Chongqing is located in the west of Sichuan province, in the center of China. It is the municipal city with the largest area in China. It has abundant water reserves, mineral resources, dense forest and animal species. Chongqing is the starting point of the Yangtze River Cruise trough the wonderful scenery of the Three Gorges. On the Gold Buddhist Mountain, a rich repository of diverse animal and plant species, one can find the Dazu Rock Carvings. They were carved during the ninth century and are works of art that should be visited. There are more than 50,000 Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian rock carvings. In the suburbs you can enjoy a rich resource of hot springs and lakes. The Northern and the Southern Hot Springs Park are the most popular sites with many hot springs in which visitors can bathe. The spring water is also used as treatment for diseases including Dermatitis, Rheumatism and Arthritis.