“湖北省”中英双语简介

湖北省

A Glimpse of the Province

(本省简介)

Located on the middle lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Hubei means, “North of Lake, due to its location on the northern side of the Dongting Lake. In ancient times, it was simply call “E”, as it was part of the old state of E'zhou. It is about 740 kilometers long from the east to the west, 470 kilometers wide from the north to the south, and covers 185,900 square kilometers, accounting for 1.94% of China's total territory. It is the 16th largest province in China in terms of size. Hubei's terrain mainly consists of mountains surrounding its east, west and the north sides, while the middle of the province consists of incompletely formed and southward facing open-basin. The Yangtze River flows through Hubei for some l,061 kilometers, while its largest tributary, the Han River, also flows across the province for some 878 kilometers. The Han River joins the Yangtze River at Wuhan, the capital of Hubei. There are about 300 lakes that are larger than 3 square kilometers in Hubei, and most of them are scattered across the Jianghan Plain. Parts of Hubei have a subtropical monsoon climate, whileparts of it lies in the transitional zone between the subtropical and temperate climate zones. The entire province is marked by abundant sunshine and warmth, long frost-free periods, and lots of rain. This climate mix makes Hubei a rich agricultural region. Average annual temperatures are 15℃--17℃ during the winter and range from 27℃–29℃ during July. The maximum temperature in Jianghan Plain is above 40℃, making it one of the hottest areas in China.

Hubei belonged to Chu State in ancient times. Chu culture was cultivated here. Along with the Yellow River plain, Hubei is one of the two major sources of the Chinese civilization. It was first named Hubei during the 6th year of Qing Emperor Kangxi 's reign (1776 A.D.). Hubei has a long history. Ancient human remains dating back more than 100,000 years have been found in areas such as Yunxi and Changyang. Four-thousand-year-old eggshell pottery has been unearthed in Qujialing City in Jingshan County. And the ancient Shang Dynasty “Panlongcheng” city and relics dating back 3,500 years have been discovered in Huangpi County. Finally, Jiangling and Xiangfan are the famous national historic and cultural cities.

Transportation and communication are convenient in Hubei. Wuhan, Jingzhou, Yichang, Xiangfan, Enshi and Laohekou have airports, and Wuhan's Tianhe International Airport receives domestic and international flights. There are many railway lines running through Hubei province, including the Jingguang, Xiangyu, Handan, Jiaozhi, Zhiliu and Wuda lines. Wuhan has direct rail access to all parts of the province and is also linked directly to Beijing, Zhengzhou, Tianjin, Luoyang, Chongqing, Xi'an, Kunming, Guiyang, Changsha, Liuzhou, Guangzhou, Nanchang, Shijiazhuang and other major Chinese cities. Hubei has a complete network of roads extending to both its major cities and mountains. Finally, the Yangtze River provides convenient shipping and boat transportation and also links Hubei to the sea.

Hubei's Famous Historical Figures

Many famous and gifted people have hailed from Hubei Province. They include statesman, poets, artists and other great individuals. Some of Hubei's notable political figures are the renowned general Wu Zixu, the “No. 1 loyal officer,” Sun Shuao, the noted Han Dynasty statesman, Chen Youliang, the ancient Chinese Prime Minister, Zhang Juzheng, and the beautiful princess, Wang Zhaojun, who married a distant prince and helped bring peace to her kingdom. Hubei was also the home of the proletarian revolutionary pioneers, Li Xiannian and Dong Biwu. Famous Hubei poets and artists include the famous calligrapher, Mi Fu, the pastoral poet, Meng Haoran, the great patriotic poet, Qu Yuan, as well as three leading representatives of the “ Gong'an” poetry school, Yuan Zongdao, Yuan Hongdao, and Yuan Zhongdao. Hubei also boasts several leading thinkers, such as the tea sage, Lu Yu, and Taoist philosopher, Laolaizi. Finally, a number of outstanding scientists have come from Hubei, including the famous ancient physician, Li Shizhen, the great geologist, Li Siguang, and the inventor of moveable type, Bi Sheng.

Special Local Products

There are many special local products in Hubei, such as brick tea, Wuchang fish, Xiaogan sesame chips, day-lily buds, mandarin fish, Zigui oval oranges, and baked sesame cakes.

Hubei Famous Dishes

Hubei has many well-known dishes. Examples include sliced pork with cream sauce, Huangpi three (fish and pork meat balls and rice balls mixed together), Mianyang steamed three (meat and vegetables steamed together), steamed Wuchang fish, Xiaotaoyuan simmered soup, Yunxian leaf lard wrapped red bean paste, eight-diagram-shaped appetizer soup, braised pullet with ginkgo nuts in clay pot, fried wild ducks, chickens and fish with peach blossoms, Jingzhou rice field eel, and Jingzhou fish balls.

Hubei Snacks

The province also boasts many special snacks. Examples are packet noodles, cool cakes, fried gingko, Liangxiang chestnuts, red-glutinous rice powder, Ding Ding cake, stewed lotus seeds, Ezhou “Dongpo cake”, Huangshi harbor cake, Huangzhou Shaomei, alkali pastries for dessert (Wuhan), and orange flap Yuyuan, baked bread, lotus root glutinous rice gruel, cool noodles, cold shrimp, radish dumplings, Macheng meat puddings, Wuhan fruit meat, dry noodles, red dates, and bean curd.

