CRI听力:Searching for Chongqing Dreams

As you drive along the expressway from the airport, you can't help but notice hundreds and hundreds of apartment blocks as far as the eye can see.

Luo Jian has been a Taxi driver for three years. In that time he says, the pace of change and growth has been relentless.

"There are a lot more cars, the road system is also expanding, which leads to an even bigger number of cars running on the streets. The night view of Chongqing is very beautiful, and there are a lot of tourists coming here, some of them are foreigners from US from India. Chaotianmen is their must go destination, they also visit the Hongyan village, and go into the mountains for the hot springs."

The seeds of growth were sewn during the Second World War. The spectacular mountains that surround Chongqing, also saved many from the bombing raids. Its relative safety also made it an ideal base for China's fight against Japanese aggression, and a perfect headquarters for Allied forces in Asia.

Due to the bravery, contributions and sacrifices made by the local people during the war, it became known as the City of Heroes.

At the same time many factories and universities were relocated from eastern China to Chongqing transforming the city from an inland port at the junction of the Yangtze and the Jialing rivers, into a heavily industrialized city.

The municipality became the spearhead of China's effort to develop its western region.

Square dancing, dancing for exercise, dancing grannies - call them what you will - are a common sight in many parts of China, usually in parks or along city pavements. In Chongqing the intense summer heat has pushed many of them underground.

Zhao Xiaolan, Niu Xianpu and Chao Kaixiu make use of the underpass running from Zengjiayan station to the People's Square.

"I came to Chongqing after the government appealed for people to develop the mountainous regions in the west. I think Chongqing has seen dramatic changes in the past 2 decades. If you stay at home for a month and then go outside, you'll get lost on the streets as new bridges and roads have been built.

I heard from my friends who used to work in Chongqing 40 years ago that the biggest problem in the old days was transportation. But now, it's everywhere, it's up on the hills and down in tunnels. Expressways and fly-over crossings are weaving into a net that looks like a Chinese knot.

Living conditions have changed greatly in Chongqing. In the community where we live, many of them are houses with gardens. They are also covered with green trees. "

The Chinese academy of sciences has named Chonqing as one of the top ten cities in China in terms of quality of life.

It's also a centre for teaching, with several national and municipal universities, including the Chongqing Medical University.

At the People's Great Hall of Chongqing, Li liqi and Huangyan were taking graduation photos with friends. They've both just finished their medical degrees and are heading out into the world of work. Neither were born in Chongqing, so what brought them to the city. And will they stay?

"The pace of life here in Chongqing is just moderate, it's not too fast and not too slow. I felt a lot of happiness living here. Beijing is a very modern city, but I prefer living in a place with a comfortable environment and less stress.

My job is back in my hometown of Hunan, I wanted to find a job near my hometown so I will go back. "

With a growth rate of more than 17 per cent, and Chonqing playing a pivotal role in the China inspired Belt and Road initiative, the population is expected to continue to rise, bringing even many more people to this vibrant city, with many more stories to the tell.

For CRI, I'm Liu Mohan in Chongqing, South West China