Jingzhou ( zh, s=, c=荆州, t=, p=Jīngzhōu) is a

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

in southern

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

province,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, located on the banks of the

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...

. Its total residential population was 5,231,180 based on the 2020 census, 1,068,291 of whom resided in the built-up (''or metro'') area comprising two urban

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 ...

. Jingzhou's central urban area has grown out of Shashi City and Jingzhou Town (historically also known as Jiangling); their names were preserved in the names of Shashi District and Jingzhou District, which include the city's historical center, as well as

Jiangling County Jiangling () is a county in southern Hubei province, People's Republic of China. Administratively, it is under the jurisdiction of Jingzhou City. History The county name derived from the old name of Jingzhou. Liang Dynasty Prince Xiao Yi (蕭繹 ...

, which administers the suburban areas of the larger historical area of Jiangling. The name "Shashi" also remains in the names of a number of local facilities, such as Jingzhou Shashi Airport and a railway freight station.

Toponymy

The contemporary city of Jingzhou is named after ancient province of the same name, which was one of the

nine provinces The term Nine Provinces or Nine Regions (), is used in ancient Chinese histories to refer to territorial divisions or islands during the Xia dynasty, Xia and Shang dynasty, Shang dynasties and has now come to symbolically represent China. "Pro ...

of ancient China. Said province was named after the nearby

Jing Mountains The Jingshan or Jing Mountains () are a chain of mountains in the western part of Nanzhang County, Hubei Province, People’s Republic of China. Stretching for around 150 kilometers, their peaks range in height from 1200 to about 1800 meters above ...

Geography and climate

Jingzhou occupies an area of with a topography rising from east to west. It is covered by a dense network of waterways, as well as lakes, and is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River on the Jianghan Plain. Downstream to its east lies

Wuhan Wuhan; is the capital of Hubei, China. With a population of over eleven million, it is the most populous city in Hubei and the List of cities in China by population, eighth-most-populous city in China. It is also one of the nine National cent ...

, the provincial capital, and to the west lies the city of

Yichang Yichang ( zh, s= ), Postal Map Romanization, alternatively romanized as Ichang, is a prefecture-level city located in western Hubei province, China. Yichang had a population of 3.92 million people at the 2022 census, making it the third most pop ...

, the

Three Gorges The Three Gorges () are three adjacent and sequential gorges along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River path, in the hinterland of the People's Republic of China. With a subtropical monsoon climate, they are known for their scenery. The T ...

, and

Chongqing ChongqingPostal Romanization, Previously romanized as Chungking ();. is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the State Council of the People's Republi ...

Municipality.

Jingmen Jingmen ( zh, t=, s=, w=Ching1mên2, p=Jīngmén) is a prefecture-level city in central Hubei province, People's Republic of China. Jingmen is within an area where cotton and oil crops are planted. The population of the prefecture is 2,873,687 (2 ...

City, also in Hubei, lies to the north; to its south are Yueyang and

Changde Changde (; Traditional Chinese characters, traditional Chinese: 常德區 ) is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Hunan province, People's Republic of China. Changde, known as "Wuling" in ancient times, is located on the west side of Do ...

, both in

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

Province. 12.42% of the city's area is forested. Jingzhou has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Cfa''), with hot, humid summers, and damp, chilly, but drier winters. Monthly daily average temperatures range from in January to in July. The area receives 1,800 to 2,000 hours of sunshine per year and has a frost-free period of 242−263 days annually.

Demographics

According to the 2010 census, the prefecture-level city of Jingzhou has 5,691,707 inhabitants and a population density of 405 inhabitants per km². As of the 7th census of Jingzhou done by the municipal government, Jingzhou's population had shrunk slightly to an estimated 5,231,180 inhabitants, residing in about 1,833,292

households A household consists of one or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is impo ...