Attraction Recommendation

The province has a total of l,500 tourist spots. Major natural scenic sites include Wuhan's East Lake, Wudang Mountain, the Shennongjia Forest Nature Reserve, Jiugong Mountain, and Yangtze River's world famous Three Gorges. Some major historical places are the Yellow Crane Tower, Guiyuan Temple, Xiangfan Gulongzhong, Puqi Cliff and Zigui Qu Yuan Temple, Qu Yuan Residence, Ji'nan Old City, Zhaojun Hometown, Wuhan Guqin Pavilion. Former Site of the Wuchang Insurgent Army Government, and Jing-Han Railroad Labor Movement “Twenty-seven” Memorial Hall.

湖北因位于长江中游，洞庭湖之北而得名，又因古属鄂州，简称鄂，省会武汉。湖北东西长约740千米，南北宽约470千米。全省总面积18.59万平方千米，居全国第1 6位，占全国总面积的1.94%。湖北地形大致为东、西、北三面环山，中间低平，略呈向南敞开的不完整盆地状。长江自西向东，流贯省内的长度为1061千米。汉水是长江最大支流，到武汉进入长江，境内流长878千米。湖北面积在3平方千米以上的湖泊目前有300个左右，大部分集中于江汉平原。湖北省属北亚热带季风气候，具有从亚热带向暖温带过渡的特征。全省光照充足，热量丰富，无霜期长，降水丰沛，雨热同季，利于农业生产。年均温15°C~17°C，7月均温为27 °C～29℃，江汉平原最高温在40°C以上，为中国酷热地区之一。

湖北古属楚国领域，楚文化诞生于此，与中原文化并列为华夏文明二大源头。康熙六年(1776年)，这里历史上第一次定名湖北，沿用至今。湖北省历史悠久，在郧西、长阳等地发现古人类化石，证明几十万年前这里就有人类生息。京山县屈家岭出土的蛋壳彩陶，距今已有4000多年;黄陂区发掘出土的商代古城“盘龙城”遗址，距今也有3500多年。省内江陵、襄樊等是全国历史文化名城之一。

湖北省交通发达，武汉、荆州、宜昌、襄樊、恩施、老河口都有民用机场，其中武汉天河国际机场开辟有多条国内和国际航线。湖北境内的铁路线有京广线、襄渝线、汉丹线、焦枝线、枝柳线及武大线等，省会武汉有直达省内各地的列车，此外还有直达北京、郑州、天津、洛阳、重庆、西安、昆明、贵阳、长沙、柳州、广州、南昌、石家庄等市的列车。湖北省有一个较为完整的公路网，以大城市为中心的公路四通八达，可一直延伸到深山之中，同时也将铁路和水路运输连接起来。湖北省内正在建设多条高速公路，目前已经建成通车的有从黄梅县经黄石至武汉的武黄高速公路和从武汉经荆州至宜昌的汉宜高速公路。此外还有武汉—襄樊—十堰、武汉—信阳(河南)、荆州—荆门—襄樊、宜昌—利川、武汉—赤壁等高速公路正在建设中。湖北省境内的长江总长达l000多千米，因而湖北省的长江航运也非常发达。

湖北省历史名人

湖北省在历史上人才辈出，如炎帝神农氏，伟大的爱国主义诗人屈原，中原霸主楚庄王，一夜白头名将伍子胥，第一循吏良臣孙叔敖，道家人物代表老莱子，大汉政权的建立者陈友谅，著名书法家米芾，山水田园诗人孟浩然，茶圣陆羽，民族和亲的使者王昭君，宰相之杰张居正，“公安派”领袖袁宗道、袁宏道、袁中道，活字印刷术的发明人毕昇，医学家李时珍，地质泰斗李四光，无产阶级革命革命家李先念，董必武等。

湖北特产

湖北特产众多。如青砖茶、武昌鱼、孝感麻糖、黄花菜、鳜鱼、秭归鹅蛋柑、麻烘糕等。

湖北著名的特色菜

湖北有很多特色菜。如广水滑肉、黄陂三合、沔阳三蒸、清蒸武昌鱼、小桃园煨汤、郧县网油砂、八卦汤、白果烧鸡、红烧野鸭、鸡泥桃花鱼、荆州皮条鳝鱼、荆州鱼糕丸子等。

湖北特色小吃

湖北有许多的特色小吃。如包面、冰凉糕、炒白果、炒良乡栗子、冲糯米粉、顶顶糕、炖莲子、鄂州“东坡饼”、黄石港饼、黄州烧梅、碱酥饼(武汉)、橘瓣鱼圆、烤面包、莲藕糯米粥、凉面、凉虾、萝卜饺子、麻城肉糕、武汉果子肉、武汉热干面、武汉肉枣、武汉三鲜豆皮、武汉酸白菜等。

主要景点推荐

据普查，全省旅游景区(点)共1500余处。主要风景有：武汉东湖、黄鹤楼、归元寺、襄樊古隆中、武当山、神农架、江汉古城、蒲圻赤壁、秭归屈原祠、秭归屈原故里、长江三峡、九官山、纪南故城、昭君故里、武汉古琴台、武汉起义军政府旧址、京汉铁路工人运动“二七”纪念馆等。