Southwest China's Chongqing has nearly 20,000 hotpot enterprises and around 40,000 restaurants, with 160,000 of China's 500,000 hotpot spots tracing their lineage back to Chongqing.

The flavor has reached over 50 countries and regions. Locals believe the fieriness dispels the damp mountain air, while the unhurried, hours-long meals embody the city's inclusive, communal spirit — friendships forged in steam and spice.

Whether on a lantern-lit hill, floating among lotuses, inside a cave, above neon skylines or bobbing in a pool, a trip to Chongqing without plunging into its bubbling, numbing soul would be unthinkable.