Shiyan (十堰)

1. Introduction

Shiyan City, historically known as Yunyang, is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Hubei Province, the People's Republic of China, located in the northwest of Hubei Province. The city borders Xiangyang City to the southeast, Shennongjia Forestry District to the south, Chongqing Municipality to the southwest, Ankang City of Shaanxi Province to the west, Shangluo City of Shaanxi Province to the north, and Nanyang City of Henan Province to the northeast. Situated in the mountainous valley region where the four provinces and municipalities of Hubei, Chongqing, Shaanxi, and Henan converge, the area features the Daba Mountains in the south, the Wudang Mountains in the center, and the Qinling Mountains in the north. The Han River flows from west to east across the entire territory, with its tributary, the Du River, originating in the southwest of the city. The Danjiangkou Reservoir is located in the eastern part. The city covers a total area of 23,666 square kilometers and has a population of 3.209 million[2]. The Municipal People's Government is located at No. 8 Beijing Middle Road, Maojian District. Shiyan is an industrial city that developed alongside projects such as the Danjiangkou Water Control Project and the Dongfeng Motor Corporation. Mount Wudang, the foremost of the Four Sacred Mountains of Taoism, is located in the central part of the city and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

2. Origin of the Name

The origin of Shiyan as a geographical name has two explanations:

1. One theory traces it to Shiyan Town. Legend has it that this place was originally named Zhangjiazhuang, later changed to Chenjia Street. During the mid-Qing Dynasty, people built dams along the Bai'er River east of Chenjia Street, constructing the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth dams in sequence. On the Jiang River in Huaguoyuan, they built the first, second, third, and Yuezhu dams. In total, ten dams were built across the two locations. Since the construction of these ten dams, "Shiyan" (meaning "Ten Dams") became a specific administrative name.

2. The second explanation originates from Ming Dynasty historical records. The "Huguang Tujing Zhi" from the 20th year of the Chenghua era (1484) and the "Huguang Tongzhi Yunyang" from the 1st year of the Jiajing era (1522) state: "Shiyan is located south of the county (Yun County), where ten dams were built along the stream to irrigate farmland." These records include the "Ten Scenes of Yunyang": High Tianma Cliff, Steep Zhaixing Slope, Clear View from the South Gate, Spring Plowing at Shiyan, Inscriptions at Xiaosi Temple, Remains of the Immortal Palace, Divine Cave of Wuyang, Sacred Spring of Shengshui, Sound of the Longgun Rapids, and Rainy Mood of Yunzhou. Common knowledge holds that mountains, waters, temples, and palaces often form scenic spots, yet it is rare for spring plowing to be considered a famous sight. The records also contain Han Bi's poem "Spring Plowing at Shiyan" in praise: "Amid the cuckoo's calls, water fills the streams; In southern fields and northern ridges, hoes and plows are wielded. Encouraging farming requires no effort from the field official; With a single beat of the waist drum, people align themselves." Here, "field official" refers to a military garrison officer specifically managing agricultural production. In the 18th year of the Wanli era (1590), the tenth volume of the "Yuntai Zhi" records Li Yin's poem: "Soldiers and civilians live together, delighting in plowing and hoeing, All under the protection of the Grand Coordinator." The coexistence of soldiers and civilians was a distinctive feature of Yunyang, and "Grand Coordinator" was another title for the provincial governor. The Yunyang Governor's Office at that time administered prefectures such as Yunyang and Xiangyang. It is said that during the Ming Dynasty, the ten dams of Shiyan included: Shiyan, Jiuqingping Dam, Huwei Dam, Bailong Dam, Jianshan Dam, Huanglong Dam, Shuanglong Dam, Dianhu Dam (Upper Bailang Dam), Yao Dam (Middle Bailang Dam), and Tanjia Dam (Lower Bailang Dam).

3. History

3.1 Third Front Construction

In the early years of the People's Republic of China, Shiyan was merely a desolate town, named after the ten weirs built during the Ming Dynasty to channel stream water for irrigating fields. The Third Front Construction policy, initiated in 1963, along with the successive launch of projects and enterprises such as the Danjiangkou Water Control Project and the Second Automobile Plant (Dongfeng Motor Corporation), spurred a great leap forward in local industrial development. It was precisely this policy that gave birth to a new city, propelling Shiyan into a modern automotive hub.

3.2 Urban Area

The current urban area of Shiyan City was originally part of Yun County. It developed into a new industrial city following the establishment of China's Second Automobile Plant here. In 1967, the Shiyan Office was established, incorporating Shiyan and Huanglong districts from Yun County and Maoping Commune of Chadian District. In 1969, Shiyan was designated as a county-level city, and in 1973, it was elevated to a provincial-administered city.