. Of Jingzhou's residential population, 2,664,658 or 50.94 percent were males while 2,566,522 of 49.06 percent were females. The sex ratio was 103.82 (female=100, male to female). There were 534,914 persons with university education. Compared with 2010, the number of people with university education went up from 6,828 persons to 10,225 persons per 100,000 persons, the average years of schooling for people aged 15 and above increased from 8.81 years to 9.29 years, and the illiteracy rate dropped from 4.41 percent (251,100) to 2.79 (145,900) percent. Additionally, Shashi and Jingzhou districts' the average years of schooling for people aged 15 were longer than 10 years.

Administration

The prefecture-level city of Jingzhou has jurisdiction over two

, three

county-level cities , map = , category = Third level administrative division of a unitary state , territory = People's Republic of China , upper_unit = Prefectures, Provinces , start_date = , current_number = 411 (408 controlled, 3 claimed) , number_da ...

, three

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

and one

economic and technological development zone The National Economic and Technological Development Zones () are the special areas of the People's Republic of China where foreign direct investment is encouraged. They are usually called the "Economic and Technological Development Zones" or sim ...

. The information here presented uses the

metric system The metric system is a system of measurement that standardization, standardizes a set of base units and a nomenclature for describing relatively large and small quantities via decimal-based multiplicative unit prefixes. Though the rules gover ...

and data from the 2010 census.

Economy

As of 2019, Jingzhou has a

GDP Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performance o ...

of ¥251.648 billion, which grew at an annual rate of 7.5%. 17.3% of the city's GDP came from its

primary sector The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy in d ...

, 37.1% came from its secondary sector, and 45.6% came from its

tertiary sector The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the ...

. As of 2019, most of the city's economic growth is derived from its secondary and tertiary sectors, which grew at an annual rate of 8.1% and 8.8%, respectively. The city's residents had a per capita disposable income of ¥26,543, a 9.8% annual increase. Urban residents had a per capita disposable income of ¥35,910, while rural residents averaged ¥18,893 in disposable income. Jingzhou's per capita disposable income grew 10.2% for urban areas, and 9.2% for rural areas.

Agriculture

The size of Jingzhou's agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and aquaculture sector in 2019 totaled ¥76.645 billion. The city produced 4.5117 million tons of

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...

, 433 thousand tons of

vegetable oil Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of edible plants. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed ...

, 38,000 tons of

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

, and 3.1332 million tons of

vegetable Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...

s. In 2019, 2.9777 million heads of swine, and 63.9012 million heads of poultry were slaughtered in Jingzhou. 1.1195 million tons of aquaculture products were produced, with 45.77% (512.4 thousand tons) of this comprising shrimp and crabs.

Industry

In 2019, Jingzhou saw a 2.3% decline in

light industry Light industry are Industry (economics), industries that usually are less Capital intensity, capital-intensive than heavy industry, heavy industries and are more consumer-oriented than business-oriented, as they typically produce smaller consum ...

output, and a 17.0% rise in

heavy industry Heavy industry is an industry that involves one or more characteristics such as large and heavy products; large and heavy equipment and facilities (such as heavy equipment, large machine tools, huge buildings and large-scale infrastructure); o ...

output. The size of the city's

state-owned State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to ...

economy shrank 3.4%, its collectively-owned economy grew 2.4%, and its

privately owned A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in their respective listed markets. Instead, the company's stock is ...

economy grew 7.2%. One of Jingzhou's most prominent industries is its construction industry, which earned ¥29.877 billion in 2019. As of 2019, the city has 385 construction firms.

Retail

In 2019, Jingzhou's consumer retail sales totaled ¥144.735 billion. Consumer retail sales grew at an annual rate of 11.5%.

Insurance

In 2019, the city's

insurance industry Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...

made ¥16.293 billion in revenue off of premiums, a 15.0% increase from the previous year. Of this, ¥12.213 billion came from personal insurance, and ¥4.08 billion came from property insurance, an increase of 12.7% and 22.3% from 2018, respectively. Jingzhou's insurance industry paid 5.171 billion in compensation, a 1.8% increase from the previous year.

