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Yichang is located in western Hubei, in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangzi River some 353km (220 miles) away from Wuhan. Situated in the northern banks of the Yangzi, Yicheng has an area of 196 sq km and a population of 424,000.
There has been a settlement at Yichang for over 2,000 years and its people have always been involved with trade along the Yangzi. During the late 19th century Yichang became a treaty port, but its fortunes dwindled in the early 20th century.
Recent years have seen economic growth in Yichang,
in part through its location on the Yangzi River cruise route but
mainly because of the mammoth Three Gorges Dam project. The smaller
of the project’s 2 dams, Gezhou Dam, was completed in 1988 and is
located just outside Yichang. This phenomenal hydroelectric project
will be completed in 2009 when the larger Three Gorges Dam, which
is under construction 30km (18 miles) upstream from Yichang, is
finished.
Yichang
is often just a quick resting place on Yangzi River cruises, and
an opportunity to see the scale of the Gezhou Dam. Yicheng is also
a starting place for a trip to the remote national park at Shennongjia. |
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