Living in the Past and Present

By LIU HUANZHI & LU RUCAI

Jinfeng Square.

SINCE ancient times Jingzhou City in Hubei Province has been known as “passageway to seven provinces.” It is separated from richly endowed South China by the middle reaches of the Yangtze River on whose northern banks it sits. The Hanshui River flows across its northern section to the vast Hanzhong Plain, and to its west is Sichuan Province.

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907) Jingzhou was China’s transportation hub, and its convenient access to various parts of the country gave it a uniquely strategic position. Today, in addition to being an historic and pivotal point of waterway transport along the Yangtze and Hanshui rivers, Jingzhou has an extensive terrestrial transport network.

The jurisdiction of Jingzhou encompasses two districts, three counties and three county-level cities that cover 14,100 square kilometers and have a population of 6.3 million. Jingzhou city proper covers 54 square kilometers and has a population of 630,000. Part of the Jianghan Plain, Jingzhou has as abundant terrestrial transport resources as it does riverine. Its current road mileage amounts to 13,152 kilometers, and riverine mileage to 2,225 kilometers, including 61 wharfs with an annual cargo handling capacity of 8 million tons. The city harbor has a 39-kilometer waterfront. Jingzhou’s terrestrial and riverine fleets comprise 21,656 vehicles and 1,242 boats that provide conveyance for an average 55 million passengers and 30 million tons of cargo each year. When examining and approving the overall municipal plan of Jingzhou back in 1999, the General Office of the State Council designated it “an important port city on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River,” and “a central city in the middle and southern parts of Hubei Province.”

Historic Heritage

In approximately 2220 B.C. during the time when Yu the Great helped the people battle constant floods, China was divided into nine cantons. Jingzhou was one. In the Spring and Autumn (774-476 B.C.) and Warring States (475-221 B.C.) periods, Jingzhou was the center of Chu Culture, a famous Chinese civilization engendered by the State of Chu in central China. In 689 B.C. King Wen of Chu moved his capital to Ying, five kilometers north of present-day Jingzhou. It was from here that the Chu unified scores of other vassal states and developed into one of the five powers of the period. Between the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420) and Five Dynasties Period (907-960), Jingzhou was the capital of various local regimes, and in the dynasties following it remained capital of local jurisdiction. Today, five kilometers north of Jingzhou city proper stand the remains of the Chu capital, surrounded by numerous historic sites from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. According to the cultural relics department, proven relics include five ruined cities of the State of Chu, 73 sites of the Chu civilization, and more than 800 ancient tombs. Many priceless historic treasures have been unearthed in Jingzhou, most notably a well preserved Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 24) mummified corpse, Warring States silk fabrics and the sword that belonged to King Gou Jian of the State of Yue. Jingzhou Museum, with its collection of 100,000 artifacts, ranks among the top ten museums in China.

The dragon-boat races are the main feature of the Double Fifth Festival.

A major power during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the State of Chu left a rich cultural legacy. One of its great poets, Qu Yuan, is celebrated as the first Chinese poet, and his Chu Ci (Chu Poems) established a literary form espoused by men of letters in the dynasties that followed. The traditional Double Fifth (or Dragon Boat) Festival, when Chinese people eat zongzi (cone-shaped steamed glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves) and hold dragon-boat races is dedicated to the memory of Qu Yuan.

The Three Kingdoms (220-280) was another period in Chinese history when Jingzhou was prominent. It was the setting of many of the scenarios in the classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, for example “Liu Bei Borrows Jingzhou,” and “Guan Yu Loses Jingzhou through Negligence.” Eighty-two of the novel’s 120 chapters have strategically significant Jingzhou as background. During the Three Kingdoms Period, when Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan controlled respectively the northern, southwestern and southeastern parts of China, Jingzhou was right at the juncture of the three contending domains. With its convenient riverine and land transport, it became the bridgehead vied for by all three rivals. Although Liu Bei and Sun Quan allied as a temporary contingency in order to guard their ground against the more powerful Cao Cao of the north Yangtze River, the contention for Jingzhou between all three never stopped. During their alliance, Sun Quan made Liu Bei responsible for administrating Jingzhou. Liu Bei sent General Guan Yu to guard the city but, owing to a moment of arrogance and negligence, Guan Yu made a fatal mistake that besmirched his reputation as a man of moral and military merit and lost him his life. Jingzhou was lost, and Sun Quan defeated Liu Bei in battle, forcing him to flee to Sichuan’s Baidicheng. “Losing Jingzhou through Negligence” has since become a proverb and reminder that a moment of negligence on the part of even the most competent and wise person can lose kingdoms.

Wars and contentions of the Three Kingdoms have left Jingzhou a great number of historic relics. The old city of Jingzhou (originally Jiangling) is a must on any Jingzhou itinerary as it was among the first group of 24 historic and cultural cities designated by the State Council. Its city outline has changed little since the Three Kingdoms Period, its dislocation being less than 50 meters. Jingzhou’s last refurbishment was in the late Ming Dynasty. Today it takes an hour to cycle around the top of the 16-km old city wall. Inside it are six memorial temples dedicated to Guan Yu, and outside the city wall is Mount Jiejia, where Guan Yu would stop after a battle to take off his armor and have a rest before making his triumphant return. Jingzhou is also where Guan Yu’s army suffered its final defeat. The Three Kingdoms and Jingzhou established Guan Yu as a hero in Chinese history, and his commemorative temples can be seen in almost every city in China.

Commercial Charm

Located on the Jianghan Plain, Jingzhou is a place of natural abundance. Ancient Jingzhou was developed in agriculture and also industry, such as lacquerware, metallurgy, textiles and shipbuilding. In the Western Han Dynasty Jiangling (Jingzhou) was where 46-scull boats rowed by dozens of galley slaves were built.

