Badong
Encyclopedia
Badong County is a county located in the extreme west of central China's Hubei
province, in Enshi Prefecture
. The Yangtze River
flows through the county and the county seat is located just east of the Wu Gorge
in the Three Gorges region.
Badong County is famous for the Shen Nong Stream
gorges located near Badong town. The stream itself falls into the Yangtze opposite the Badong center city.
The Badong county seat, commonly referred to simply as "Badong", is in the town
of Xinling (信陵镇, Xinling Zhen), located on the high southern banks of the Yangtze River
channel. The Yangtze valley was flooded during the first decade of the 21st century after the construction of the Three Gorges Dam
to the east, but Badong county seat was mostly above the flood line, and so more of the original town survives than is the case in many other river towns along this section of the Yangtze.
The rural population of Badong County, as with many other parts of inland China, has seen major changes in the past two decades. The Chinese government's population control policies in the 1980s and beyond resulted in a sharp drop in births, and also in a change in attitudes, making many couples uninterested in having more than one child. The new freedom to travel and work in other parts of China has also led to a major exodus of workers to the coastal areas of China to find work. The older people tend to stay in the villages, and the workers often return to have their children, but they then generally return to the factories. The overall result is that many villages in Badong are shrinking and some terraced farmland in this largely mountaintainous region is being abandoned and allowed to return to its original state.
and 2 townships
.
Towns:
Townships:
The main urban area of the county (i.e., the place typically labeled "Badong" on less-detailed maps) consists of Xinling Town - the seat of the county government - on the right (southern) bank of the Yangtze, and the smaller Dongrangkou and Guandukou towns on the opposite side of the river. They two sides of the Yangtze are connected by the Badong Bridge.
Due to the difficult terrain and the road conditions, the most convenient way to reach Badong's county seat is with a Yangtze riverboat. Both regular boats and hydrofoil
s call in the busy Badong harbor on the way up and down between Yichang
and Chongqing
.
China National Highway 209
notionally crosses the northern half of the county from the northeast to the southwest; a modern bridge carries it across the Yangtze River at the Badong county seat. In practice, however, this highway (as of 2009) is little more than a dirt road on the 20-km section north of the Badong Bridge.
China National Highway 318
crosses the southern part of the county from the east to the west. The new G50 Shanghai–Chongqing Expressway
and Yichang-Wanzhou Railway
have been recently completed along the same corridor as well. The Siduhe Bridge
on the new highway, located near Yesanguan town, is one of the longest bridges of its kinds; the nearby Zhijinghe Bridge
is one of the world's tallest arch bridge
s.
The Badong Station on the new railway, located near Yesanguan Town in the south-central part of the county, is the only railway station within the county. At the planning station it was known as Yesanguan Station, due to its location.
A number of provincial highways run north to south through the county.
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
province, in Enshi Prefecture
Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture
-Demographics:The total area is 24,000 square kilometers, and the population is 3,800,000. 52.6% of the population belong to the Tujia and Miao nations, who -while officially minority nations- are thus a majority here...
. The Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
flows through the county and the county seat is located just east of the Wu Gorge
Wu Gorge
Wu Gorge , sometimes called Great Gorge , is the second gorge of the Three Gorges system on the Yangtze River, People's Republic of China. Formed by the Wu River, it stretches from Wushan to Guandukou, and is located downstream of Qutang Gorge and upstream of Xiling Gorge...
in the Three Gorges region.
Badong County is famous for the Shen Nong Stream
Shen Nong Stream
Shennong Stream is a left tributary of the Yangtze River, located in the Hubei Province of central China. Fed by tributaries some of which come from the Shennongjia Forestry District, the stream flows south, falling into the Yangtze opposite the city of Badong.Originally the Shennong Stream...
gorges located near Badong town. The stream itself falls into the Yangtze opposite the Badong center city.
The Badong county seat, commonly referred to simply as "Badong", is in the town
Town (China)
When referring to political divisions of China, town is the standard English translation of the Chinese 鎮 . It is a fourth-level administrative unit, i.e...
of Xinling (信陵镇, Xinling Zhen), located on the high southern banks of the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
channel. The Yangtze valley was flooded during the first decade of the 21st century after the construction of the Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, located in the Yiling District of Yichang, in Hubei province, China...
to the east, but Badong county seat was mostly above the flood line, and so more of the original town survives than is the case in many other river towns along this section of the Yangtze.
Economy
Coal mining in small pits is the main commercial activity in the region, along with farming. There is also a large cement factory on the river to the east of the town, which is a significant polluter.The rural population of Badong County, as with many other parts of inland China, has seen major changes in the past two decades. The Chinese government's population control policies in the 1980s and beyond resulted in a sharp drop in births, and also in a change in attitudes, making many couples uninterested in having more than one child. The new freedom to travel and work in other parts of China has also led to a major exodus of workers to the coastal areas of China to find work. The older people tend to stay in the villages, and the workers often return to have their children, but they then generally return to the factories. The overall result is that many villages in Badong are shrinking and some terraced farmland in this largely mountaintainous region is being abandoned and allowed to return to its original state.
