{"id":12222,"date":"2016-05-25T12:23:35","date_gmt":"2016-05-25T16:23:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=12222"},"modified":"2016-05-25T12:23:35","modified_gmt":"2016-05-25T16:23:35","slug":"better-know-a-province-hubei","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/better-know-a-province-hubei\/","title":{"rendered":"Better Know a… Province (Hubei)"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’ve already visited Hunan<\/a>, so it’s only natural that our next stop be “North of the Lake,” as we head to Hubei<\/strong> (\u6e56\u5317 – h\u00fa b\u011bi).<\/p>\n

History<\/h2>\n
\"Longhua

Longhua Temple in Wuhan.<\/p><\/div>\n

The area that is today known as Hubei was home to Neolithic cultures, as evidenced by painted pottery that was excavated there. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the area was part of the State of Chu. The Chu would go to war with the Qin, who eventually won and formed the first unified empire of China. During the subsequent Han Dynasty, modern-day Hunan and Hubei formed a province known as Jingzhou\u00a0<\/strong>(\u834a\u5dde – j\u012bng zh\u014du). Control of the area would change numerous times in the following centuries, with the name and borders changing as well.<\/p>\n

During the reign of the Mongols, the area was known as Huguang<\/strong> (\u6e56\u5e7f – h\u00fa gu\u01ceng) covering Hubei, Hunan, and parts of Guangdong and Guangxi. The Ming Dynasty would later drive out the Mongols, and their version of Huguang was basically modern Hubei and Hunan combined. The Manchu Qing Dynasty split Huguang into two provinces in 1644.<\/p>\n

In 1911, the Wuchang Uprising<\/strong> (\u6b66\u660c\u8d77\u7fa9 – w\u01d4 ch\u0101ng q\u01d0 y\u00ec) ended two millennia of imperial rule in China, overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and establishing\u00a0the Republic of China. During World War II, the province was split as the eastern section was conquered by Japan while the western area remained under Chinese control.<\/p>\n

Geography<\/h2>\n
\"Hubei

Hubei on the map.<\/p><\/div>\n

As its name would imply, Hubei is north of Lake<\/strong> Dongting<\/strong> (\u6d1e\u5ead\u6e56 \u2013 d\u00f2ng t\u00edng h\u00fa). The province is landlocked and shares a border with Hunan, Chongqing, Shaanxi, Henan, Anhui, and Jiangxi. The terrain of the province is quite varied – it has countless lakes and rivers, mountain ranges, and plains. The Yangtze River enters Hubei from the west via the Three Gorges<\/strong> (\u4e09\u5ce1 – s\u0101n xi\u00e1). It’s split into thirteen prefecture-level divisions, one autonomous prefecture, and three county-level cities. The provincial capital is Wuhan<\/strong><\/a> (\u6b66\u6c49 – w\u01d4 h\u00e0n), which was once three different cities split by rivers.<\/p>\n

Climate<\/h2>\n

Hubei has a humid subtropical climate and has four distinct seasons. Winters are dry and cool, while summers are hot and humid here. Spring and autumn are quite pleasant, and are probably the best times of year to visit. Most of the rain falls throughout the summer months here.<\/p>\n

Population<\/h2>\n

Around 60 million people call Hubei province home. The population is almost entirely Han, but there’s a considerable amount of Miao and Tujia people living in the highlands in the southwest. There are also Hui people (Chinese Muslims) in the northern parts of the province. Not surprisingly, Wuhan is the most populous city, with around 7.5 million people.<\/p>\n

Culture<\/h2>\n

People speak pretty standard Mandarin in Hubei. When it comes to the local culture, traditional Chu opera<\/strong> (\u695a\u5267 –<\/span>\u00a0ch\u01d4 j\u00f9) remains very popular. Check out a clip to see what it’s like:<\/span><\/p>\n