Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture

Enshi
—  Autonomous Prefecture  —
Access to Enshi is difficult. Most locals prefer to use boat to get to and from the prefecture.
Location within Hubei
Enshi Location in China
Coordinates: 30°17′N 109°29′E / 30.283°N 109.483°E / 30.283; 109.483
Country	China
Province	Hubei
Area
- Total	9,266.5 sq mi (24,000 km2)
Population (1999)
- Total	3,800,000
Time zone	China standard time (UTC+8)

Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (simplified Chinese: 恩施土家族苗族自治州; pinyin: Ēnshī Tǔjiāzú Miáozú Zìzhìzhōu)

Enshi Autonomous Prefecture is located in southwesternmost Hubei Province. It is bordered by the Yangtze River to the north and Hunan province to the south.

Administration

There are two county-level cities:

• Enshi City, the prefectural seat
• Lichuan City

There are six counties:

• Xianfeng County
• Laifeng County
• Badong County - site of the 2009 Badong Incident
• Jianshi County
• Hefeng County
• Xuan'en County

Demographics

The total area is 24,000 square kilometers, and the population is 3,800,000. 52.6% of the population belong to the Tujia and Miao nations, who -while officially minority nations- are thus a majority here. Enshi is the only autonomous prefecture in Hubei province.

Enshi is also the only part of Hubei which has been included in the Chinese government's Western exploration programme and over the next 5-10 years they will put 50 billion RMB into its development.

Transportation

Badong, in the prefecture's northeast, has a Yangtze River port.

Until recently, the prefecture had no railways, but the Yichang-Wanzhou Railway, which is going to provide a more direct connection between Hubei and Chongqing/Sichuan, presently under construction, is going to cross the prefecture from east to west, serving the Enshi City as well. As of mid-2009, the embankments bridges and tunnels have been mostly completed, and about half the rails have been laid.^[1]

The Yangtze River passes through Enshi.

Agriculture

The soil in Enshi is rich in selenium. The countryside has a diverse range of flora and fauna, including many Chinese herbs. Much of the mountain landscape is covered in virgin forest, and is home to pangolins.

History

Imperial

"Endless green mountains to walk on, endless clear water going away" (by a poet of the Tang dynasty)

Republican

Republic of China's Hubei provincial government was relocated to Enshi during the 1937-45 resistance war (against Japanese invasion and occupation).

References

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Coordinates: 30°17′N 109°29′E / 30.283°N 109.483°E / 30.283; 109.483

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