Administrative divisions
Badong County is divided into 10 townsTown (China)
When referring to political divisions of China, town is the standard English translation of the Chinese 鎮 . It is a fourth-level administrative unit, i.e...
and 2 townships
Townships of the People's Republic of China
Townships formally township level divisions is the basic level of political divisions in China. They are similar to municipalities and communes in other countries and in turn may contain village committees and villages...
.
Towns:
- Xinling (信陵, Xìnlíng)
- Dongrangkou (东壤口, Dōngrǎngkǒu)
- Yanduhe (沿渡河, Yándùhé)
- Guandukou (官渡口, Guāndùkǒu)
- Chadianzi (茶店子, Chádiànzǐ)
- Lücongpo (绿葱坡, Lǜcōngpō)
- Dazhiping (大支坪, Dàzhīpíng)
- Yesanguan (野三关, Yěsānguān)
- Qingtaiping (清太平, Qīngtàipíng)
- Shuibuya (水布垭, Shuǐbùyà)
Townships:
- Xiqiuwan ( 溪丘湾, Xīqiūwān)
- Jinguoping (金果坪, Jīnguǒpíng)
The main urban area of the county (i.e., the place typically labeled "Badong" on less-detailed maps) consists of Xinling Town - the seat of the county government - on the right (southern) bank of the Yangtze, and the smaller Dongrangkou and Guandukou towns on the opposite side of the river. They two sides of the Yangtze are connected by the Badong Bridge.
Transportation
Hydrofoil
A hydrofoil is a foil which operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to airfoils.Hydrofoils can be artificial, such as the rudder or keel on a boat, the diving planes on a submarine, a surfboard fin, or occur naturally, as with fish fins, the flippers of aquatic mammals, the...
s call in the busy Badong harbor on the way up and down between Yichang
Yichang
Yichang is a prefecture-level city located in Hubei province of the People's Republic of China. It is the second largest city in Hubei province after the province capital, Wuhan. The Three Gorges Dam is located within its administrative area, in Yiling District.-History:In ancient times Yichang...
and Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
.
China National Highway 209
China National Highway 209
China National Highway 209 runs from Huhhot, Inner Mongolia to Beihai, Guangxi province. It is3,435 kilometres in length and runs south from Huhhot towards Shanxi province, Henan province, Hubei province, Hunan province, and ends in Guangxi province.Despite the "National Highway" designation, G209...
notionally crosses the northern half of the county from the northeast to the southwest; a modern bridge carries it across the Yangtze River at the Badong county seat. In practice, however, this highway (as of 2009) is little more than a dirt road on the 20-km section north of the Badong Bridge.
China National Highway 318
China National Highway 318
China National Highway 318 runs from Shanghai to Zhangmu on the China-Nepal border. It is 5,476 kilometres in length and runs west from Shanghai towards Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, Chongqing, Sichuan, and ends in Tibet. One notable section of this road is the Si Du River Bridge, the bridge with the...
crosses the southern part of the county from the east to the west. The new G50 Shanghai–Chongqing Expressway
G50 Shanghai–Chongqing Expressway
The Shanghai–Chongqing Expressway , commonly referred to as the Huyu Expressway is an expressway that connects the cities of Shanghai, China, and Chongqing. It is fully complete and in length.-Shanghai:...
and Yichang-Wanzhou Railway
Yiwan Railway
The Yichang–Wanzhou Railway, or the Yiwan Railway connects the cities of Yichang and Wanzhou via Lichuan, in the central People's Republic of China. It was completed in 2010, and will be part of the future Huhanrong Passenger Dedicated Line from Shanghai to Wuhan to Chengdu...
have been recently completed along the same corridor as well. The Siduhe Bridge
Si Du River Bridge
The Si Du River Bridge is a long suspension bridge crossing the valley of the Si Du River near Yesanguan in Badong County of the Hubei Province of the People's Republic of China. The bridge was designed by CCSHCC Second Highway Consultants Company, Ltd. and built at a cost of 720 million yuan...
on the new highway, located near Yesanguan town, is one of the longest bridges of its kinds; the nearby Zhijinghe Bridge
Zhijinghe River Bridge
Zhijinghe River Bridge is a 294 metres high arch bridge in the Three Gorges region of China. It carries the G50 Shanghai–Chongqing Expressway across the valley of the Zhijinghe River, a northern tributary of the Qingjiang River....
is one of the world's tallest arch bridge
Arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
s.
The Badong Station on the new railway, located near Yesanguan Town in the south-central part of the county, is the only railway station within the county. At the planning station it was known as Yesanguan Station, due to its location.
A number of provincial highways run north to south through the county.
See also
- Deng Yujiao incidentDeng Yujiao incidentThe Deng Yujiao incident occurred on 10 May 2009 at a hotel located in Badong County, Hubei province, in the People's Republic of China. Deng Yujiao, a 21-year-old female pedicure worker, tried to rebuff the advances of Deng Guida , director of the local township business promotions office, who...
; occurred in Badong in 2009 - Ran Jianxin incident; occurred in LichuanLichuanLichuan is a county-level city in the Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in Hubei Province of China. Lichuan has approximately 73,000 inabitants.-Ran Jianxin:...
and Badong in May and June of 2011.