- Not to be confused with the unrelated province of Hebei
Hubei (Chinese: 湖北; pinyin: Húběi; Wade-Giles: Hu-pei, also seen as Hupeh), abbreviated to 鄂 (pinyin: È, WG: O), a province of the People's Republic of China, lies to the north of the Dongting Lake, giving it the name "North of the Lake". It covers over 180,000 km², with a population of 60,280,000 (2001). The city of Wuhan serves as the provincial capital.
History Hubei, together with Hunan, formed the province of Hukwang.
In 1911 the Wuchang Uprising took place in modern-day Wuhan.
The construction of the Three Gorges Dam over the Yangtze River began in 1993 near Yichang. In the following years, authorities resettled millions of people from western Hubei to make way for the construction of the dam.
Geography Hubei borders Anhui in the east, Hunan and Jiangxi to the south, Chongqing in the west, and Shaanxi and Henan in the north. Two rivers, the Yangtze and Hanshui meet in Wuhan and thousands of lakes dot the landscape, so Hubei enjoys another beautiful name: "Province of Lakes". Xiling Gorge and part of Wu Gorge lie in western Hubei. They form part of the Three Gorges. Mountainous terrain generally dominates the western part of the province. Mount Wudang stands in the northwestern part of the province. Mount Dabie lies on the Anhui border.
Lying in a sub-tropical zone, Hubei sees its four seasons changing clearly. It has average temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius in winter and of 37ºC in summer.
Economy Hubei plays an important role in China's transportation. Situated on the Yangtze and Hanshui Rivers, the natural golden waterways, Hubei enjoys the convenience of railways linking Beijing to Guangzhou, Beijing to Kowloon, Shanghai to Wuhan, Wuhan to Chengdu, and Zhicheng to Liuzhou, and of the airports in Wuhan, Yichang, Sanxia, Xiangfan and Shashi. National and provincial highways also contribute to Hubei's economic development.
Hubei has a reputation for its plentiful products and is called a "Hometown for Fish and Rice". Famous agricultural products in Hubei include cotton, rice, wheat, tea, while industry fetures metallurgy, machinery, power generation, textiles, foodstuffs and high-tech commodities.
Once completed, the Three Gorges Dam will provide plentiful hydroelectricity.
Demographics Han Chinese form the dominant ethnic group in Hubei. A considerable Miao and Tujia population live in the southwestern part of the province.
Culture
Tourism The Chu Culture originated in Hubei, one of the main Chinese cultural schools, stemmed from the ancient Kingdom of Chu. This traditional culture, mixed with modern civilization, makes Hubei rich in tourism resources. The famous attractions include Mount Wudang and Mount Jiugong, the Three Gorges (Sanxia), and Jingzhou City.
UNESCO listed the ancient building complex in the Wudang Mountains as one of the World Heritage Sites in 1994.
Miscellaneous topics Professional sports teams in Hubei include:
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