Yichang (), alternatively romanized as Ichang, is a

prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. During the Republican era, many of Chi ...

located in western

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The p ...

province, China. It is the third largest city in the province after the capital,

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city a ...

and the prefecture-level city

Xiangyang Xiangyang is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hubei province, China and the second largest city in Hubei by population. It was known as Xiangfan from 1950 to 2010. The Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city no ...

, by urban population. The Three Gorges Dam is located within its administrative area, in Yiling District.

History

In ancient times Yichang was known as Yiling. Historical records indicate that in the year 278 BC, during the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

, the Qin general Bai Qi set fire to Yiling. In 222 AD Yichang was also the site of the Battle of Yiling, during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

Period. Under the

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

Guangxu Emperor The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, w ...

, Yichang was opened to foreign commerce as a trading port after the

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

agreed to the

Chefoo Convention The Chefoo Convention, known in Chinese as the Yantai Treaty, was a treaty between Qing China and Great Britain, signed by Sir Thomas Wade and Li Hongzhang in Zhifu (now a district of Yantai) on 21 August 1876. The official reason for the treat ...

, which was signed by Sir Thomas Wade and Li Hongzhang in Chefoo on 21 August 1876. The imperial government set up a navigation company there and began building facilities. Since 1949, more than 50 wharves (with a total combined length of over ) have been constructed at the port. During the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific T ...

, Yichang was a primary supply depot for the defending Chinese army. In October 1938, as the Japanese moved up the Yangtze River towards the strategic city of

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Co ...

, it became clear that Yichang needed to be evacuated. In 40 days, under the direction of businessman Lu Zuofu, more than 100,000 tons of equipment and 30,000 personnel were transported upstream by steamship or by porters pulling smaller vessels through the Three Gorges rapids to Chongqing. In 1940, the

Battle of Zaoyang-Yichang A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and for ...

took place in the area.

Administrative divisions

Administratively, it is a

; its municipal government has jurisdiction over five counties, five urban districts, and three satellite

county-level cities A county-level municipality (), county-level city or county city, formerly known as prefecture-controlled city (1949–1970: ; 1970–1983: ), is a county-level administrative division of the People's Republic of China. County-level ...

( Yidu, Dangyang, Zhijiang). * Xiling District () - includes the city center * Wujiagang District () - southeastern parts of the urban area and suburbs * Dianjun District () - the part of the urban area southwest of the Yangtze (across from the city center) and suburbs * Xiaoting District () * Yiling District () - northern part of the urban area and suburbs * Zhijiang City () * Yidu City () * Dangyang City () * Yuan'an County () * Xingshan County () * Zigui County () - a county whose seat ( Maoping) is some west of downtown Yichang, next to the Three Gorges Dam *

Changyang Tujia Autonomous County Changyang Tujia Autonomous County () or in Tujia language known as ''Changryangf Bifzivkar Zivzirxianf'' is an autonomous county in western Hubei province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Y ...

() * Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County ()

Administrative map

The prefecture-level city of Yichang has direct jurisdiction over 14 divisions: 5

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

(), 3

(), 3 counties (), and 3

autonomous counties Autonomous counties () and autonomous banners () are county-level autonomous administrative divisions of China. The two are essentially identical except in name. There are 117 autonomous counties and three autonomous banners. The latter are f ...

().:

Geography

Like most prefecture-level cities, Yichang includes both an urban area (which is labeled on less detailed maps as "Yichang") and the surrounding country area. It covers in Western Hubei Province, on both sides of the

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...

. The

Xiling Gorge Xiling Gorge () is a gorge on the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) in Hubei province, China. It is the easternmost and largest of the Three Gorges. Geography Xiling Gorge is located in Zigui County and Yiling District, in the west of Hubei province, ...

, the easternmost of the

Three Gorges The Three Gorges () are three adjacent gorges along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, in the hinterland of the People's Republic of China. With a subtropical monsoon climate, they are known for their scenery. The "Three Gorges Scenic A ...

on the Yangtze, is located within the prefecture-level city. Within the prefecture-level city of Yichang, the Yangtze is joined by a number of tributaries, including the

Qing River The Qing River () is a right (southern) tributary of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) in Hubei province of south-central China., Geography Course The Qing River Headwaters originate at Tenglong Cave (Teng Long Dong) near Lichuan City, in Hub ...

(right), Xiang Xi and Huangbo Rivers (left). The central urban area of Yichang is split between several districts. On the right (northeastern) bank of the Yangtze are located Xiling District (where the city center is located), Yiling District (neighborhoods north of the center) and Wujiagang District (southern area). The city area on the opposite (southeastern) bank of the river is included into Dianjun District. All these districts, with the exception of the central Xiling, also include a fair amount of suburban/rural area outside of the city urban core.

Climate

Yichang has a four-season,

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

-influenced,

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

( Köppen ''Cwa''), with cool, damp and generally overcast winters, and hot, humid summers. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in July, while the annual mean is . Close to 70% of the annual precipitation of occurs from May to September. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 24% in January to 49% in August, the city receives 1,568 hours of bright sunshine annually, and summer is the sunniest season.

Transport

By Plane

Yichang Sanxia Airport is located in the Xiaoting District of Yichang City, away from the city center and from the Three Gorges Dam site. The airpor

is conveniently located, which borders Yihuang Highway in the north, Long River Golden Waterway in the south and Jiaozhi Railway in the east.

