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Hubei Province
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Introduction
Hubei is a province that stretches across the Yangtze and Hanjiang Lakes—two major rivers in Central China. In Chinese, Hubei means “to the north of Dongting Lake”. It has long been known as “a province of a thousand lakes”. Hubei is bounded in the north by Henan, in the east by Anhui, in the south by Hunan and Jiangxi, to the west by Sichuan and to the northwest by Shanxi.
In ancient times, Hubei used to be the state of Chu. Among China’s provinces, Hubei is ranked 16th in terms of total land area. Its 185,900 sq km accounts for 1.94% of the entire land area of China. Its capital is Wuhan which is situated in the southeastern part of this central Chinese province.
The province has four distinct seasons. The best time to visit Hubei is during spring in the months of April and May, or September and October when it is autumn. This province enjoys abundant sunlight with an annual sunshine duration averaging 1,200-2,200 hours. Its mean temperatures ranges from 15C-17C. Temperatures of 41C and -14.9C have been recorded. Hubei has a subtropical monsoon climate with hot, humid summers and cold dry winters. Most of the rainfall occurs during summer.
Hubei’s short frost period coupled with abundant precipitation create highly favorable conditions for agriculture. Out of 365 days each year, approximately 230 to 300 days are frost-free. However, rainfall is unevenly distributed favoring the high mountainous area of Wuling Mountains with west Hubei receiving the least.
The Chu culture has enriched Hubei with a significant number of cultural relics. Everywhere in the province, one can bask in history with ancient towers, imperial mausoleums, temples, and grottoes.
Hubei Provincial Museum – houses the world’s heaviest musical instrument. It was unearthed from the Tomb of Marquis Yi, a nobleman of the Zeng State. The musical instrument is composed of 65 chime bells with the biggest weight 203.6 kilograms and the smallest 2.4 kilograms.
Wudang Mountain – is home to hundreds of Taoist temples and palaces. This mountain is sacred to the Taoists and has earned a place in the list of World Cultural and Natural Heritages.
East Lake – holds the distinction of being the biggest lake within a city in China. It is found on the eastern side of Wuchang.
Yellow Crane Tower – is one of the three famous towers which can be found south of the Yangtze River. It is situated on Snake Hill in Wuchang City. It’s belongs to China’s Top 40 Tourist Attractions.
Three Gorges – unveils the extraordinary natural beauty of Hubei rightfully claiming its place in China’s Top 40 Tourist Attractions. One is treated to an awesome panoramic blend of water and mountains.
Yangtze Three Gorges Dam -- the largest water conservation facility not only in China but also in the whole world.
Shennongjia Reservation – a national reservation in western Hubei where traces of wild people were discovered. It is recognized in the UNESCO's program of Man and Biosphere
Chibi – also known as “Red Cliff”; it is a site infamous for an ancient battle that took place there.
Jingzhou – known for the historical Three-Kingdom Battles
Hubei also boasts of beautiful landscapes and interesting historical and cultural places. It has six recognized scenic spots, 13 national forest parks and three national nature reserves. Among its historical and cultural sites, more than 500 are under the protection of the state and the province.
Hubei is a melting pot of more than 50 ethnic groups. A large percentage of the population is made up of Han Chinese. The other ethnic groups include Han, Miano, Tujia, Hui, Dong, Manchu, Zhuang, and Mongolian among others.
Only 24.6 million of Hubei’s 59.9 million residents live in the urban areas. Most of the minority ethnic groups reside in the southwestern parts of the province.
Hubei cuisine is synonymous to freshwater delicacies—all-fish dinners, eel, shrimps, and clams. Through the years, the region’s cuisine has evolved to include blending different species of fish with other locally available ingredients. Today, many famous Hubei dishes are prepared from two or more raw materials with names derived from a graphic description of the dishes. Most common dishes include stewed turtle, sautéed three slivers, and dragon and phoenix marriage.
Most dishes are steamed or simmered. A typical Hubei meal features tender meat, crisp bones, and thick soup that go well with rice.
The culinary traditions of this province can be broadly classified into three styles of cooking:
- Wuhan style: Soups are the specialty of this style of cooking. The Wuhan noodle dishes, such as Re Gan Mian, are also very popular.
- Huangzhou style: This style of cooking uses a lot of oil and usually tastes salty.
- Jingzhou style: Most of these dishes are steam cooked. Fish dishes are the specialty.
Furthermore, Hubei food is also classified into four schools:
- 1. Jingnan School : identified for its braised and stewed game
- 2.Xiangyang School: known for its meat dishes
- 3.E’zhou School: recognized for its vegetarian dishes
- 4.Han-Mian School: renowned for its seafood, meat, and poultry dishes
Hubei has six recognized pillar industries that include light and textile industries, machine-building, auto making, metallurgy, building materials and construction, and the chemical industry. Among these six, the auto industry has a remarkable scale of production with an output the highest in the country.
The main agricultural products of this province include rice, wheat, cotton and tea.
Hubei has rich mineral deposits that include deposits of coal, borax, wollastonite, marlstone, phosphorus, gypsum, rock salt, manganese, hongshiite, garnet, iron, copper, rutile, gold amalgam and vanadium. The province also has famous fine turquoise and green faustite mines. Its phosphorus ore, marlstone, hongshiite, garnet and wollastonite rank fifth in China. However, Hubei has only limited reserves of coal, natural gas and petroleum.
The province is endowed with an abundant water resource including underground aquifers. It has hydroelectric stations at Gezhouba, Geheyan, Duhe, Bailianhe, Danjiangkou, Hanjiang, Huanglongtan, Fushui and Lushui. The Three Gorges Dam project of this region is one of the biggest dam projects of the world.
In the year of 2008, Hubei had a nominal GDP of 1.13 trillion Yuan (163 billion USD) and its per capita was 19,884 RMB (2,863 USD).
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