Ezhou (simplified Chinese: 鄂州; pinyin: Èzhōu) is a prefecture-level city in China's Hubei province.
Geography and Climate
Ezhou is located in southeastern Hubei province east of Wuchang
, along the southern bank of the Yangtze River
. It has a relatively small area of 1,504 km².
See also Wuchang
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. 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.
Ezhou has 3 districts
Ezhou has a population of more than 1 million people.
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 east 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 (with one or no stops on the way) to reach Wuhan's Wuchang train station from Ezhou using any of those trains.
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.