Economy

Ezhou television company towerEzhou 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.

Geography

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. Sandwiched between the cities of Wuhan and Huangshi, Ezhou has a relatively small area of 1,504 square kilometres (581 sq mi).[2]There are many lakes in Ezhou, including the Liangzi Lake 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".

History

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 travellers as it was also applied to the much larger city of Wuchang, itself shortly to become part of Wuhan.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.