Chongqing - Stefan has been a long-term resident of Chongqing since 2015 when he moved from Philadelphia after gaining his law license. In this time, he has opened his own company TheaCorp and currently lives in Yubei district.

New skyscrapers everywhere

As the 13th Five-Year Plan draws to a successful conclusion, iChongqing has reached out to members of the local expatriate community, to hear in their own words the changes they have seen and experienced during this time.

When asked about the changes he feels have been most noticeable in everyday life, the swift development of transport infrastructure and commerce throughout the city offered a wealth of examples to choose from.

"I first moved to Chongqing in 2015, but I had visited the city previously. The most striking changes have to be the malls. The growth of malls is nothing short of incredible. Just off the top of my head, I can think of The Oval, The Ring, Aegean, Xin Kong Plaza, IFS, Xing Fu Square, MixCity, and Raffles City. Along with the malls, there seem to be new skyscrapers everywhere I look, and it's not just in the major commercial districts."

"When driving to some further suburban spots, you can see city growth. They are landscaped and quite nice looking. Other infrastructure growth really jumps out as well. Numerous subway lines have been added recently, along with high-speed train stops. I haven't had free time to use them to explore China yet, but I am very much looking forward to this in the future."