Yichang is a city in the Hubei province of China.

Geography
Yichang covers 21,084 km. It sits in western Hubei Province at the eastern end of the Xiling gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River. The temperature averages 16-18 C.

Demographics
Yichang has a population of 3.89 million and is inhabited by Tujia (Tujia are an ethnic group numbering about 8 million). Yichang is also a place connecting the cultures of Ba in the west and Chu State in the east.

Economy
Yichang has long been a major transit port and distribution center of goods. It is fueled by the Gezhouba Hydra Project and the Three Gorges Dam.

History
In ancient times Yichang was known as Yiling. There are historical records telling that in the year 278BC during the Warring States period the Qin general set fire to Yiling. Yichang was also the site of a famous battle during the Three Kingdoms era, the Battle of Yiling.
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In 1876, under the Qing Yichang was opened to foreign trade as a trading port after the Second Opium War. The imperial government set up a navigation company there. Also wharves were built, but before 1949 the wharf area was only less than half a kilometer in length. After 1949, more than 50 wharves have been constructed at the port so that its wharf area is now over 15 km long.