Jingzhou
Encyclopedia
Jingzhou is a prefecture-level city
in Hubei Province
, People's Republic of China
. The city is located on the banks of the Yangtze River
.
Its population is 5,691,707 at the 2010 census whom 1,154,086 in the built up area made of 3 urban districts.
Jingzhou is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River on the Jianghan Plain. Downstream to its east lies Wuhan
, the provincial capital and to to the west the city of Yichang
, the Three Gorges, and finally the Chongqing
Municipality. Jingmen
City, also in Hubei, lies to the north; to its south are Yueyang
and Changde
, both in Hunan
Province.
, the prefecture-level city of Jingzhou has 5,691,707 inhabitants and a population density of 405 inhabitants per km².
, three county-level cities
and three counties. The information here presented uses the metric system
and data from 2010 Census.
The ancient city of Jingzhou is what is now the main urban area of Jiangling County, which is one of the counties within Jingzhou City. Situated in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, this has been a strategic location of military importance since ancient times.
Ying
, within the borders of present day Jingzhou, was the capital of 20 kings over 411 years of the State of Chu
during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period
s of the Zhou Dynasty
(1046 BCE - 256 BCE).
The city is said to have been built with earth by Guan Yu
in the Three Kingdoms
period. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties
period, it was the capital of the Western Liang
. In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
, it was the capital of the Nanping State.
There are also historical sites from the Three Kingdoms
period, such as the Wulin
Battlefield (where the Battle of Red Cliffs
took place) and the Huarong
Path.
The city walls were rebuilt in 1646 and measure 9 meters in height and 10 meters in depth. The perimeter of the wall extends for 9.3 kilometers. The city walls, city gate
s, watchtowers, and battlements have been well maintained . Many of the towers on top of the majestic city gates have been damaged or rebuilt, only leaving the Chaozong Tower which was rebuilt in 1838 on the Gongji Gate.
The Jingzhou museum is well-known, most notably for a well-preserved 2,000-year-old male corpse. Also on display are silk and lacquerware from the Warring States Period.
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
in Hubei Province
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. The city is located on the banks of the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
.
Its population is 5,691,707 at the 2010 census whom 1,154,086 in the built up area made of 3 urban districts.
Geography
Jingzhou occupies an area of 14,067 km² with its topography rising from east to west. It is densely covered by a network of waterways, as well as lakes.Jingzhou is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River on the Jianghan Plain. Downstream to its east lies Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
, the provincial capital and to to the west the city of Yichang
Yichang
Yichang is a prefecture-level city located in Hubei province of the People's Republic of China. It is the second largest city in Hubei province after the province capital, Wuhan. The Three Gorges Dam is located within its administrative area, in Yiling District.-History:In ancient times Yichang...
, the Three Gorges, and finally the Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
Municipality. Jingmen
Jingmen
Jingmen is a prefecture-level city in Hubei province of the People's Republic of China. Jingmen is within an area where cotton and oil crops are planted. The population of the city is approximately 2,984,000 . The urban area of Jingmen City has a population of about 350,000...
City, also in Hubei, lies to the north; to its south are Yueyang
Yueyang
Yueyang is a prefecture-level city at the northeastern corner of Hunan province, South Central China, on the southern shores of Dongting Lake.The Yueyang metropolitan area occupies 14,896 km². and the city proper occupies 304 km²...
and Changde
Changde
Changde is a city in the north of Hunan Province, China, with a population of 5,717,218 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 1,232,182 in the built up area made of 2 urban districts .-History:...
, both in Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
Province.
Climate
Demographics
According to the 2010 CensusSixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China
The Sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China, also referred to as the 2010 Chinese Census, was conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China with a zero hour of November 1, 2010....
, the prefecture-level city of Jingzhou has 5,691,707 inhabitants and a population density of 405 inhabitants per km².
Administration
The prefecture-level city of Jingzhou has jurisdiction over two districtsDistrict (China)
The term district, in the context of China, is used to refer to several unrelated political divisions in both ancient and modern China....
, three county-level cities
County-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
and three counties. The information here presented uses the metric system
Metric system
The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...
and data from 2010 Census.
| English Name | Simplified | Traditional | Pinyin | Area | Population | Density |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jingzhou District Jingzhou District Jingzhou District is a district of Hubei, China. It is under the administration of Jingzhou city.... |
荆州区 | 荊州區 | Jīngzhōu Qū | 1,046 | 553,756 | 529 |
| Shashi District Shashi District Shashi District is a district within the main urban area of the Jingzhou Prefecture-level City, Hubei Province, China. It is located on the left bank of the Yangtze River, between Yichang and Wuhan... |
沙市区 | 沙市區 | Shāshì Qū | 469 | 498,526 | 1,063 |
| Jingzhou Development District | 荆州开发区 | 荊州開發區 | Jīngzhōu Kāifā Qū | 64 | 101,804 | 1,591 |
| Songzi City Songzi Songzi City is a city in the southwest of Hubei Province , China and in the middle reach and south bank of Changjiang River . Under its administration, there are 16 townships and 2 development zones, 235,000 household, a population of 896,800... |
松滋市 | 鬆滋市 | Sōngzī Shì | 2,235 | 765,911 | 343 |
| Shishou City Shishou Shishou is a county-level city under the administration of the prefectural-level city Jingzhou in Hubei Province, People's Republic of China.-Geography:... |
石首市 | 石首市 | Shíshǒu Shì | 1,427 | 577,022 | 404 |
| Honghu City Honghu Honghu is a county-level city in the municipal region of Jingzhou, in central China's Hubei province. The city lies on the left bank of the Yangzi River, across from Hunan Province and Xianning, Hubei... |
洪湖市 | 洪湖市 | Hónghú Shì | 2,519 | 819,446 | 325 |
| Jiangling County | 江陵县 | 江陵縣 | Jiānglíng Xiàn | 1,032 | 331,344 | 321 |
| Gong'an County Gong'an County Gong'an County is a county in the municipal region of Jingzhou , Hubei Province.-Administration:The county oversees 14 towns and two townships as of 2005... |
公安县 | 公安縣 | Gōng'ān Xiàn | 2,258 | 881,128 | 390 |
| Jianli County Jianli County Jianli County is a county of Hubei, China. It is under the administration of Jingzhou city.... |
监利县 | 監利縣 | Jiānlì Xiàn | 3,118 | 1,162,770 | 373 |
History
Jingzhou has been a transportation hub and commodity distribution center for 6,000 years.The ancient city of Jingzhou is what is now the main urban area of Jiangling County, which is one of the counties within Jingzhou City. Situated in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, this has been a strategic location of military importance since ancient times.