3.3 Administrative Evolution

• In 1949, Liangyun Prefecture was established under the leadership of the Southern Shaanxi Administrative Region. The prefectural office was located in Yunyang County, administering six counties: Yunyang, Junxian, Fangxian, Zhushan, Zhuxi, and Yunxi.
• In 1950, Liangyun Prefecture was transferred back to Hubei Province and renamed Yunyang Prefecture. Yunyang County was renamed Yun County, with the prefectural office located in Yun County.
• In 1952, Yunyang Prefecture was abolished, and its counties were merged into Xiangyang Prefecture.
• In 1965, Yunyang Prefecture was re-established, with the prefectural office located in Yun County. Six counties from Xiangyang Prefecture—Yun County, Junxian (based in Danjiang Town), Fangxian, Zhushan, Zhuxi, and Yunxi—were transferred to Yunyang Prefecture.
• In 1969, Shiyan City was established under the leadership of Yunyang Prefecture. Yunyang Prefecture administered one city and six counties.
• In 1970, Yunyang Prefecture was renamed Yunyang Region, with the administrative office located in Shiyan City. It administered Shiyan City and six counties: Yun County, Fangxian, Zhuxi, Junxian (based in Danjiang Town), Zhushan, and Yunxi.
• In 1973, Shiyan City was placed under direct provincial administration. Yunyang Region administered six counties.
• On September 29, 1994, the original Yunyang Region and Shiyan City were merged to form the new Shiyan City, which continues to this day. It also administers the former provincial-administered county-level city: Danjiangkou City.
• On December 17, 2014, Yun County was renamed Yunyang District. Shiyan currently administers Fangxian, Zhuxi, Zhushan, Yunxi, Danjiangkou City, Zhangwan District, Maojian District, and Yunyang District.

4. Geography

Shiyan is located at the junction of Hubei, Henan, Shaanxi, and Chongqing. It borders Wuxi County of Chongqing and the Shennongjia Forestry District of Hubei to the south; Baokang County, Gucheng County, and Laohekou City of Hubei to the southeast; Dengzhou City and Xichuan County of Henan Province to the northeast; Shangnan County and Shanyang County of Shaanxi Province to the north; and Zhen'an County, Xunyang County, Baihe County, Pingli County, and Zhenping County of Shaanxi to the west. The eastern section of the Daba Mountains meanders to the south, while the foothills of the Qinling Mountains form a barrier to the north. The Han River flows from west to east across the entire territory, with the highest elevation being 2,740 meters and the lowest 87 meters. The largest river within the area is the Han River, which traverses the region from west to east, flowing through Yunxi County, Yun County, and Danjiangkou City. There are over 30 rivers longer than 50 kilometers, including the Du River, Tao River, Malan River, and Shending River. The Danjiangkou Hydropower Station is located within Danjiangkou City, connecting three provinces and five counties/cities, with a total water area of 745 square kilometers.

4.1 Climate

Most of the region experiences a subtropical monsoon climate, characterized by four distinct seasons, simultaneous occurrence of rain and heat, and ample precipitation. The average annual sunshine duration ranges from 1,620 to 1,990 hours. | Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |-----------|------|------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|------|------|-------|-------| | Avg High °C | 8.5 | 10.7 | 15.8 | 22.7 | 27.3 | 30.6 | 32.1 | 31.0 | 26.5 | 21.6 | 16.2 | 10.7 | 21.1 | | Avg High °F | 47.3 | 51.3 | 60.4 | 72.9 | 81.1 | 87.1 | 89.8 | 87.8 | 79.7 | 70.9 | 61.2 | 51.3 | 70.1 | | Daily Mean °C | 3.1 | 5.3 | 9.8 | 16.3 | 21.2 | 24.9 | 27.0 | 26.0 | 21.4 | 16.0 | 10.1 | 4.9 | 15.5 | | Daily Mean °F | 37.6 | 41.5 | 49.6 | 61.3 | 70.2 | 76.8 | 80.6 | 78.8 | 70.5 | 60.8 | 50.2 | 40.8 | 59.9 | | Avg Low °C | -0.5 | 1.5 | 5.4 | 11.3 | 16.2 | 20.2 | 23.3 | 22.5 | 17.9 | 12.4 | 6.3 | 1.2 | 11.5 | | Avg Low °F | 31.1 | 34.7 | 41.7 | 52.3 | 61.2 | 68.4 | 73.9 | 72.5 | 64.2 | 54.3 | 43.3 | 34.2 | 52.7 | | Avg Precipitation mm | 14.2 | 22.5 | 42.8 | 66.3 | 93.4 | 98.2 | 150.1 | 136.4 | 98.7 | 75.9 | 34.9 | 15.2 | 848.6 | | Avg Precipitation inches | 0.56 | 0.89 | 1.69 | 2.61 | 3.68 | 3.87 | 5.91 | 5.37 | 3.89 | 2.99 | 1.37 | 0.60 | 33.43 | | Avg Relative Humidity (%) | 70 | 69 | 69 | 68 | 70 | 72 | 78 | 79 | 79 | 79 | 76 | 71 | 73 |

5. Administrative Divisions

Shiyan City administers 3 municipal districts, 4 counties, and has jurisdiction over 1 county-level city.

