Jingzhou Travel Guide

Jingzhou is an impressive city in Chinese people's minds, a soulful place for celebrities, with an abundance of agricultural resources and rich in historical culture. The 20 emperors of the Chu State during the Eastern Zhou Period (770 - 221 BC) have chosen Jingzhou as the capital. The ancient Chu people have created a flourishing culture which can compare with the Athens' civilization. The excavated relics of silk material of the Warring State Period, the sword of the Yue King and the stone bells radiate the brilliance of the Chu culture. The famous Chinese poet Qu Yuan (340 - 278 BC), the powerful Chu Zhuang Emperor ( ? - 591 BC) and the well-known Chu imperial minister Sun Shu'ao had deep connection with Jingzhou and they began their flourishing careers here.
Jingzhou is the place of origin of the

Three Kingdoms culture

, 82 of the 120 chapters in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms have passages that concern the city. The relics of that period are all over Jingzhou, the well-preserved city wall is length about 10.5km which is heralded as the best of its kind in southeast China. Dragon boat racing is originated here, a long boat made like a dragon or a head of the animal carved on the boat's fore. It is a popular sport at home and abroad nowadays. Dragon boat racing is commonly held during Duan Wu Jie (Dragon Boat Festival), which is in memory of the poet Qu Yuan.
Today, Jingzhou is an excellent tourism city in central China. Apart from the cultural heritage of the Three Kingdoms Period, the city has a lot of beautiful scenery and a nature reserve zone.

Jingzhou People

Jingzhou Transportation

Jingzhou is a vital point of transportation in southern Hubei Province and the Yangtze River. The 483km-length Golden Waterway of the river is flowing through the city and the Shashi is one of the main ports in the middle reaches of the river, so Jingzhou is an essential stop of a Three Gorges tour.
In Shanghai's Pudong Station, long distance bus services are available daily to Jingzhou. The bus trip takes about a day's time. There is no passenger train station in Jingzhou, so to have a transfer is a must. You can take the express train service (K252 with air-conditioned soft berth compartments) that starts from the Shanghai South Station as far as Yichang, and then transfer a bus to reach Jingzhou. You can also take a train that goes from Shanghai to Hankou in Wuhan and then transferring a bus as far as Jingzhou.

By air, the two airports (Pudong and Hongqiao) in Shanghai have flight services to Wuhan's Tianhe Airport. You can take bus in Wuhan that goes to Jingzhou.

Jingzhou Geography

Jingzhou is a city located in the south-central Hubei Province, where the area is at the heart of the Jianghan Plain of central China. Bordering with Wuhan to the northeast and northern Hunan Province to the south, Jingzhou's area is about 14,000 sq. km, of which the most land of the city is plain and wetland, with height just 20 - 50m above the sea level. About 100 rivers are flowing in Jingzhou, with 30 lakes, of which the Hong Hu Lake is the largest one in Hubei. The land is fertile with good climate so it is an ideal place for agriculture.

Jingzhou Climate