The City Wall Guide

Jingzhou is a city that was originally designed for the military. There is a moat outside for protection and also two city gates with a large space in between, used to capture the enemy. The town is divided into three parts: Earth City, Water City and Brick City. The walls of the city were strongly made in order to protect the city. The six city gates located at various points of the wall had a tower to act as a lookout spot and each gate was used for a different purpose. While walking on the city walls, you are able to see a magnificent view of the city.

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 -256 BC) established its capital five kilometers (about 3.1 miles) north of the city and more than 400 years of Chu civilization had given the Jingzhou City an important place in the history of Chinese culture. Since the Qin (221 - 207 BC) and Han Dynasty (220 BC-206 DC), 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.

Numerous sites have been preserved from the Chu State period, including the ruins of five Chu cities, 73 sites of the Chu Culture and more than 800 large ancient tombs, including those of 18 Chu kings. There are also historical sites from the Three Kingdoms period, such as the Wulin Battlefield (Battle of Red Cliffs) and Huarong Path. MuseumThe city walls were rebuilt in 1646 and measure 9 meters in height and 10 meters in depth. The perimeter of the wall extends for 9.3 kilometers. The city walls, city gates, watchtowers, and battlements have been maintained well. Many of the towers on top of the majestic city gates have been damaged or rebuilt, only leaving the Chaozong Tower which was rebuilt in 1838 on the Gongji Gate.

• The City Wall
• Chinese Sturgeon Museum
• Gezhouba Dam
• Three Gorges Dam
• The Yangtze River