Photography

In 2023, I finally ticked off Chongqing from my bucket list. As a lover of noodles and the numbing spices, it sounded like paradise to me.

With the city's dramatic contrasts and layered mountainous landscape, it's also a photographer's dream.

Its towering structures and waterfront views reminded me a lot of Hong Kong, but with everything way bigger and brighter, less cosmopolitan but with a bolder, more indigenous feel.

I've often seen 'Chungking', the older romanization of Chong Qing, in relation to Hong Kong and it got me wondering about the connection between these two cities.

It turns out that Chungking Mansions, a historic hub in Hong Kong, shares a connection with Chong Qing's history as a wartime capital. Its name apparently originated from the influx of people who converged in the area during and after the Japanese invasion. This iconic building would then be immortalized in Wong Kar Wai's famous 'Chungking Express'.