Jingzhou municipal government believes that a contemporary Jingzhou should be built on the basis of its rich history and modern industry. In recent years the government has advocated “rejuvenating the city through industrialization,” a strategy that aims to propel the city’s modernization by developing industry. Since implementation of this policy, auto parts and spares manufacturing, light industry, textiles and chemical industry have grown quickly in Jingzhou, and foreign-funded and non-public-owned businesses have mushroomed. In 2003 Jingzhou realized a GDP of 39 billion yuan and revenue of 2.36 billion yuan – respective increases in growth over the previous year of 7.8 and 6.6 percent. It also fulfilled a fixed asset investment of 9.66 billion yuan, utilized foreign investment worth US $55.01 million, and achieved foreign exports of US $119 million. Also, annual exports and imports handled by the Jingzhou customs in 2003 exceeded 80,000 tons, an increase of 181 percent over 2002.

The East Gate Tower of the city wall.

In Jingzhou industrialization and environmental protection go hand in hand. In order to protect the old while building a new Jingzhou, industrialization has been mainly concentrated in the Jingzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone. Built in 1992, the zone is composed of various parks that accommodate different industries. This line of division facilitates industrial management and environmental control. The Hi-tech Park in the zone, built in 1994, has a developed area of 57.2 square kilometers -- larger than Jingzhou city proper. A major player in the city’s industrialization endeavor, by 2003 the development zone had 122 enterprises, generating an annual industrial output value of 2.18 billion yuan. Also in 2003, the zone achieved a GDP of 1.3 billion yuan -- an increase of 20 percent -- and earned US $14.82 million from exports -- an increase of 90 percent. From 1995 to 2003 the zone introduced 131 projects (excluding incubators), 91 of which have gone into production. Its new industrial district, comprising electronics, auto parts and spares, and its US and Taiwan industrial parks, has seen the entry of more than 20 enterprises.

The zone’s development benefits from its environmental improvements. Since 1995 a well-knit transportation network and administrative and service facilities have been built. The zone’s Jingzhou Administration and Service Center houses 28 government offices, including the municipal departments of land and resources, industrial and commercial administration, and agriculture. They provide 320 administrative examination and approval services.

Many investors come to Jingzhou for its good geographical location and convenient transport network. Since the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty built postal roads from his capital Xianyang to various parts of the country, Jingzhou (Jiangling) has remained the hub that connects north-south and east-west transportation. Historic documents tell of merchants coming to Jingzhou from as far southwest as Yunnan and Guizhou and as far south as the states of Wu and Yue. Today Jingzhou is crossed by national highways No. 318 and 207, and the Shanghai-Chongqing and Taiyuan-Macao expressways. The Jingzhou Yangtze River Bridge, completed in 2002, connects north-south transportation. The Jingzhou Harbor, a national category II port of entry, is one of the ten modern harbors along the Yangtze River Economic Belt. It has an annual cargo handling capacity of 4 million tons, and is capable of accommodating 5,000-ton ships. Its container wharf handles more than 10,000 standard containers a year, making Jingzhou the third largest container port along the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River, next only to Wuhan and Chongqing. Jingzhou’s national grade-II Shashi Airport accommodates Boeing 737s and now runs 15 routes to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, and a few other places. The Jingzhou Railway links up to the Jiaozhi Railway and has access to all parts of the country. Jingzhou today provides a wide choice of transportation in addition to the waterways for which it was famous in the past.

Residential Paradise

Jingzhou Yangtze Bridge.

Jingzhou’s 2,600-year history has brought to the city a splendid cultural heritage and a large number of ancient sites and relics. Protection on its historical legacy is foremost in Jingzhou’s contemporary construction and development. The old city remains virtually untouched as a new one develops by its side. The city center construction, old city conservation, new industrial zone construction, and water system and sewage treatment projects are simultaneously advancing within the municipal construction plan. Construction and renovation of modern boulevards have turned the city center into a booming commercial district where famous brands and fashionable commodities that could previously only be obtained from Beijing and Shanghai are now available. The urban per capita disposable income of 7,093 yuan has also made it possible for Jingzhou residents to satisfy their consumption needs.

While conscious of their city’s long history, local residents also enjoy modern public facilities within a green environment. Jingzhou has tried to build itself into a green, hygienic garden city suitable for healthy human living. The municipal government invested 135 million yuan in public transit and building a sewage system in the old city as a first step, and has since advanced to a greening project. Currently the green area covers 27 percent of new residential areas and 22 percent in the old city, while 92 percent of Jingzhou’s 76 roads have green belts. In addition, the city has 20 parks of a total 327.8 hectares, and 40 street-side parks, totaling 74.5 hectares. These green areas and facilities provide places of recreation for local citizens. A 293-hectare ecological belt, comprising the Yangtze River Shelter Forest, Xichu Avenue Ecological Park, Mount Baling Forest Park, Haizi Lake Scenic Area and Dongfang Avenue Shelter Forest, surrounds the area, further guaranteeing Jingzhou a good environment and fresh air.

Rich water resources are another Jingzhou advantage, but their conservation through reasonable utilization is essential. In recent years water systems in the city proper have been included in municipal government urban drainage and environmental control projects, whereby waterways have been dredged and trees and lawns planted around them. As a result, the city proper now boasts the 300,000-sq.-m Jiangjin Lake Scenic Area, the 190,000-sq.-m Hongyuan Amusement Park, and 2,950-m-long Jingsha River green belt. These green water areas have helped improve the quality of life of Jingzhou people and attract visitors from nearby areas.