Historic city · Industrial centre · Scenic area · Hubei
Yichang
宜昌
Gateway to the Three Gorges and site of the great dam
Yichang is a prefecture-level city in western Hubei where the Yangtze leaves the Three Gorges and enters the plain. Its territory includes the Three Gorges Dam and the Gezhouba Dam, the Xiling Gorge, and the home towns of the poet Qu Yuan and of Wang Zhaojun.
Key facts
Overview
Yichang has always been a transfer point: boats coming down from Sichuan left the dangerous gorges here, and goods from the plain were loaded for the journey upstream. Since the 1980s the city has been defined by hydropower — first the Gezhouba Dam within the city, then the Three Gorges Dam upstream at Sandouping.
The mountains of the prefecture are home to Tujia communities, especially in the autonomous counties of Changyang and Wufeng along the Qing River.
Names and nicknames
夷陵
The ancient name of the city, kept by its central district; the Battle of Yiling was fought here in 222.
水电之都
“capital of hydropower”
Modern epithet from the two great dams on its stretch of the Yangtze.
History
As Yiling, the city guarded the eastern exit of the gorges throughout the imperial period. In 222 the Wu general Lu Xun defeated Liu Bei here, ending Shu Han's hopes of retaking Jingzhou. The Chefoo Convention of 1876 opened Yichang to foreign trade, and steamers began to challenge the gorges at the end of the nineteenth century. The city fell to Japanese forces in 1940 and stayed on the front line along the Yangtze until 1945.
222
Battle of Yiling
Lu Xun of Wu burnt Liu Bei's line of camps, a defeat that led to Liu Bei's death at Baidicheng the following year.
1876
Opened as a treaty port
Under the Chefoo Convention Yichang became the westernmost treaty port on the Yangtze until Chongqing was opened in 1891.
1938
The Yichang evacuation
Chinese shipping companies carried people and industrial equipment upstream from Yichang to Sichuan ahead of the Japanese advance, an episode remembered as China's Dunkirk.
1970–1988
Gezhouba Dam
The first dam across the main stream of the Yangtze, built within the city.
1994–2006
Three Gorges Dam
Built at Sandouping about 40 km upstream; the reservoir behind it reaches back to Chongqing.
Landmarks
Modern landmark
Three Gorges Dam
三峡大坝
The concrete gravity dam at Sandouping, with a viewing area at Tanziling hill above the five-step locks.
Nature
Xiling Gorge
西陵峡
The longest and easternmost of the Three Gorges, ending at Nanjin Pass just above the city.
Historic site
Three Visitors' Cave
三游洞
Cave above Nanjin Pass named after the Tang poets Bai Juyi, Bai Xingjian and Yuan Zhen, who visited in 819; its walls carry inscriptions from later visitors including Su Shi.
Historic site
Qu Yuan Temple
屈原祠
Memorial temple to the poet, moved to Fenghuangshan in Zigui when the reservoir rose.
Neighbourhoods
Riverside park
滨江公园
The long waterfront park along the Yangtze in the city centre.
Zigui
秭归
County beside the dam, with the relocated town and Qu Yuan's memorial.
Food
Radish fritters
萝卜饺子
Crescent-shaped fritters of shredded radish in batter, a local street snack.
Liangxia
凉虾
Cold rice-jelly drops in brown-sugar syrup, eaten in summer.
Tujia cured pork
土家腊肉
Pork salted and smoked over wood fires in the mountain counties.
Culture
Yichang combines the culture of the Yangtze boatmen with that of the Tujia mountains. The Dragon Boat Festival in Zigui, home of Qu Yuan, is part of the UNESCO-listed Dragon Boat festival tradition. Tujia song and dance, including the funeral dance 撒叶儿嗬, are kept alive in Changyang.
Getting around
- Yichang East station lies on the high-speed line along the Yangtze between Wuhan and Chongqing.
- Yichang Sanxia Airport is south-east of the city.
- Yangtze cruises to and from Chongqing start or end at Yichang or at Maoping in Zigui.
Day trips
Qing River Gallery
清江画廊
The flooded valley of the Qing River in Changyang, travelled by boat between karst cliffs.
Zhaojun village
昭君村
The traditional birthplace of Wang Zhaojun in Xingshan county.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Yichang Municipal People's Government — Yichang Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Yichang — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More cities in Hubei
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