Ying
Ying (Chu)
Yǐng was a capital city of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of Chinese History.In the early years of Chu’s development, the state capital was located at Danyang , near modern day Xichuan County in Henan Province...
, within the borders of present day Jingzhou, was the capital of 20 kings over 411 years of the State of Chu
Chu (state)
The State of Chu was a Zhou Dynasty vassal state in present-day central and southern China during the Spring and Autumn period and Warring States Period . Its ruling house had the surname Nai , and clan name Yan , later evolved to surname Mi , and clan name Xiong...
during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period
Warring States Period
The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, or the Warring Kingdoms period, covers the Iron Age period from about 475 BC to the reunification of China under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC...
s of the Zhou Dynasty
Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou Dynasty was a Chinese dynasty that followed the Shang Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty. Although the Zhou Dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history, the actual political and military control of China by the Ji family lasted only until 771 BC, a period known as...
(1046 BCE - 256 BCE).
The city is said to have been built with earth by Guan Yu
Guan Yu
Guan Yu was a general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty of China. He played a significant role in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, of which Liu Bei was the...
in the Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
period. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties
Southern and Northern Dynasties
The Southern and Northern Dynasties was a period in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589 AD. Though an age of civil war and political chaos, it was also a time of flourishing arts and culture, advancement in technology, and the spreading of Mahayana Buddhism and Daoism...
period, it was the capital of the Western Liang
Liang Dynasty
The Liang Dynasty , also known as the Southern Liang Dynasty , was the third of the Southern dynasties in China and was followed by the Chen Dynasty...
. In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was between 907–960/979 AD and an era of political upheaval in China, between the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the founding of the Song Dynasty. During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were...
, it was the capital of the Nanping State.
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 from the Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
period, such as the Wulin
Battle of Red Cliffs
The Battle of Red Cliffs, otherwise known as the Battle of Chibi, was a decisive battle at the end of the Han Dynasty, immediately prior to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. It was fought in the winter of 208/9 AD between the allied forces of the southern warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan...
Battlefield (where the Battle of Red Cliffs
Battle of Red Cliffs
The Battle of Red Cliffs, otherwise known as the Battle of Chibi, was a decisive battle at the end of the Han Dynasty, immediately prior to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. It was fought in the winter of 208/9 AD between the allied forces of the southern warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan...
took place) and the Huarong
Huarong
Huarong County is the north-western county of Yueyang city in Hunan province, China. It is bordered by the Yangtze River and Hubei on the north.-Travel:...
Path.
City gate
A city gate is a gate which is, or was, set within a city wall. Other terms include port.-Uses:City gates were traditionally built to provide a point of controlled access to and departure from a walled city for people, vehicles, goods and animals...
s, watchtowers, and battlements have been well maintained . Many of the towers on top of the majestic city gates have been damaged or rebuilt, only leaving the Chaozong Tower which was rebuilt in 1838 on the Gongji Gate.
The Jingzhou museum is well-known, most notably for a well-preserved 2,000-year-old male corpse. Also on display are silk and lacquerware from the Warring States Period.
Transportation
- China National Highway 207China National Highway 207China National Highway 207 runs from Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia to Hai'an, Guangdong Province. It is 3,738 kilometres in length and runs south from Xilinhot towards Hebei Province, Shanxi Province, Henan Province, Hubei Province, Guangxi Province, and ends in Guangdong Province.-Route and...
- China National Highway 318China National Highway 318China National Highway 318 runs from Shanghai to Zhangmu on the China-Nepal border. It is 5,476 kilometres in length and runs west from Shanghai towards Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, Chongqing, Sichuan, and ends in Tibet. One notable section of this road is the Si Du River Bridge, the bridge with the...
- Jingzhou Railway StationJingzhou Railway StationJingzhou Railway Station is a railway station located in Hubei Province, People's Republic of China, on the Hanyi Railway which operated by Wuhan Railway Bureau, Ministry of Railways of the PRC....
on the Jingmen-ShashiJingmen-Shashi RailwayJingmen-Shashi Railway or Jingsha Railway , is a single-track regional railroad in Hubei Province of central China between Jingmen and Shashi District of Jingzhou. The line is long, and was built between 1986 and 1989. The line runs from Shashi on the Yangtze River north to Jingmen and is...
and Wuhan-Yichang (under construction)Hanyi RailwayHanyi Railway , or Hankou-Yichang Railway, is a railway currently being constructed between Hankou and Yichang in the Chinese province of Hubei. It will be a section of the future Huhanrong Passenger Dedicated Line from Shanghai to Wuhan to Chengdu...
Railways.