Xianning
Encyclopedia
Xianning is a prefecture-level city
in China
's Hubei
province. It is known as the "City of Osmanthus
".
, between the southern bank of the Yangtze River
in the north and the Mufu Mountains
in the south. It borders Jiangxi
to the southeast and Hunan
to the southwest. It is called Hubei's southern gateway. Xianning is hilly and mountainous (especially in its southern part), with some flatlands (mostly in the north) and lakes. Its area is 1,501 km², 56% of which is forested.
Xianning's climate is temperate/continental. Average annual temperature is 17 °C and precipitation is 1400 mm.
, 9 towns, 1 township
, and 3 sub-districts
.
City:
District:
Counties:
; only 4,785 are from other ethnic groups including Hui
, Tujia, Zhuang, Miao
, Manchu
, and Dong
. The place with the largest ethnic minority population is in Chibi City.
Mineral resources are also an important part if Xianning's economy. Niobium
, gold, magnesium
, antimony
, monazite
, coal, manganese
, vanadium
, mica
, and marble are all mined or quarried in Xianning.
On 17Aug10, the Shaw Group announced an agreement with State Nuclear Power Engineering Corp. Ltd., a subsidiary of China’s State Nuclear Power Technology Corp. Ltd. (SNPTC), to add two new AP1000 units at the Xianning nuclear power plant project in Hubei province.
, many national highways, and a large stretch of the Yangtze River
, making it an important transportation and shipping center.
The two passenger train stations within the Prefecture-level city of Xianning - the one in Xianning urban area itself (80 km from Wuhan's Wuchang train station), and the one in Chibi (118 km from Wuchang) - are usually the first and the second stops for the slower trains leaving Wuchang toward Changsha and Guangzhou
. Typical travel times from Wuchang is 40-50 min and 1 hour 20 min, respectively.
At the "Underground Project 131
" site, some 15 km southeast of Xianning urban area (within Xian'an District
, tourists can visit a system of underground tunnels that were built in 1969-71 to accommodate national military headquarters in the case of a war, but never used.
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
's Hubei
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. It is known as the "City of Osmanthus
Osmanthus
Osmanthus is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae, mostly native to warm temperate Asia but one species occurring in North America . It is sometimes included in Nestegis.They range in size from shrubs to small trees, 2-12 m tall...
".
Geography and climate
Xianning is located in southeastern Hubei province, just south of WuhanWuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
, between the southern bank 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...
in the north and the Mufu Mountains
Mufu Mountains
The Mufu Mountains are a range of mountains located on the border of Jiangxi and Hubei provinces in China.Some maps label the range as 幕埠山, which would be transliterated as Mùbù Shān , but this is apparently is a typo.-References:...
in the south. It borders Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
to the southeast and Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
to the southwest. It is called Hubei's southern gateway. Xianning is hilly and mountainous (especially in its southern part), with some flatlands (mostly in the north) and lakes. Its area is 1,501 km², 56% of which is forested.
Xianning's climate is temperate/continental. Average annual temperature is 17 °C and precipitation is 1400 mm.
Administration
Xianning has 1 district, 4 counties, 1 county-level cityCounty-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
, 9 towns, 1 township
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...
, and 3 sub-districts
Subdistrict (China)
The subdistrict , is one of the smallest political divisions of China. It is a form of township-level division which is typically part of a larger urban area, as opposed to a discrete town surrounded by rural areas, or a rural townships known as a xiang .In general, urban areas are divided into...
.
City:
- Chibi (赤壁市)
District:
- Xian'an (咸安区)
Counties:
- Tongshan CountyTongshan County, HubeiTongshan is a county within the Municipality of Xianning, Hubei Province of China. The county is located along Hubei's mountainous south-eastern border with Jiangxi...
(通山县) - Chongyang CountyChongyang CountyChongyang County is a county of Hubei, China. It is under the administration of Xianning city....
(崇阳县) - Tongcheng CountyTongcheng CountyTongcheng is the governmental seat and namesake of a county in Xianning Municipality, Hubei, on that province's border with Jiangxi and Hunan on the south or right bank of the Yangtze River.- Revolutionary History :...