Foreign trade

In 2019, Jingzhou conducted 1.697 billion USD in foreign trade, a 6.8% decline from the previous year. Of this, imports accounted for 0.335 billion USD, and exports accounted for 1.363 billion USD.

History

Jingzhou has been inhabited for approximately 5,000 to 6,000 years, with the historic Daxi culture residing in present-day Jingzhou. Situated in the middle reaches of the

, the area has been a strategic location of military importance since

ancient times Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian language, ...

. The area of present-day Jingzhou was where the

State of Chu Chu (, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was an Ancient Chinese states, ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BC. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou heartland and lasted ...

was founded. Ying, an ancient city within the borders of present-day Jingzhou, became the capital of the State of Chu in 689 BCE, and remained as such for over 400 years, including during the Spring and Autumn and

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

s of the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

. During the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

and

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...

era, Jingzhou was known as Nanjun due to it being the seat of Nanjun district. The city was lost to

Eastern Wu Wu (Chinese language, Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < Eastern Han Chinese: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China and one of the three major sta ...

Guan Yu Guan Yu (; ), courtesy name Yunchang, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Along with Zhang Fei, he shared a brotherly relationship with Liu Bei and accompanied him on ...

during the

period leading to the modern phrase "dàyì shī Jīngzhōu" (), . Under the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, it served as the southern capital and was known as Nandu ( zh, labels=no , c=南都 , l=south capital).Theobald, Ulrich. ''China Knowledge''.
Chinese History - Tang Dynasty 唐 (618-907): Map and Geography
. Accessed 19 Oct 2012. Later on, Jiangling was the capital of the

Southern Qi Qi, known in historiography as the Southern Qi ( or ) or Xiao Qi (), was a Chinese imperial dynasty and the second of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It followed the Liu Song dynasty and was succee ...

and Liang dynasties. It was the capital of the small Jingnan Kingdom (also known as Nanping) that existed from 924 to 963 during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Jingzhou was the site of one of the last major battles between Republican and Qing forces during the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). The revolution was the culmination of a decade ...

in 1911. At the end of the Qing dynasty, Jingzhou had one of the largest

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

populations, around half of the city, anywhere outside Beijing. In July 1949, the area was taken by the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

. On September 29, 1994, Jiangling County and Shashi City were merged to create the

of Jingsha. On November 20, 1996, Jingsha was renamed to Jingzhou.

Sights

Numerous sites have been preserved from the Chu State period, including the ruins of five Chu cities, 73 sites featuring Chu Culture and more than 800 ancient tombs, including those of 18 Chu kings. There are also historical sites dating to the

period, such as the Wulin Battlefield (where the

Battle of Red Cliffs The Battle of Red Cliffs, also known as the Battle of Chibi, was a decisive naval battle in China that took place during the winter of AD 208–209. It was fought on the Yangtze River between the forces of warlords controlling different parts ...

took place) and the Huarong Path. Jingzhou Museum stairs

The

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...

s were rebuilt in 1646 and measure high and thick. The perimeter of the wall extends for . The city walls, city gates, watchtowers, and battlements have all been well maintained. Many of the towers on top of the majestic city gates have been damaged or rebuilt, leaving only the Chaozong Tower which was rebuilt in 1838 on the Gongji Gate. The Jingzhou Museum has on display a well-preserved 2,000-year-old male corpse, as well as silk and lacquerware from the

. A 58-meter-tall, 1,197-ton bronze Statue of Guan Yu designed by

Han Meilin Han Meilin (; born December 26, 1936, in Jinan, ShandongHanban.edu.Hanban.edu." ''Profile of the artist.'' Retrieved on 2008-04-27.Xinhuanet." ''韓美林作品選(圖).'' Retrieved on 2008-04-27.) is a Chinese artist most recognized today for hi ...

was constructed in Jingzhou in 2016. In 2021, the statue was dismantled, and is currently pending relocation to Dianjiangtai.

