Hubei, Province in central China
Hubei is an administrative unit in central China that extends along both sides of the middle Yangtze River, with mountains in the west and flat farmland in the east. The capital city Wuhan sits where the Han River joins the Yangtze, and to the west the river opens through the Three Gorges before flowing past wide plains with rice paddies and small lakes.
The area belonged to the ancient kingdom of Chu, home to poets like Qu Yuan and a powerful state during the Warring States period. In October 1911, a military revolt began in Wuchang, now part of Wuhan, triggering the end of imperial rule across China and the founding of a republic.
In Wuhan, people eat hot noodles with sesame sauce for breakfast, called reganmian, sold from small street stalls that open before dawn. Along the Yangtze banks, residents practice tai chi or swim even when the water is cold, believing it strengthens their health.
Wuhan serves as a transport hub for traveling to other provinces, with trains heading north, south, east and west, and ferries or ships running along the Yangtze. Visitors often travel from there to the Three Gorges upstream or to the Wudang Mountains, several hours away by bus or train.
In the Shennongjia forest area to the west, golden snub-nosed monkeys live in the cold mountains, and some locals report sightings of pale bears rarely seen elsewhere. The forest sits so high and so densely wooded that many rare animal species retreat there, and biologists still discover new plant species today.
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