Chongqing — As China draws growing global attention, media outlets around the world have begun to focus on a unique city in the country’s southwest. Vast in scale and surreal in its vertical landscape, it is a city defined by strong industry and exceptional connectivity. It has become a magnet for online influencers and a rising destination for global investment. This city is Chongqing.
Over the past two months, we collected 410 reports on Chongqing from 185 media outlets across 64 countries and regions. In this episode, we take a closer look at how — and why — this city has moved from relative obscurity to growing global prominence through the lens of international media.
From "Magic Metropolis" to "Future City"
In recent years, Chongqing has become a regular presence in the global spotlight, serving as a new window through which the world observes China. Oliver Wainwright, an architecture critic for The Guardian, once asked: "Why is Chongqing my wonder of the world?" This is a common question for those just discovering the city. Wainwright offers a compelling answer: "Built across a series of impossibly steep mountainsides and vertiginous valleys at the dramatic confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers, it is an astonishing urban phenomenon to behold – a vertically sprawling city that can only be understood in three dimensions."
The first reason Chongqing has captured the global media’s imagination is its unique topography. Yet if it relied solely on geography, the buzz would not last. What keeps the world engaged are deeper questions: How do you sustain a city of this magnitude on such rugged terrain? How do you keep a metropolis of 32 million people operating smoothly? Through this megacity, the media has caught a glimpse of the future.
In today’s episode, we are joined by Denis Rogatyuk from El Ciudadano to unpack the story of Chongqing.
The Warmth of Daily Life and the City’s Spirit
When the lens shifts from skyscrapers and 3D transit systems to the backstreets, global media reveals another side of Chongqing. Here, the rising steam comes not only from hotpot, but from the rhythms of daily life. CNN quoted Matthew Blair, an expat who has lived in Chongqing for 15 years, describing an abundance of street food, late-night BBQ, and hotpot restaurants still open at 2:00 AM. "The locals are resilient and as spicy as their food. They are generous, loud, and alive."
What is equally noteworthy is how these everyday scenes are reshaping perceptions. As more influencers explore Chongqing’s streets, long-held Western stereotypes about China are being challenged. As The New Yorker observed, TikTok has shown millions of Americans hospitable farmers, lively neon-sign hawkers, and friends gathering for hotpot. It suggests that the most compelling way to understand a place is through the ordinary moments of everyday life.
From "Viral Wonder" to "Top Destination"
As global attention converges on Chongqing, a new trend has emerged in 2025: the city is becoming a top destination for young travelers from Southeast Asia. Thailand’s The Nation noted that Chongqing is now the most popular destination — and the most-visited city — among Thai tourists, driven by targeted tourism campaigns, viral landmarks, and striking night views.
Newsweek suggests that as travelers increasingly seek novel experiences, Chongqing’s blend of scale, innovation, and visual drama could elevate this once lesser-known megacity into a top-tier global destination. America’s TTW described it as a technological marvel, offering an immersive 3D animation-like experience that feels closer to CGI than reality. In the view of Brazil’s O Globo, drones and fireworks have become central to Chongqing’s cyberpunk aesthetic. Yet the city’s lasting impact goes beyond novelty.
From the visual spectacle of its surreal topography to the human stories embedded in its tourism and culture, Chongqing’s image in global media continues to deepen. If the city’s landscape turned the first page of discovery, its culture and daily life have begun to shape a fuller understanding.
In the next episode, we will follow the lens of global media to explore another dimension of Chongqing — examining why more international outlets are pointing to the city as a key case in understanding China’s manufacturing upgrade, the restructuring of global supply chains, and the evolving logic of inland opening-up.