(通城县) - Jiayu CountyJiayu CountyJiayu County is a county under charge of Xianning, Hubei Province of People's Republic of China. It has a land area of 1,018.4 square kilometers, and a population of 360,000 in 2004.-Administrative divisions:...
(嘉鱼县)
Demographics
Xianning has a population of 2,772,000 people. Most of the inhabitants of Xianning are HanHan Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
; only 4,785 are from other ethnic groups including Hui
Hui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
, Tujia, Zhuang, Miao
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
, Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
, and Dong
Dong people
The Dong , a Kam–Sui people of southern China, are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. They are famed for their native-bred Kam Sweet Rice , carpentry skills, and unique architecture, in particular a form of covered bridge known as the "wind and rain...
. The place with the largest ethnic minority population is in Chibi City.
Economy
Agriculture and forestry are two of Xianning's biggest industries. It is known by the three names, "City of Osmanthus", "City of Nan Bamboo", and "City of Tea". There are more than 1 million mu (6 English acres) of "Nan" Bamboo, 30,000 Chinese acres of osmanthus, and more than 150,000 Chinese acres of tea.Mineral resources are also an important part if Xianning's economy. Niobium
Niobium
Niobium or columbium , is a chemical element with the symbol Nb and atomic number 41. It's a soft, grey, ductile transition metal, which is often found in the pyrochlore mineral, the main commercial source for niobium, and columbite...
, gold, magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
, antimony
Antimony
Antimony is a toxic chemical element with the symbol Sb and an atomic number of 51. A lustrous grey metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite...
, monazite
Monazite
Monazite is a reddish-brown phosphate mineral containing rare earth metals. It occurs usually in small isolated crystals. There are actually at least four different kinds of monazite, depending on relative elemental composition of the mineral:...
, coal, manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
, vanadium
Vanadium
Vanadium is a chemical element with the symbol V and atomic number 23. It is a hard, silvery gray, ductile and malleable transition metal. The formation of an oxide layer stabilizes the metal against oxidation. The element is found only in chemically combined form in nature...
, mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
, and marble are all mined or quarried in Xianning.
On 17Aug10, the Shaw Group announced an agreement with State Nuclear Power Engineering Corp. Ltd., a subsidiary of China’s State Nuclear Power Technology Corp. Ltd. (SNPTC), to add two new AP1000 units at the Xianning nuclear power plant project in Hubei province.
Transportation
Xianning has major rail lines, including the Beijing-Guangzhou lineJingguang Railway
The Beijing–Guangzhou Railway or Jingguang Railway is a major arterial railway in the China that connects Beijing in the north with Guangzhou in the south. This dual-track electrified line has a total length of 2,324 kilometres and spans five provinces through north, central and south China...
, many national highways, and a large stretch 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...
, making it an important transportation and shipping center.
The two passenger train stations within the Prefecture-level city of Xianning - the one in Xianning urban area itself (80 km from Wuhan's Wuchang train station), and the one in Chibi (118 km from Wuchang) - are usually the first and the second stops for the slower trains leaving Wuchang toward Changsha and Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
. Typical travel times from Wuchang is 40-50 min and 1 hour 20 min, respectively.
Tourism
Xianning's biggest tourist draw is its natural scenery. There are many sites including Taiyi Cave(太乙洞), Star Bamboo Sea(星星竹海), Nine Palaces Mountain(九宫山, Jiugong Shan, in Tongshan County), Lushui Lake(陆水湖), as well as the historical site the Chibi Ancient Ruins(赤壁遗址).At the "Underground Project 131
Underground Project 131
Underground Project 131 is a system of tunnels in China's Hubei province constructed in the late 1960s and the early 1970s to accommodate the Chinese military command headquarters in case of a nuclear war...
" site, some 15 km southeast of Xianning urban area (within Xian'an District
Xian'an District
Xian'an District is a district of Hubei, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Xianning.Xian'an District includes Xianning's central urban area and nearby villages.-Sights:At the "Underground Project 131" site, some 15 km southeast of Xianning urban area,...
, tourists can visit a system of underground tunnels that were built in 1969-71 to accommodate national military headquarters in the case of a war, but never used.