Hubei Province partly belonged to the Prefecture of E during the Tang and Song dynasties (618-1279), hence, its abbreviation of E. It is located in the central riches of the Yangtze River, to the north of the Dongting Lake. The region was under the administration of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States periods ( 7 720BC-221BC BC) , the Prefecture of Jing in the Han Dynasty ( 206BC 220), Hubeilu in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and Huguang Province in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Hubei Province was set in early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) with Wuhan as the capital city.

It covers 180,000 sq. km with a population of 56.54 million. The physical features of Hubei is higher in the west with the Daba Mountain and Shennongjia more than 3, 100 m above sea level and lower in the east with the Yangtz&Hanjiang Plain. There are countless lakes on the plain.

Besides grain, cotton and oil, Hubei is teeming with fresh-water fish and shrimps, lotus roots, blunt-snout bream, tea, lung oil, edible fungus, raw lacquer and medicinal materials.

Hubei has developed industries such as iron arid steel, machinery, power, chemical industry and light textile. Shiyan is an auto production base, while Wuhan is the hub of the Yangtze River and the BeijingGuangzhou Railway, enjoying convenient transportation.

There are many places of interest in Hubei such as the East Lake, Yellow Crane Tower, ancient Longzhong, Mt. Wudang, Shennongjia, ancient Jiangling City, Chibi in Pup, Xiling Gorge and the Temple of Qu Yuan in Zigui.

The three gorges of Qutang, Wuxia and Xiling form one of the world's largest canyons which spans west Hubei and east Chongqing for a 193-km stretch from Fengjie, Chongqing, to Yichang, Hubei. Here, theYangtze cuts a ferocious course through mountains whose dangerous images are disguised in graceful forms. A foggy, rainy weather combines with the heroic shape of the Qutang Gorge, the elegance of the Wuxia Gorghe, and the stupendous Xiling Gorge to form a dainty landscape, and endow the place with the best scenery anywhere in the world. Among the sites of historical interest on the Three Gorges are Sanyou Cave, Huangling Temple, Xiangxi River, Jiuyuan River, Qu Yuan's Temple, Shennong River, Lesser Three Gorges of Wushan Mountain, Ghost City at Fengdu, Shibao Village, and Baidi City of Fengjie. Visitors also have the opportunity to see the well-known Gezhouba Water Conservancy Project and the ongoing construction of the Three Gorges Water Conservancy Project. About 40 luxury cruises are shutting on the Yangtze River; 20 of them wear star-rating insignias based on the equipped facilities and quality services offered. The Changjiang Tourist Boat Company is based on Wuhan and Yichang, and that is why Hubei is the best place for a cruise on the Yangtze River.

Situated in Danjiangkou, northwest Hubei, Mount Wudang is one of the famous mountains in China. The major peak, Tianzhu (Heavenly Pillar), stands 1,612 meters high, and within an area of 30 square km there are 72 peaks which make this part of the world exceptionally beautiful. Mount Wudang is also a famed Taoist sanctuary and the cradle of the Wudang school of Chinese martial arts. The mountain slopes used to be strung with majestic Taoist buildings, and the 36 of those still there were mostly built during the Ming, forming the best-preserved and largest cluster of ancient Taoist structures in the county. The statues, religious instruments and scriptures housed in these buildings are of high cultural and artistic value. Mount Wudang and its Taoist buildings have been listed as world cultural heritage sites.

Yellow Crane Tower sits on top of the Snake Hill at Wuchang. It enjoys the fame of "the best scene on earth" in ancient times, equally famous with Yueyang Tower in Hunan and Tengwang Tower in Jiangxi.

Yellow Crane Tower was built in 223 with a wooden structure. Fires and wars had caused destruction to it time and again before it was once again burnt down in 1884. The tower, which was first built as a watchtower for military use, developed into a gathering place for scholars to have farewell banquets to friends. It became ever more well-known for a poem by Cui Hao of the Tang Dynasty, Yellow Crane Tower.

It was rebuilt in 1981 and the construction took four years. The new building is 51.4 m tall: 5 stories seeing from outside but actually l0 stories inside. It is really the best place to viewing the surrounding scenery by the Yangtze River.

Situated in east suburb of Wuchang, the East Lake Scenic Spot occupies 78 sq. km with 33 sq. km covered by water.Along the west bank are Shuiyunxiang Building, Tingtaoxuan Pavilion, Xingyin Tower, Binhu Corridor, Qu Yuan Memorial Hall, Tianchang Tower and Lu Xun Square. Other places such as the pear and orange orchards, bamboo forest and lotus pool are dotted among the arms, adding more charms to the East Lake.

Yangtze River, 6, 300 km in length, is the longest river in China and the third longest in the world. It originates from Mt. Tanggula on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and runs through Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai till the East Sea. Along the banks inhabit more than 300 million people. There are 27 million hectares of farm land in the river valley which is abundant with rice, cotton, rape, natural silk, hemp, tea and tobacco. The output of rice accounts for 70 percent of the national total and that of cotton holds a one-third share.

The river system is quite satisfying, with some 900 billion cu. m. of water running to the sea at the river mouth every year, 20 times that of the Yellow River. The navigable waters extend some 70, 000 km on the Yangtze River with 30, 000 km for motorships. The reserved potential of hydroelectric resources is 230 million kw.

The distance between Chongqing and Wuhan is 1, 370 km and 2,495 km with Shanghai.

The Three Gorges on the Yangtze River are world famous for the colorful scenery as well as diversified cultural relics, unique folk arts of the Ba and Chu states. Pleasure boats can take tourists to Fengdu, Wanzhou, Wushan Mountain, Shennongxi, Badong, Zigui, Yichang and Jingsha and other scenic spots along the river. The Three Gorges Tour is one of the 10 best itineraries in China.