Why Hebei

Hubei is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The provincial capital is Wuhan, a major transportation thoroughfare and the political, cultural, and economic hub of Central China.

Geography

Situated north the middle reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze)  River, Hubei, a province with numerous rivers and lakes, has been called the "land of thousand lakes". The Changjiang (Yangtze) River cuts through the Wushan Mountain as it flow eastwards, forming the famous gorges linking Hubei with the neighboring Sichuan. The Province has an area of 180 thousand square kilometers and a population of 57.24 million (by 2010) comprising the Han, Tujia, Hui, Manchu, Miao and Mongolian nationalities. The capital city is Wuhan.

Climatic

Hebei has a continental monsoon climate, with temperatures of -14 to -2°C in January and 20-27 °C in July, and with annual precipitation of 400 to 800 mm, occurring mostly in summer. There are marked changes in all seasons. It has cold and dry winter, hot and rainy summer, transient and windy spring, and cool and agreeable autumn.

History

Hubei has a long history and magnificent culture. Painted pottery dating back to Neolithic period was excavated at Qujialing of Jingshan county in 1955, which was hence named th Qujialing culture. Five kilometers north of Jiangling County town lies the remains of Ji'nan, the capital of Chu in both the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
For almost four hundred years from 689 to 278 B.C, a total of twenty kings made Ji'nan their capital, which was not only the political, economic and cultural centre of the state of Chu but also the largest city in south of China. Sun Quan, King of the Kingdom of Wu in the three Kingdoms Period, built fortifications in Wuhan, then called Jiangxia. It was not until the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) that Hubei was made a province.

Economy

Hubei is often called the "Land of Fish and Rice". Important agricultural products in Hubei include cotton, rice, wheat, and tea, while industries include automobiles, metallurgy, machinery, power generation, textiles, foodstuffs and high-tech commodities.
 

Population and Nationalities

The population is mostly Han Chinese. 55 ethnic minorities are present in Hebei, representing 4.27% of the total population. The most important are Manchu (2.1 million people), Hui people (600000 people) and Mongol (180000 people).