Jingzhou Travel Guide, China

Jingzhou is a city in China which boasts of a rich heritage starting from the Three Kingdoms Period. The city offers lots of attractive sceneries and a nature reserve zone which is a must- visit. Jingzhou is today a densely populated city where the Han Chinese formed a majority here.

Jingzhou is located in the Hubei Province with Wuhan on its northeast border and Hunan, to its south. The area of Jingzhou is 14,000 sq. km. and consists mainly of plains and wetland.

The city is located at a height of about 40m above sea level with 100 rivers flowing through the city. All this, and an excellent climate makes Jingzhou a perfect agricultural place.

Famous relics of past eras

It was the 20 emperors of the Chu state (770 - 221) who had chosen Jingzhou as its capital. During their rule, they had created a comparable culture to the culture of Athens. Silk, the Yue King Sword and stone bells are some remnants worth mentioning of this period.

Moreover, many famous Chinese poets had deep links with Jingzhou, the city where they had started their careers. The Three Kingdoms culture also originated from Jingzhou; and remnants of this period includes a 10.5km wall.

Traveling to Jingzhou

Jingzhou is a major transportation hub of both southern Hubei Province and Yangtze River. There are buses traveling to and from Jingzhou everyday from Shanghai, where a trip takes a day.

However there is no train station in Jingzhou; if you intend to travel by train, you have to take a train to Hankou or Yichang from Shanghai South Station, and then catch a bus to Jingzhou.

There are two airports in shanghai offering flights to Wuhan airport as Jingzhou has no airport. From Wuhan, you can catch a bus to Jingzhou.

Climate

As Jingzhou lies in a sub-tropical monsoon area, there is lots of sunshine. Summer is very hot and temperatures can go above 35 degrees Celsius in July and August. However, winter is cold in Jingzhou while its yearly rainfall is about 120 cm. Most of this rainfall is during summer.

Dragon boat racing

There are many attractions worth visiting while in Jingzhou including ancient towers, temples and museums. There is also a National Forest Park and many ancient relics that have been listed as Cultural Relics of National Importance. Jingzhou is also the city where the dragon boat racing originated, which is today a popular local and international sport.