Shiyan is a town of great important in Hubei province. (photo from nipic.com)

Shiyan's location in Hubei

Shiyan is situated in the northwest of Hubei province, the upper reach of the Hanjiang River. It borders Xiangyang city in the east, at the convergence of Hubei, Shaanxi, Henan provinces and Chongqing municipality. As a juncture of north, southwest and northwest China, it is a town of great important in Hubei province.

It covers a

 total area of 1,190 square kilometers, of which city proper occupies 203 square kilometers. Shiyan is a city open to the outside world with a total population of 406,900, among whom 293,300 are in the urban area.

In the middle period of Qing Dynasty, people built dams and dykes on both Bai’erhe River and Jianghe River to retain water for irrigation. Dams are also called weirs. There are altogether ten dams built on these two rivers, hence it got the name Shiyan (a place with ten weirs).

Influenced by the Qinling Mountains, Wudang Mountains and Daba Mountains, the terrain undulates obviously. On the whole the landform is higher in the west and lower in the east, inclining from the north and south to the central part. On the banks of Han River, river valleys and basins are distributed in turns.

Fulong Mountain in Shiyan. There are altogether ten dams built on Bai’erhe River and Jianghe River, hence the city got the name Shiyan (a place with ten weirs). (photo from nipic.com)

Enjoying a subtropical continental monsoon climate, Shiyan is warmer in winter and hotter in summer than other places at the same latitudes. June to August concentrates most of the rainfall and heat of a year.

Shiyan city is an important base for automobile production and scientific research. It’s an important center of economy, politics, culture, science and technology in the northwest of Hubei province. Shiyan city is a well-known automobile city. Both Dongfeng Truck Company and Dongfeng Tyre Company are established here. The former is one of the three biggest truck companies in the world and the latter is one of the four biggest tyre companies in China. A pilot area for the development of Automobile Industry is open to the outside world.

Shiyan city is one of the central tourist centers in the northwest of Hubei province. (photo from nipic.com)

Shiyan city is one of the central tourist centers in the northwest of Hubei province. In the east lies Wudang Mountain, Taoist holy place, famous at home and abroad, for its "fairy mountains and marbled towers”; In the south lies Shennongjia Mountain, a natural zoo and botanical garden full of mystery. In the west are the relics of the Great Wall built in Chu Kingdom (in Spring and Autumn Period) in Zhuxi county. To the north lies the Hanjiang River, a vast expanse of misty, rolling waters. In the city, Fulong Mountain (or Saiwudang natural scenery reserve) amuses its tourists by its immense forests, a sea of clouds, ridges and peaks, waterfalls on the one hand and by famous religious temples such as White Horse Temple, Huilong Temple, etc. on the other hand.

Wudang Mountain is a Taoist holy place, famous at home and abroad for its "fairy mountains and marbled towers”. (photo from nipic.com)

Buildings on Wudang Mountain (photo from nipic.com)

When to Go: Spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit Shiyan.

Night scene of Shiyan city (photo from nipic.com)

Wudang Mountain covered in snow (photo from nipic.com)