Local leaders of the Communist Party of China, leaders of non-Communist parties, government officials, and veterans of the battles for the liberation of Chongqing gathered on November 30 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the city's liberation.

This city in southwest China was among the last to be liberated, and since that day, November 30, 1949, two months after the founding of the People's Republic, it has developed into the economic center of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, said local officials.

They added that Chongqing will make every effort to accomplish the re-location of around one million people as part of the Three Gorges Project, and will also strive to bring reforms to the old industrial base and to help its farmers further improve their living standards.

Chongqing, the fourth municipality directly under the jurisdiction of the central government, has a population of more than 30 million.