Ezhou

Ezhou
—  Prefecture-level city  —
Chinese transcription(s)
- Chinese	鄂州
- Pinyin	Èzhōu
A lake in central Ezhou
Ezhou in Hubei
Ezhou Location in China
Coordinates: 30°24′N 114°53′E / 30.4°N 114.883°E / 30.4; 114.883
Country	China
Province	Hubei
Area
- Total	1,504 km2 (580.7 sq mi)
Population (2007)
- Total	1,064,400
- Density	707.7/km2 (1,833/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Website	http://www.ezhou.gov.cn/

Ezhou (simplified Chinese: 鄂州; pinyin: Èzhōu) is a prefecture-level city in China's Hubei province.

Geography and Climate

This section requires expansion.

Ezhou is located in southeastern Hubei province, on the southern bank of the Yangtze River east of Wuchang (the southern section of Wuhan), and across the river from the city of Huanggang. Sandwiched between the prefecture-level cities of Wuhan and Huangshi, it has a relatively small area of 1,504 km². (Reported by city government as 1594 km²^[1])

History

This 1915 map shows a small Wuchang (today's Ezhou) across the river from Hwang-Chow (Huangzhou in Pinyin - today's central urban area of Huanggang), along with a much bigger Wuchang further west (next to Hanyang and Hankou)

Ezhou has a long rich history. In the Eastern Han dynasty, it was given the name of "E". Its administrative region was changed several times but the name stayed the same until the Three Kingdoms. During the Three Kingdoms, it was made the capital of the Wu Kingdom by Sun Quan and was named Wuchang. This name was attested in use as late as 1915, which in that era no doubt was confusing to travellers, as it was also applied to the much larger city of Wuchang, which was soon to become one of the constituent parts of Wuhan.

Throughout China's history it has remained an important city politically, economically, and militarily with its strategic position along the middle part of the Yangtze River. It is also an important place in the history of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.

Administration

On the streets of Ezhou

Ezhou has 3 districts.

Districts:

• Echeng District (鄂城区) (where Ezhou's central urban area is located)
• Huarong District (华容区）
• Liangzihu District (梁子湖区）

Demographics

The population of Ezhou as of the end of 2007 was estimated at 1,064,400 people.^[2]

Economy

Ezhou television company tower

Ezhou has 6 ports on the Yangtze including one than can handle up to 10,000 ton vessels. Many important rail lines and national highways cross through the area. This infrastructure make it a major logistics and distribution center. Important industries include metallurgy, construction materials, textiles, chemicals, and machinery.

The passenger train station, located southwest of downtown, is served by a large number of long-distance passenger trains that pass Ezhou on their way from Wuhan to cities in the east. In Hubei, there are no commuter trains per se, but it takes only about 1 hour (usually, with a stop at Huarong) to reach Wuhan's Wuchang train station from Ezhou using any of those trains. The distance from the Ezhou station to Wuchang by rail is 82 km.^[3]

Ezhou is served by the E-Huang Expressway, and by China National Highways 106 and 316.

Tourism

Ezhou has several sites famous for their natural beauty. The West Hill is in the heart of the city and Lotus Hill is nearby. There are also three lakes, Liangzhi, Yanglang, and Honglian.

External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ezhou

• Official Website(Chinese)

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Coordinates: 30°24′N 114°50′E / 30.4°N 114.833°E / 30.4; 114.833