Ezhou (Chinese: 鄂州) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Hubei Province, China. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 1,079,353, of which 695,697 lived in the core Echeng District. The Ezhou - Huanggang built-up (or metro) area was home to 1,152,559 inhabitants made of the Echeng and Huangzhou, Huanggang Districts.

Ezhou
鄂州市
Left to right, top to bottom: Central Yanglan Lake, Guanyin Pavilion, Lingquan Temple, Yu Liang Gate (looking south), the city viewed from Yanglan Lake
Location in Hubei and the PRC
Location in Hubei and the PRC
Ezhou is located in Hubei
Ezhou
Ezhou
Location in Hubei
Coordinates (Ezhou municipal government): 30°23′29″N 114°53′42″E / 30.3914°N 114.8949°E / 30.3914; 114.8949
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceHubei
Municipal seatEcheng District
Area
 • Prefecture-level city1,593.54 km2 (615.27 sq mi)
 • Urban
1,593.54 km2 (615.27 sq mi)
 • Metro
963.4 km2 (372.0 sq mi)
Population
 (2020 census)[2]
 • Prefecture-level city1,079,353
 • Density680/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
 • Urban
1,079,353
 • Urban density680/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
 • Metro
1,152,559
 • Metro density1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
GDP[3]
 • Prefecture-level cityCN¥ 73.0 billion
US$ 11.7 billion
 • Per capitaCN¥ 68,924
US$ 11,066
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
ISO 3166 codeCN-HB-07
Licence plate prefixes鄂G
Website鄂州市政府门户网站 (in Simplified Chinese)
Ezhou
Chinese鄂州
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinÈzhōu
Wade–GilesO4-chou1
IPA[ɤ̂.ʈʂóʊ]
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingNgok6-zau1
IPA[ŋɔk̚˨ tsɐw˥]

Geography

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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 1,504 square kilometers (581 sq mi).[4]

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".[citation needed]

Climate

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Climate data for Ezhou (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 22.6
(72.7)
29.7
(85.5)
32.5
(90.5)
34.5
(94.1)
36.2
(97.2)
37.8
(100.0)
40.6
(105.1)
39.9
(103.8)
38.5
(101.3)
35.6
(96.1)
29.4
(84.9)
23.5
(74.3)
40.6
(105.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 8.3
(46.9)
11.5
(52.7)
16.2
(61.2)
22.6
(72.7)
27.4
(81.3)
30.3
(86.5)
33.4
(92.1)
33.2
(91.8)
29.2
(84.6)
23.6
(74.5)
17.3
(63.1)
11.0
(51.8)
22.0
(71.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.9
(40.8)
7.6
(45.7)
11.9
(53.4)
18.0
(64.4)
22.9
(73.2)
26.2
(79.2)
29.3
(84.7)
28.9
(84.0)
24.8
(76.6)
19.1
(66.4)
12.9
(55.2)
7.0
(44.6)
17.8
(64.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2.2
(36.0)
4.6
(40.3)
8.6
(47.5)
14.3
(57.7)
19.2
(66.6)
23.0
(73.4)
26.0
(78.8)
25.5
(77.9)
21.4
(70.5)
15.7
(60.3)
9.6
(49.3)
4.1
(39.4)
14.5
(58.1)
Record low °C (°F) −6.0
(21.2)
−5.1
(22.8)
−1.5
(29.3)
3.7
(38.7)
9.1
(48.4)
13.8
(56.8)
19.3
(66.7)
17.5
(63.5)
12.4
(54.3)
5.0
(41.0)
−2.5
(27.5)
−6.7
(19.9)
−6.7
(19.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 61.7
(2.43)
76.8
(3.02)
103.1
(4.06)
150.4
(5.92)
166.8
(6.57)
223.6
(8.80)
234.4
(9.23)
120.6
(4.75)
73.2
(2.88)
66.7
(2.63)
57.7
(2.27)
36.9
(1.45)
1,371.9
(54.01)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 10.8 11.4 14.0 12.9 12.4 13.0 12.4 10.5 7.5 8.7 9.0 7.8 130.4
Average snowy days 3.5 1.9 0.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 1.0 7.4
Average relative humidity (%) 76 75 75 74 74 79 77 76 74 74 75 73 75
Mean monthly sunshine hours 104.9 106.2 130.4 164.7 184.3 175.7 230.9 234.0 187.7 163.3 144.2 133.0 1,959.3
Percent possible sunshine 32 34 35 42 43 42 54 58 51 47 46 42 44
Source: China Meteorological Administration[5][6]

History

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A 1915 map showing a small section of Wuchang (today's Ezhou), across the river from Hwang-Chow (Huangzhou), the modern central urban area of Huanggang, along with a much larger area further west (adjacent to Hanyang and Hankou)

The name "Ezhou" dates to the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) and derives from the nearby ancient Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BCE) 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.[7]

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.[citation needed]

Administration

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Ezhou has three districts:[1][8][9]

# Name Chinese (S)
Districts
1 Echeng District 鄂城 (the central urban area)
2 Huarong District 华容
3 Liangzihu District
(Liangzi Lake District)
梁子湖
Map

Economy

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Ezhou television company tower

Ezhou has six ports on the Yangtze including one than can handle up to 10,000-tonne (9,800-long-ton; 11,000-short-ton) 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.[citation needed]

Transportation

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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 Airport. Ezhou has two bridges over the Yangtze.[citation needed]

Ezhou railway station (30°21′48″N 114°51′38″E / 30.363343°N 114.860499°E / 30.363343; 114.860499), 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 kilometers (51 mi).[10] 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.[11]

The trains on the commuter line travel to Wuhan Railway Station (56 km or 35 mi, 30–40 min from Ezhou).

The commuter line has one more station in Ezhou, farther to the east. It is Ezhou East, 64 km (40 mi) from Wuhan Railway Station.

Tourism

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Top Tourist City of China Ezhou Statue

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

References

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  1. ^ a b 鄂州市历史沿革 (in Chinese). XZQH. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2018. 1996年,全市面积1504平方千米,{...}辖鄂城、华容、梁子湖3个市辖区,
  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》. 中国统计出版社. ISBN 978-7-5037-7847-6. Archived from the original on 2017-03-01. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
  4. ^ 鄂州地理位置. Ezhou People's Government. March 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-09-18. Retrieved 2008-10-16. (in Chinese)
  5. ^ 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Experience Template" 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  7. ^ 鄂州历史纪要. Xinhua. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2007.
  8. ^ 鄂州市2010年第六次全国人口普查主要 数据公报 (in Chinese). Ezhou People's Government. 18 May 2011. Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2018. 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
  9. ^ 2017年统计用区划代码和城乡划分代码:鄂州市 [2017 Statistical Area Numbers and Rural-Urban Area Numbers: Ezhou City]. National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China. 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2018. 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 tielu.org Archived 2016-12-05 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ 武黄城铁预计5月开通 武汉到黄石仅30分钟票价35元. Ifeng Hubei. 2014-04-27.
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