Published : 30/06/2023
The mighty Yangtze flows eastward into Hubei, forming numerous lakes along the way before meeting the Han River in Wuhan. This is Hubei — a land long known as the "Province of a Thousand Lakes".
But what is it about this historic heartland of Jingchu that has made it home to so many lakes?
The origin of the name "Hubei"
Like Hunan, the provincial name of Hubei is related to Dongting Lake. As most of its area lies to the north of Dongting Lake, it was named Hubei.
"E" (鄂) is the abbreviation for Hubei Province, derived from the mid-Western Zhou Dynasty, when the area of present-day Nanyang city proper, Fangcheng County, and Nanzhao County in Henan Province belonged to the State of E.
Geographical features
Hubei is located in central China, south of the Qinling–Huaihe line, and is therefore regarded as part of southern China.
It borders Anhui to the east; Jiangxi and Hunan to the south; Chongqing to the west; and Shaanxi and Henan to the north.
In terms of topography, the province slopes from the northwest to the southeast. Its eastern, western and northern sides are enclosed by mountain ranges such as the Wuling, Wushan and Wudang mountains, while the centre is relatively low and flat, opening out towards the south.
The south-central region in front of the mountains is the Jianghan Plain, which connects with the Dongting Lake Plain in Hunan Province. The terrain is flat and the soil is fertile.
Climate and Hydrology
Hubei Province has a subtropical monsoon climate, with four distinct seasons and a clear north-south transitional character.
Its spring is unpredictable with fluctuating sunny and overcast days, summer is hot and humid, autumn is clear and crisp, and winter is cold and dry.
The transition between spring and summer often brings plum rains, with continuous overcast and rainy weather.
In addition to the Yangtze and Han rivers, Hubei has a dense network of rivers and a well-developed water system, with 4,229 rivers over 5,000 metres long. The crisscrossing rivers weave together the captivating waterscape scenery of Hubei.
Since ancient times, the beautiful and fertile Jianghan Plain has been a vast marshland.
Over time, the Yunmeng Great Marsh on the plain was silted up, shifted, and divided, and the interspersed bodies of water, like scattered pearls, formed the star-scattered "Jianghan Lake Cluster", which is why it has long been known as the "Province of a Thousand Lakes".
Population and Administrative Divisions
Hubei Province has under its jurisdiction 12 prefecture-level cities and 1 autonomous prefecture, among which Wuhan is the provincial capital; as well as 39 municipal districts, 26 county-level cities, 35 counties, 2 autonomous counties, and 1 forestry district.
As of the end of 2022, Hubei Province had a population of 58.44 million people.
More than 90% of them are of the Han ethnicity, while the remaining ethnic minorities, including the Tujia, Miao, Hui, and Dong peoples, number 2.27 million.
Economy
As a major province in central China, Hubei's overall economic strength ranks in the upper-middle tier nationwide.
In 2022, Hubei's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) exceeded 5 trillion RMB, ranking 7th in the country. During the past three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the province that bore the brunt of it, why did Hubei's performance remain strong?
Hubei is named after its lakes, lives by its lakes, and thrives with its lakes.
Nourished by its many lakes and rivers, Hubei has long been known as a land of fish and rice and has grown into one of China's major bases for grain production and aquaculture. The province produces large quantities of rice, cotton, maize, fish and vegetables.
In addition, Wuhan, the provincial capital known as the "thoroughfare of nine provinces", is a major commercial, logistics and transport hub along the Yangtze River, and an important city in China‘s strategy for the rise of the central region.
The local government has also focused on developing five pillar industries worth over one trillion yuan each — next-generation information technology, automobile manufacturing, modern chemicals and energy, big health, and modern agricultural product processing — further underpinning the province's strong economic performance.
Tourism
As the saying goes, a mountain need not be high to be famous — so long as it is touched by the presence of immortals. Wudang Mountain, with its ethereal charm, has long carried people's visions of a celestial realm.
Ascending by cable car, visitors are greeted by misty purple haze and layers of emerald peaks and can savour the beauty captured in the line: "Seventy-two peaks bow before the summit, while twenty-four streams flow on unceasingly.” In such a sacred landscape, the cares of city life seem to melt away.
"An old friend bids farewell in the west at Yellow Crane Tower.” Standing beside the Yangtze, this celebrated tower has long been one of the best places to take in the view.
In centuries past, friends parting ways would climb its stone steps, gaze out over the great river, and enjoy a sweeping view of the three towns of Wuhan.
Looking down at the small boats shuttling on the river, rising and falling on the crisscrossing, churning waves, like huge waves sweeping away fallen leaves, one can feel the sorrow of parting that has accumulated over a thousand years.
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