• Municipal Districts: Maojian District, Zhangwan District, Yunyang District
• County-level City: Danjiangkou City
• Counties: Yunxi County, Zhushan County, Zhuxi County, Fang County

Additionally, Shiyan City has established the following management areas:

• Shiyan Economic Development Zone (Bailang Economic Development Zone)
• Shiyan Dongcheng Economic Development Zone
• Saiwudang Scenic Area (Saiwudang Nature Reserve)
• Wudangshan Tourism Economic Special Zone — Located within Danjiangkou City, it is a county-level institution managing Wudangshan affairs, directly under Shiyan City's administration and has no administrative subordination to Danjiangkou City.

| Division Code | Division Name | Chinese Pinyin | Area (km²) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | Including Ethnic Townships | |-------------------|-------------------|---------------------|----------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------|---------------|-------------------------------| | 420300 | Shiyan City | Shíyàn Shì | 23,666.16 | 3,209,004 | Maojian District | 442000 | 13 | 72 | 34 | 1 | | 420302 | Maojian District | Máojiàn Qū | 536.03 | 601,548 | Wudanglu Subdistrict | 442000 | 4 | 1 | 2 | | | 420303 | Zhangwan District | Zhāngwān Qū | 657.18 | 431,859 | Chechenglu Subdistrict | 442000 | 4 | 2 | 2 | | | 420304 | Yunyang District | Yúnyáng Qū | 3,832.44 | 395,222 | Chengguan Town | 442500 | | 16 | 3 | | | 420322 | Yunxi County | Yúnxī Xiàn | 3,506.95 | 371,012 | Chengguan Town | 442600 | | 9 | 7 | 1 | | 420323 | Zhushan County | Zhúshān Xiàn | 3,579.86 | 346,069 | Chengguan Town | 442300 | | 9 | 8 | | | 420324 | Zhuxi County | Zhúxī Xiàn | 3,306.30 | 283,578 | Chengguan Town | 442200 | | 11 | 4 | | | 420325 | Fang County | Fáng Xiàn | 5,118.23 | 369,776 | Chengguan Town | 442100 | | 12 | 8 | | | 420381 | Danjiangkou City | Dānjiāngkǒu Shì | 3,129.17 | 409,940 | Junzhoulu Subdistrict | 442700 | 5 | 12 | | |

6. Economy

6.1 Per Capita Disposable Income

Due to the relatively small population in the central urban area, primarily composed of technical immigrants from other regions who came to support the construction of Dongfeng Motor Corporation around the 1970s, Shiyan's per capita disposable income once ranked among the top ten in the country during the mid-1990s when Dongfeng's vehicle sales were strong. However, due to the city's single-industry structure, the widespread difficulties faced by large state-owned enterprises in the late 1990s, and the rapid economic development of eastern coastal cities, Shiyan's per capita disposable income, although increasing annually, could no longer re-enter the top ten of the national ranking. Nevertheless, it has long held the top position among prefecture-level cities in Hubei Province in terms of per capita disposable income, even surpassing the provincial capital, Wuhan. According to official statistics, from 1991 to 2006, the per capita disposable income of urban residents in Shiyan increased from 1,685.64 yuan to 10,944.45 yuan, a growth of nearly 5.49 times. After adjusting for price factors, the average annual growth rate was 7.9%. Meanwhile, the per capita consumption expenditure of urban residents rose from 1,321.20 yuan to 8,616.00 yuan, a 5.52-fold increase, with an average annual growth rate of 7.9% after adjusting for price factors.

6.2 Automotive Industry

Dongfeng Motor

6.3 Commerce

In the 2007 Forbes "Mainland China Best Cities for Business" ranking, Shiyan secured the 1st position.

7. Transportation

• National Highway 209 and National Highway 316 intersect in Shiyan. With the acceleration of train services and the construction of the Wubai and Yunshi first-class roads, transportation conditions have further improved. The G70 Yinfu Expressway passes through the city, and the soon-to-be-completed Shitian Expressway, along with the under-construction Shifang Expressway, Guzhu Expressway, and Yunshi Expressway, will transform Shiyan into a transportation hub with a "three horizontal and one vertical" layout.
• The Xiangyu Railway traverses the city from east to west, with 73 pairs of passenger trains stopping at Shiyan Station daily, providing direct access to cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi’an, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Harbin, Nanjing, Nanchang, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Fuzhou.
• Wuhan–Shiyan High-Speed Railway
• The Han River Golden Waterway enables transportation to rivers and seas.
• Shiyan Wudangshan Airport: Groundbreaking ceremony held on December 8, 2012, officially opened on February 5, 2016.