Roads and bridges

* China National Highway 318 runs east–west through most of the prefecture-level city, south of the center city * China National Highway 209 passes through the northwestern corner of the prefecture-level city ( Xingshan County) Several provincial highways connect Yichang center city with most counties. Several bridges span the Yangtze River within the prefecture-level city of Yichang, including (upstream to downstream): * Xiling Bridge, connecting Letianxi and Sandouping in Yiling District, a few km downstream from the Three Gorges Dam. * Yiling Bridge, downtown Yichang (a few km downstream from the

Gezhouba Dam The Gezhouba Dam or Gezhouba Water Control Project () on the Yangtze River is located in the western suburbs of Yichang, in central China's Hubei province. One of the largest run-of-the-river dams, it sits several kilometers upstream from downt ...

). It connects the urban Xiling and Dianjun Districts. * Yichang Yangtze Highway Bridge, on the Hu-Rong Expressway, downstream of Yichang center city * Yiwan Bridge: A Railway Bridge for Yiwan Railway which connects Yichang to Chongqing by high speed trains, almost downstream from the Yiling Bridge. There are several ferry crossings as well.

Waterways

Yichang is an important river port on the

Yangtze river The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...

. Maoping Town (the county seat of Zigui County), has an active passenger

wharf A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( mooring locati ...

as well. The

in the southern part of the prefecture, with its cascade of dams, is an important waterway as well.

Railway

Yichang is served by several railway lines. Yichang Railway Station, located in downtown Yichang, opened in 1971, was the city's first railway station. In 2012 it closed for a renovation project. The Yichang East Railway Station, opened in the late 2010 in the eastern suburbs of Yichang, is presently the city's main train station. It is the junction point of two segments of the Shanghai-Wuhan-Chengdu Passenger Dedicated Line, one of China's new east–west rail mainlines. To the east, the Hanyi RailwayConstruction of Hanyi Railway to Kick off
Wuhan City Government web site, 2008-07-10 (opened June 29, 2012) provides frequent service to

, with some trains continuing to Nanjing and Shanghai. To the west, the Yiwan Railway (Yichang- Wanzhou; opened December 2010) serves as the gateway to Hubei's southwestern panhandle ( Enshi), with some service continuing to

and

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese provin ...

. The Jiaozuo–Liuzhou Railway, a north–south line, crosses the eastern part of the prefecture-level city. It crosses the Yangtze at Zhicheng in Yidu County-level City.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,017,607 inhabitants of whom 1,536,012 lived in the built-up (''or metro'') area consisting of Yiling, Xiling, Wujiagang and Dianjun urban districts. The Xiaoting District has not yet been urbanized. Yichang prefecture-level city, is home to many members of the Tujia ethnic group, who mostly live in several counties in the south-west of the prefecture. Yichang also formed the border between the cultures of Ba in the west (an ancient state in the eastern part of what is now

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...

Province) and the

Chu State Chu, or Ch'u in Wade–Giles romanization, (, Hanyu Pinyin: Chǔ, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was a Zhou dynasty vassal state. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou ...

in the east (an ancient state in what is now Hubei Province and northern

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangx ...

Province).

Education

Since 2002, Yichang City has been home of the

China Three Gorges University China Three Gorges University (CTGU) (, Pinyin: Sānxiá Dàxué) is in Yichang City, Hubei province, China. The university is in Xiling District, near to the Xiling Gorge, one of the Three Gorges The Three Gorges () are three adjacent go ...

(the result of the merger of the University of Hydraulic & Electric Engineering, Yichang and of

Sanxia University), the largest comprehensive university in

Province outside

, with over 20,400 full-time students. *China Three Gorges University *Three Gorges Vocational College of Electric Power There are 170 secondary schools in Yichang enrolling 150,700 students. 53,900 of the citizens in Yichang hold a secondary school degree. There are 282 elementary schools being located in Yichang enrolling 156,900. 27,600 of the citizens hold secondary school degrees. 383 kindergartens located in Yichang with 78,500 children.

Economy

Yichang has long been a major transit port and distribution center of goods, and serves as the economic hub of western Hubei province and an intermediary between the major cities of

and Wuhan. Its primary industries are shipping and shipbuilding, taking advantage of its location on the Yangtze River. Yichang prefecture is the site of many major hydroelectricity projects. The best known of them are the two huge dams on the Yangtze River: the

(located just upstream of Yichang central city) and Three Gorges Dam, which is upstream. The Geheyan Dam and Gaobazhou Dam on the

are important as well. Besides those, a huge number of medium-sized and small power plants operate on smaller rivers and streams within the prefecture.

Picture gallery

File:文佛山1 - panoramio.jpg, Wenfo mountain File:Yichang skyline 2.jpg, Yangtze River File:Qing river in Changyang 04.jpg, Qing River File:Guanzhuang Reservoir.jpg, Guanzhuang Reservoir File:Mouth-of-Huangbo-boats-4804.jpg, Huangbo River File:Sanxiarenjia.jpg, Tribe of Three Gorges File:宜昌三峡大瀑布.jpg, Three Gorges Waterfall File:Hubei-Yichang.JPG, Boats on the Yangtze River, upstream from the Three Gorges File:Saint James's Church,Yichang.jpg, Christianity in Yichang File:St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral,Yichang2.jpg, Roman Catholic Diocese of Yichang File:Yichang Yangtze River Railway Bridge in the Backlighting.jpg, Yichang Yangtze River Railway Bridge File:Zhenjiang Pavilion （Yichang） 03.jpg, Zhenjiang Pavilion File:Tianran Pagoda.jpg, Tianran Pagoda File:三闾大夫屈原.jpg, Statue of Quyuan File:求索溪2.jpg, Three Gorges University File:夷陵中学正门.jpg, Yiling High School

References

External links

Official website of Yichang Government - English version
{{Authority control Cities in Hubei Populated places on the Yangtze River Prefecture-level divisions of Hubei