Ezhou

Geography

Ezhou lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze River east of the southern section of Wuchang, across the river from the city of Huanggang, to which it is connected by the Ehuang Bridge. Lying between the cities of Wuhan and Huangshi, Ezhou has a relatively small area of 1504 km2.

There are many lakes in Ezhou, including the Liangzi Lake in Liangzihu District and Yanglan Lake, along with more than 133 lakes and pools. The city is the origin of Wuchang Bream and as a result is nicknamed "city of one hundred lakes" and "the land of fish and rice".

Climate

|Jan record high C = 22.6 |Jan record low C = -6.0 |Feb record high C = 29.7 |Feb record low C = -5.1 |Mar record high C = 34.7 |Mar record low C = -1.5 |Apr record high C = 34.5 |Apr record low C = 3.7 |May record high C = 36.2 |May record low C = 9.1 |Jun record high C = 37.8 |Jun record low C = 13.8 |Jul record high C = 40.6 |Jul record low C = 19.3 |Aug record high C = 39.9 |Aug record low C = 17.5 |Sep record high C = 38.5 |Sep record low C = 12.4 |Oct record high C = 35.6 |Oct record low C = 5.0 |Nov record high C = 29.4 |Nov record low C = -2.5 |Dec record high C = 23.5 |Dec record low C = -6.7

History

The name "Ezhou" dates to the Han dynasty (206BCE220CE) and derives from the nearby ancient Zhou dynasty (1046256BCE) vassal State of E. Although the administrative seat of the city changed several times, the name remained unchanged until the Three Kingdoms era (220−280) at which time it became the capital of the state of Eastern Wu ruled by Sun Quan and was renamed "Wuchang". This name remained in use as late as 1915, which proved confusing to travelers, as it was also applied to the much larger city of Wuchang, itself shortly to become part of Wuhan.

Throughout China's history, Ezhou 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 location in the history of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.

Administration

Ezhou has three districts:

Economy

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

Transportation

Ezhou is served by the E-Huang Expressway, China National Highways 106 and 316, the Wuhan–Jiujiang Railway, the Wuhan–Huangshi intercity railway of the Wuhan Metropolitan Area Intercity Railway and Ezhou Huahu International Airport. Ezhou has two bridges over the Yangtze.

Ezhou railway station (), located southwest of downtown, has an interesting layout, somewhat similar to that of the Secaucus Junction in New Jersey. Until 2014, there was just one rail line there: the north–south Wuhan–Jiujiang Railway, which is served by a large number of trains traveling from Wuhan to Nanchang and points further east and south (Fujian, Zhejiang, etc.). Until 2013, there were no commuter trains in per se in Hubei, but it took only about one hour (usually, with a stop at Huarong) to reach one of Wuhan's train stations (such as Wuchang railway station) train station from Ezhou using any of those trains. The distance from the Ezhou railway station to Wuchang by rail is 82 km. In 2014, the Wuhan-Huangshi intercity railway of the Wuhan Metropolitan Area Intercity Railway, the region's new commuter line system, was opened. This line, which runs east–west in the area, has crossed the Wuhan–Jiujiang Railway tracks at the right angle just south of the previously existing Ezhou station. To accommodate the new line, the Ezhou Station was expanded in 2013–2014, with platforms constructed on the new commuter line, providing a possibility for an easy transfer between the two lines. This is said to be the first station in China with this layout.

The trains on the commuter line travel to Wuhan Railway Station (56 km, 30–40 min from Ezhou).

The commuter line has one more station in Ezhou, farther to the east. It is Ezhou East, 64 km from Wuhan Railway Station.

Tourism

Ezhou has several tourism sites, including the West Hill (which is in the center of the city), and the nearby Lotus Hill. There are also three lakes, Liangzi Lake, Yanglan Lake (洋澜湖) and Honglian Lake.

References

References

2. "China: Húbĕi (Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map".
3. 湖北省统计局、国家统计局湖北调查总队. (August 2016). "《湖北统计年鉴－2016》". [[China Statistics Press]].
4. link. Ezhou People's Government. (March 2007). zh
5. link. [[China Meteorological Administration]]
6. link. Xinhua
7. link. XZQH. zh-hans. 1996年，全市面积1504平方千米，{...}辖鄂城、华容、梁子湖3个市辖区，. (7 December 2011)
8. link. Ezhou People's Government. zh-Hans. 六、人口的分布 全市常住人口地区分布如下：地 区 人口数（人）全市合计 1048672 鄂城区 303315 华容区 172599 梁子湖区 142608 葛店开发区（含葛店镇） 64734 鄂州开发区 31013 凤凰办 138032 古楼办 127600 西山办 68771". (18 May 2011)
9. link. [[National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China]]. (2017). zh-hans. 统计用区划代码 名称 420701000000 市辖区 420702000000 梁子湖区 420703000000 华容区 420704000000 鄂城区
10. Ezhou (鄂州) schedule search at [http://www.tielu.org/ tielu.org] {{Webarchive. link. (2016-12-05)
11. link. [[Ifeng]] Hubei. (2014-04-27)