8. Education

The city is home to higher education institutions such as Hubei University of Automotive Technology, Hubei University of Medicine, and Hanjiang Normal University. As of 2008, the proportion of university students in Shiyan's total population exceeded that of cities like Beijing and Shanghai, ranking first nationwide.

The city has three provincial-level exemplary high schools: Dongfeng Senior High School, Shiyan No. 1 High School, and Yunyang High School.

9. Population

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's permanent resident population was 3,209,004. Compared with the 3,340,841 people from the Sixth National Population Census, there was a decrease of 131,837 people over the past ten years, a decline of 3.95%, with an average annual growth rate of -0.4%. Among them, the male population was 1,652,060, accounting for 51.48% of the total population; the female population was 1,556,944, accounting for 48.52% of the total population. The overall sex ratio (with females as 100) was 106.11. The population aged 0–14 was 599,932, accounting for 18.7% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 1,998,483, accounting for 62.28% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 610,589, accounting for 19.03% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 451,977, accounting for 14.08% of the total population. The urban population was 1,987,585, accounting for 61.94% of the total population; the rural population was 1,221,419, accounting for 38.06% of the total population.

9.1. Ethnic Groups

Among the city's permanent resident population, the Han ethnic group population was 3,193,073, accounting for 99.5%; the population of various ethnic minorities was 15,931, accounting for 0.5%. Compared with the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the Han ethnic group population decreased by 135,909, a decline of 4.08%, with its proportion of the total population decreasing by 0.14 percentage points; the population of various ethnic minorities increased by 4,072, a growth of 34.34%, with its proportion of the total population increasing by 0.14 percentage points.

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10. Culture

10.1 Tourism

• Shiyan City was rated as an "Outstanding Tourism City of China" in 2001.
• Wudang Mountains: Located in Danjiangkou City in northwestern Hubei Province, the Wudang Mountains, anciently known as Taihe Mountain, are a famous Taoist mountain in China, a national 5A-level tourist attraction, and a renowned Taoist sacred site in the country. In 1982, it was listed as a National Key Scenic Area, with the Golden Summit, Zixiao Palace, and Xuanyue Gate designated by the State Council as Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level. In December 1994, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to an evaluation by the International Federation of Tourism, the Wudang Mountains were selected as one of the "Top Ten Chinese Scenic Spots Most Favored by Europeans."
• Hot Spring Temple (Wenquan Si): Located in Fang County, its construction began in the 48th year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1709).
• Sifangshan Botanical Garden: Situated in the northern suburbs of the city center at an altitude of 578 meters, it features over 570 varieties of flowers, plants, and trees, with a total introduction of plants from 127 families, 2,370 genera, and 570 species. The green coverage rate exceeds 30%, spanning an area of over 800 mu. The botanical garden already boasts more than 100 scenic spots and over 30 types of flowers. The planned Sifangshan Scenic Area covers 15,000 mu and is divided into nine scenic zones.
• Wuzhu Peak: Located on the northwest side of the Wudang Grand Canyon in Shiyan City, Hubei Province, it is 14 kilometers away from Wudang Tianzhu Peak, with an elevation of 1,132 meters. It ranks as the 45th peak among the 72 peaks of Wudang. Resembling bamboo shoots, two peaks form a seat-like shape, between which sits a giant stone statue of Zhenwu, 60 meters high and 40 meters wide. The statue wears monastic robes, has distinct facial features with deep-set eyes, and sits with its back against Fulong Mountain, facing the Golden Summit of Wudang Mountain. The dense white-bark pine trees on its head resemble a topknot, its face is full and round, its nose is high and prominent, and its hands rest peacefully on its knees, presenting a vivid depiction of meditation. Under the bright sun, the stone statue gleams with a golden, dazzling brilliance.
• Shiyan Global Harbor: Features a British-style tram.

10.2 Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level

• Golden Hall of Wudang Mountain
• Zixiao Palace
• "Zhishi Xuanyue" Memorial Archway
• Nanyan Palace
• Xuetang Liangzi Site
• Yuxu Palace Site
• Architectural Complex of Wudang Mountain
• Cixiaogou "Cai Huang Mu" Cliff Carvings
• Meipu Ape-man Site
• Huanglong Cave Site
• Qilihe Site
• Gan Family Ancestral Hall
• Dafeng Granary
• Shangjin Ancient City

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Maojian District

Maojian District

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Pomegranate (November 1986)
Pomegranate, Chinese Rose (June 1987)
Crape Myrtle, Pomegranate (October 2019)

Camphor Tree (November 1986)
Camphor Tree, Southern Magnolia (June 1987)
Camphor Tree (Small-Leaf Camphor), Goldenrain Tree (October 2019)