Each year millions of foreigners pass through the port city of Chongqing, the jumping-off point for trips down the Yangtze River, but few take the trouble to catch even a glimpse of the city before boarding their ships.
The once dusty city is rapidly redefining itself into an interesting destination, and local tourism officials are hoping the new look will attract a steady stream of visitors.
If you visited the city a few years ago you would be impressed by the changes.
After being cut off from Sichuan province and made into a special municipality in 1997, Chongqing became the biggest city in the world. It now covers 82,000 square metres and has a population of 32 million.
If you sail down the Yangtze for two days, you are still, technically, within 'city' limits.
Sleek high-rise buildings tower over modern shopping malls on land where rickety wooden structures stood just a few years ago.