildings
Image credits: 琛茜 蒋 / Pexels
Image credits: Ningyu He / Unsplash
“I feel this is a perfect set for a dystopian movie,” one said.
Another wrote, “The logistical puzzle of designing, building, and maintaining this is mind boggling.”
“This is like a horror movie for me,” one admitted.
The sheer size and rapid growth of Chongqing comes with its own set of challenges. As the city's infrastructure tries to keep up with the growing population, the residents also face problems along the way.
“Commuters have to be prepared for continuous inconvenience in travel; shifting traffic patterns and detours on a daily basis, and the dust, noise, and pollution caused by constant construction,” Dr. David L. Feldman, Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy and Political Science, University of California, Irvine, told Bored Panda via email.
“I can't decide if it's cool or terrifying,” one viewer said about the chaotic city
Image credits: Henry Chen / Unsplash
Unlike older cities where growth happens gradually, Chongqing’s quick urban expansion offers little time for what the professor described as “conscientious urban planning.”
“The largest difference is the rapid growth of new buildings, including housing, apartments, office complexes and the like - providing little time for conscientious urban planning as would be the case for older cities experiencing gradual growth,” said the sustainable development expert.
Jackson Lu called Chongqing “the most cyberpunk dystopian city in the world”
Image credits: KE ATLAS / Unsplash
As he spoke about some of the challenges in maintaining a city like Chongqing, he mentioned the massive inconvenience on travel and ensuring continuous water supply and waste treatment.
“Biggest challenge in securing a dependable potable water supply and wastewater treatment system and to continue to maintain it in the face of rapid population growth,” he said. “The maintenance and building of water infrastructure alone will impose inconvenience on city travel. Other challenges entail keeping up a transport system able to handle traffic on a large and complex scale - accommodating different vehicles.”