Jishou
Encyclopedia
Jishou is a county-level city
County-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....

 and the seat of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture
Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture
Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture of the People's Republic of China. It is located in western Hunan province. Zhangjiajie and Sangzhi used to be parts of this autonomous prefecture. It consists of 1 city, Jishou, and 7 counties:Baojing, Fenghuang, Guzhang,...

 in Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...

 province of the
People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

.

History

Jishou has a long history of more than 2000 years, back to the Qin Dynasty
Qin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring...

. In those days, it was affiliated with the Qianzhong prefecture (黔中郡). During the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...

, a town government was established in a stockaded village, Zhenxi (镇溪寨), which in the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...

 became the Zhenxi soldiers and civilians battalion (镇溪军民千户所). Qianzhou prefecture (乾州厅) was created during the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

. During the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...

 it was known as Qian County (乾县) In 1953 the area was renamed Jishou county, with two adjacent cities, Jishou and Qianzhou. In 1982 Jishou city became the capital of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture
Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture
Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture of the People's Republic of China. It is located in western Hunan province. Zhangjiajie and Sangzhi used to be parts of this autonomous prefecture. It consists of 1 city, Jishou, and 7 counties:Baojing, Fenghuang, Guzhang,...

. The city of Qianzhou 乾城 now lies just south of Jishou city.

Geography

Jishou lies east of the Wuling Mountain range. About 80% of the city's terrain is low hills or low mountains. The highest elevation is 964.5 meters, at Liantaifeng 莲台峰, near the town of Aizhai 矮寨 and the lowest point is 142 meters, near the town of Hexi 河溪镇. The Dong River 峒河, a tributary of the Wu 武 (Yuan River), runs west to east through the city.

Population

Jishou County had a population of 291,200 in the year 2008, including an agricultural population of 163,100, or 56% of the population. The urban population was 192,500. About 77.3% of the population belonged to the Miao or Tujia minorities, with 121,000 Miao and 101,200 Tujia. Members of China's predominant Han ethnic group comprise the rest of the population.

Education

Jishou has two institutions of higher education:
  • Jishou University (吉首大学)
  • Normal College of Jishou University (吉首大学师范学院)

Economy

In 2001, the Gross Domestic Product in Jishou was 19.45 billion yuan, with a revenue of 1.45 billion yuan. Jishou produces fruits, especially kiwis and oranges, vegetables, livestock and poultry, and tobacco. Tourism is becoming an important industry, since the ancient city of Fenghuang
Fenghuang Ancient City
Fenghuang County is located in Xiangxi Prefecture, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China. It has an exceptionally well-preserved ancient town that harbors unique ethnic languages, customs, arts as well as many distinctive architectural remains of Ming and Qing styles. The town is placed in a...

 (凤凰), is about 90 minutes away and Dehang National Park is about 40 minutes away.

A distilled liquor
Baijiu
Baijiu , or shaojiu is a Chinese distilled alcoholic beverage. The name baijiu literally means "white liquor," "white alcohol" or "white spirits". Baijiu is often translated as "wine" or "white wine"...

 called jiugui (酒鬼; pinyin: jiǔ guǐ; lit. "drunkard" or "alcoholic"; also called "Sot") is produced in the town of Zhenwu.

Transportation

  • Bus routes run from Jishou to numerous towns and cities within Xiangxi and farther afield.
  • Direct trains connect Jishou to many of China's major cities, including Beijing
    Beijing
    Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

    , Shanghai
    Shanghai
    Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

    , Guangzhou
    Guangzhou
    Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...

    , and Changsha.
  • Jishou lacks an airport; the closest one
    Zhangjiajie Airport
    Zhangjiajie Airport is an airport in Zhangjiajie, Hunan, People's Republic of China .-Airlines and destinations:-References:...

     with commercial service is located two hours away in Zhangjiajie
    Zhangjiajie
    Zhangjiajie is a prefecture-level city in the northwestern part of Hunan province in China. It comprises the district of Yongding and counties of Cili and Sangzhi...

    .
  • China National Highway 209
    China National Highway 209
    China National Highway 209 runs from Huhhot, Inner Mongolia to Beihai, Guangxi province. It is3,435 kilometres in length and runs south from Huhhot towards Shanxi province, Henan province, Hubei province, Hunan province, and ends in Guangxi province.Despite the "National Highway" designation, G209...

    , China National Highway 319
    China National Highway 319
    China National Highway 319 runs northwest from Xiamen, Fujian towards Jiangxi Province, Hunan Province, Chongqing, and ends in Chengdu, Sichuan. It is 2984 kilometres in length.- Route and distance:...

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