The famous historic city with three thousand years of Ba-Yu culture is becoming more beautiful!
　　On the map of the world on the wall of the hall of the United Nations,only four Chinese cities are printed,and one of them is Chongqing.
　　The towering mountains and the low river valleys are witnesses of the history of the three thousand years of civilization of Chongqing.In the long river of history,the city,with its tremendous power of cohesion and influence upon its neighboring areas,became a regional military and political center and a distributing center of commodities.It has been a flourishing city for over a thousand years.In the last hundred years and more,the city grew with its commerce,flourished with the move in of political and industrial establishments from the coastal areas of east China,and achieved economic take-off with the reform.As a result,the city of Chongqing has changed from an ancient military strategic pass into a city open to the outside world that holds a strategic position connecting the central and western parts of China,from an ancient regional trading center into an economic center on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River,from a city of entrepot trade of the 19th century into the largest multi-functional modern industrial and commercial city in west China,and from a port city in the east part of the Sichuan basin into a municipality directly under the central government that stands in the hinterland of China but faces different parts of the world.The rapid rise of Chongqing in western China, with its glorious past and fast changing present, has left its mark in the history of development of China and has become the center of focus of world attention.
　　At the trun of the century, Chongqing is again placed by history at the starting line for a new race. The construction of the ThreeGorges Dam and there settlement of a large number of resident for the purpose of new development in the dam area has added new drive to the development of the city;the establishment of the new municipality directly under the central go vernment has opened up a new horizon for the city’s development;and the great development of the western regions of China has opened up a new chapter in its development.Chongqing today,with its advantages in its geographical,cultural and social environment,is becoming an irresistible attraction and is showing its greatness and charms to the outside world.
　　The famous historic city with three thousand years of Ba-Yu culture is becoming more beautiful!
　　China’s youngest municipality directly under the central government is producing numerous modern myths!
　　The world’s largest inland mountain and river city is making wonders!
　　A new Chongqing, the economic center on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River is going to
　　Chongqing,also known as Yu for short, is the only municipality directly under the central government in western China.It is located between 105°11′to 110°11′E and 28°10′to32°13′N, at the transitional area between the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the plain on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and between east China where economy is better developed and west China where natural resources are plentiful. The area under Chongqing’s jurisdiction is 470 kilometers from east to west,and 450 kilometers from north to south, covering an area of 82,403 square kilometers. It borders on Hubei and Hunan provinces in the east, Guizhou Province in the south,Sichuan Province in the west and north and Shaanxi Province at its northeast corner .Chongqing is located at the °dragon tail′ of the Yangtze economic belt and the inland of the Three Gorges Dam area. It is the gate to southwest China on water route and a pivot connecting the Yangtze economic belt and southwest China at the crossroad between east,central and west China and a corridor in the countr’s transportation.
　　Chongqing covers a large area crisscrossed by rivers and mountains.The Daba Mountains stand in the north,the Wushan Mountains in the east,the Wuling Mountains in the southeast and the Dalou Mountains in the south.The whole area slopes down from north and south towards the Yangtze valley,with sharp rises and falls.The area is featured by mountains and hills,with large sloping areas at different heights.Typical karst topographic features are common in this area,and stone forests,forests of peaks,limestone caves and valleys can be found in many places.The Yangtze river runs through the whole area from west to east,covering a couse of 665 kilometers,and forming the well known Three Gorest on the Yangtze:the Qutang,Wuxia and Xiling gorges.Coming from northwest and running through′the Lesser Three Gores′of Libi,Wentang and Guanyin,the Jialing River joins the Yangtze after three large twist and turns.
Chongqing is located in the sub-tropical climate zone swept by the moist monsoon. It has mild winters, hot summers, long frost-free periods and ample rain, warm and wet, with rain and heat occurring in the same season.The average annual temperature of the city is 16--18℃;the annual rainfall averages 1000-1400 millimeters, and the total sunshine time is 1000-1200 hours.
　　Han people make up the main part of the population of Chongqing.The city is a harmonious home for the Han and 49 national minorities such as Tujia, Miao, Hui, Manchu, Yi, and Tibetan. The total population of the city is 30,910,000. Non-agricultural populations is 10,230,000, and agricultural population is 20,680,000, making up 33.1% and 66.9% of the total respectively.The population of national minorties in Chongqing is over 2,000,000, making up 6% of the total population. Tujias and Miaos make up most part of the population of national minorities in Chongqing. People of different ethnic groups live in harmony, and to gether they take part in political, economic and cultural affairs, creating the glorious his tory and culture of the ciry.
　　Under its jurisdiction Chongqing at present has 40 administrative divisions of the district/county level, including 14 districts, 4 cities of the county level, and 22 counties and autonomous counties, namely: Wanzhou District, Qianjiang District, Fuling District, Yuzhong District, Dadukou District, Jiangbei District, Shapingba District, Jiulongpo District, Nan’an District, Beibei District, Wangsheng District, Yubei District, Ba’nan District, Shuangqiao District; the city of Jiangjin, the city of Hechuan, the city of Yongchuan and the city of Nanchuan; Changshou County, Qijiang County, Tongnan County, Tongliang County, Dazu County, Rongchang County, Bishan County, Kaixian County, Zhongxian County, Liangping County, Chengkou County, Dianjiang County, Fengdu County, Wulong County, Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County, Pengshui Miao-Tujia Autonomous County, Youyang Tujia-Miao Autonomous County, and Xiushan Tujia –Miao Autonomous County. Centering around the principal urban area of Chongqing, the various districts/counties/autonomous counties/cities are located around the principal urban area like many stars shine around the bright moon, forming a group of modem cities with big, medium and smaller cities well-organized in groups and in a network system.

About Venue

　　The venue of ICC2003 is Changcheng Hotel of Logistical Engineering University. Below is the venue's Chinese address and telephone number (which is a jpeg image). You can print it and show to the local taxi driver, which is very useful to get there successfully! It needs about RMB$120 (USD15) to take taxi from airport to the venue. If one takes bus from airport to Shang Qing Si and then takes taxi to the venue, it needs about RMB$30 in total.

Hotel Information

　　For hotel reservation, please visit: 　　　　http://www.sinohotelguide.com/chongqing
　　Wanyou Conifer Hotel is just 10 minutes walk to the venue. For detail of this hotel, please visit:
　　　　www.wanyouhotel.com
　　Other Hotels that are convenient to reach the venue by taxi are:
　　　　Harbour Plaza Chongqing
　　　　Chongqing Marriott Hotel
　　　　Chongqing Guesthouse
　　　　Xiya Hotel Mega Hotel

Travel Information
　　For the travel at one's own expense to the Three Gorges of Yangtze River after the conference, China Travel Service Chongqing Branch will book it for you on May 28 at the registration site. The telephone of China Travel Service Chongqing is: 86-23-68104645,68104670 The fax is: 86-23-68104670 For detail of China Travel Service, please visit: www.ctsho.com/home_en/index.asp