Cuisine

Jingzhou is home to unique breakfast items. The city has a unique style of guokui, a Chinese flatbread, as well as a unique style of

rice noodles Rice noodles are noodles made with rice flour and water as the principal ingredients. Sometimes ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and chewy texture of the noodle ...

Education

There are 1,243 schools in Jingzhou, attended by about 707,300 students, as of 2019. Of this, there are 15 secondary

vocational A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity. A calling, in the reli ...

schools attended by 28,600 students, 53 general secondary schools attended by 82,800 students, 123 general junior high schools attended by 146,000 students, 396 primary schools attended by 308,500 students, 8

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

schools attended by 1,151 students, and 587 kindergartens attended by 140,300 students. The city's education system is staffed by about 53,400 faculty. In addition to schools, Jingzhou has 176 cultural institutions staffed by 1,168 employees, and 8

public libraries ''Public Libraries'' is the official publication of the Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). It is devoted exclusively to public libraries. The print edition is published six times a year and i ...

which house 1.382 million books.

Healthcare

As of the end of 2019, Jingzhou has 3,155 medical institutions, staffed by 42,422 employees, and 32,686 hospital beds.

Transportation

Railways

* Jingzhou Railway Station on the Wuhan-Yichang Railway, with frequent passenger service to Yichang and Wuhan * Jingmen-Shashi Railway (freight only) * Jingzhou Shashi Airport in Shashi district

Expressways

G50 Shanghai–Chongqing Expressway * China Expwy G55 sign no name

G55 Erenhot–Guangzhou Expressway

National highways

China National Highway 207 China National Highway 207 (G207) runs from Ulanhot, Inner Mongolia to Hai'an, Guangdong. It is in length and runs south from Xilinhot through Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Guangxi, and ends in Guangdong. Route and distance ...

* China National Highway 318

Sister cities

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, Japan *

Bila Tserkva Bila Tserkva ( ; , ) is a city in central Ukraine. It is situated on the Ros (river), Ros River in the historical region of right-bank Ukraine. It is the largest city in Kyiv Oblast (which does not include the city of Kyiv) and serves as the ...

Kyiv Oblast Kyiv Oblast (, ), also called Kyivshchyna (, ), is an Administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, which is administered as a city with special sta ...

, Ukraine *

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, United States * Yanggu County, Gangwon, South Korea

Notable people

* Gao Xiang, ( 217–240s)

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu ( zh, t=蜀, p=Shǔ; Sichuanese Pinyin: ''Su'' < Middle Chinese: *''źjowk'' < Eastern Han Chinese: *''dźok''), was a Dynasties in ...

military leader *

Yan Zhitui Yan Zhitui (, 531–591?) courtesy name Jie () was a Chinese calligrapher, painter, musician, writer, philosopher and politician who served four different Chinese states during the late Northern and Southern dynasties: the Liang dynasty in ...

, (531–591) Northern and Southern dynasties period calligrapher, painter, musician, writer, philosopher, and politician * Wan Exiang, politician and jurist, former chairman of the

Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang The Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (RCCK; also commonly known, especially when referenced historically, as the Left Kuomintang or Left Guomindang), commonly abbreviated in Chinese as Minge (), is one of the eight minor Democ ...

* Li Xian, actor * Qiyu Zhou, Chinese-Canadian chess grandmaster * Wang Zhiyi, badminton player

References

External links

Official Jingzhou City Website
{{Authority control Cities in Hubei Populated places on the Yangtze River Prefecture-level divisions of Hubei Former prefectures in Hubei Prefectures of the Sui dynasty Prefectures of the Tang dynasty Prefectures of the Ming dynasty Prefectures of the Qing dynasty Port cities and towns in China Jianghan Plain National Famous Historical and Cultural City