Location: Jingzhou is located in the South central Hubei Province, right in the hinterland of Jianghan Plain.The famous ancient city of Jingzhou, in the Hubei Province, is renowned for its well-preserved city walls. In 1982 Jingzhou was included in the list of the title Chinese Historic Cities, and in 1986 the city wall was registered by the State Council as a major cultural relic under state protection.
Jingzhou City has a very long history and is rich in historical relics. Many Neolithic and Paleolithic sites have been found in and around the city. The Kingdom of Chu in the Eastern Zhou Period (770 - 221 BC) established its capital five kilometers (about 3.1 miles) north of the city and more than 400 years of Chu civilization has given the Jingzhou City an important place in the history of Chinese culture. Since the Qin (221 - 207 BC) and Han (206 BC - 220 AD) Dynasties, not a single emperor could afford to ignore its importance: thus it has always attracted enormous attention. To those familiar with Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Jingzhou is certain to arouse great interest because some splendid stories in the book are set here, due to its great strategic importance.
The initial establishment of Jingzhou City began as early as the Qin Dynasty and construction of the formal city wall began since the Han Dynasty. Repairs and expansion of the wall continued till the Five Dynasties (907 - 960) when the materials were changed from earth to bricks. The solidarity of the wall was improved greatly but it suffered seriously in the later ages. Battles and uprisings destroyed and demolished it, while stable political situations enabled it to be restored and rebuilt. The city wall we see today was the outcome of the third reconstruction in 1646, during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911).
A moat encircles the solid walls, which were reinforced by filling the crevices with sticky rice and lime slurry. There are six gates in the four sides, each with a specific name. Of the original six gate towers only two have survived, one in the Eastern Gate and another in the Northern Gate. As a military fortification, the City Wall was designed with many features such as the 'urn' in-between the two-layer gate which makes the enemies trapped in; and the exquisitely designed hiding-places where hundreds of soldiers could be held.
What to See: Jingzhou Museum & Relics of Three Kingdoms
