Chaotianmen Square [Chongqing]

Chaotianmen Square is the gate or facade of the peninsula metropolis. For hundreds of years, this place has been the city' s first dock on the Yangtze and, therefore, it has been named Chaotianmen, of the Gate to Heaven, meaning " receiving the lord from Heaven " .

Built in the summer of 1998 and covering an area of 800,000 square meters, the ship-shaped square is one of the largest roof squares in China, and it serves the purposes of sightseeing, transport and river bank protection. Its name was inscribed by President Jiang Zemin. More than a million people visit the square each year.

Surrounded by mountains and on the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Jialing River, the ships, steamers and tugboats of this busy port jostle along the wharf. Nearby streets are narrow noisy affairs full of market stalls, food stalls and commerce. Ships over 10,000 tons will be able to reach here after the Three Gorges Project has been completed