Sandouping
Encyclopedia
Sandouping is a town
in Yiling District
of Yichang
prefecture-level city
in the Chinese province of Hubei
. It is located on the right (southern) bank of the Yangtze River, next to Yiling District's border with Zigui County to the west. Sandouping is best known as the location of the Three Gorges Dam
which is the world's largest electricity-generating plant of any kind.
.
Sandouping is the only town in Yiling District that is located south of the river.
Sandouping's western neighbor is the town of Maoping
, the county seat of the nearby Zigui County. Although it is only a kilometer or two west of the dam (straight-line distance), it is actually several kilometers drive on Hubei Provincial Route 134, because of the terrain.
Administratively, the Town of Sandouping is divided into 19 villages (村) and 1 neighhborhood committee (居民委员会). Sandouping's central urban area, where the town government and most services are located, is technically known as Yuanyi Village (园艺村). It is situated some 5 km east the of the southern end of the Three Gorges Dam.
The neighborhood just to the east, known as Huanglingmiao Village (黄陵庙村), is named after Huangling Temple (黄陵庙) located there near the Yangtze River waterfront. It is being developed as a tourism area, centered around the riverboat dock.
A secondary center of economic activity in the town is located in its western part, within walking distance from the service entrance to the Three Gorges Dam (Gaojiachong Village (高家冲) and Sandouping "neighhborhood committee").
in 1496. Sandouping District
was created in 1949 and transformed into Sandouping Town in 1984.
Sandouping used to be a small fishing village until it was selected to be the site of the Three Gorges Dam.
In 1999, at the peak of the construction, over 40,000 workers lived in Sandouping.
At the time, special permits were required to enter the town.
Six out of nineteen Sandouping's villages are populated by families that have been resettled from the areas flooded by the waters of the Three Gorges Reservoir
, or, earlier, the Gezhouba Reservoir
.
, major local enterprises include Hailun Shipyard (海轮造船厂) and Fazhong Vessel Servicing Company (发中船务有限公司).
The three main agricultural products of Sandouping are citrus
fruits (according to different governmental sources, 15,000 mu [ 1,000 hectares] or 10535 mu [702 ha] under cultivation, with an annual harvest of 14,000 metric tons ), silkworms (14400 mu/ 960 ha of mulberry pantations), and tea (3316 mu/ 221 ha).
The town's authorities are working on expanding tourism in the area.
Town (China)
When referring to political divisions of China, town is the standard English translation of the Chinese 鎮 . It is a fourth-level administrative unit, i.e...
in Yiling District
Yiling District
Yiling District is a district within the prefecture-level city of Yichang in China's Hubei Province. Created in July 2001, the district includes most of the former Yichang County, with the exception of Yichang center city and certain southern and western suburbs.The land area of Yiling District...
of Yichang
Yichang
Yichang is a prefecture-level city located in Hubei province of the People's Republic of China. It is the second largest city in Hubei province after the province capital, Wuhan. The Three Gorges Dam is located within its administrative area, in Yiling District.-History:In ancient times Yichang...
prefecture-level city
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
in the Chinese province of Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
. It is located on the right (southern) bank of the Yangtze River, next to Yiling District's border with Zigui County to the west. Sandouping is best known as the location of the Three Gorges Dam
Three Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, located in the Yiling District of Yichang, in Hubei province, China...
which is the world's largest electricity-generating plant of any kind.
Geography
The Town of Sandouping occupies 178 km2 on the right (southern) bank of the Yangtze River, opposite the town of Letianxi (乐天溪镇), to which it is connected by Xiling BridgeXiling Bridge
The Xiling Bridge, or Xiling Yangtze Bridge , is a suspension bridge over the Yangtse River, just a few kilometers downstream from the Three Gorges Dam...
.
Sandouping is the only town in Yiling District that is located south of the river.
Sandouping's western neighbor is the town of Maoping
Maoping
Maoping is a town in Zigui County , in the western part of Hubei Province of China. It is the county seat of Zigui County, and as such is labeled simply as "Zigui" or "Zigui County" on most less-detailed maps.The town is located on the right bank of the Yangtze, just upstream of the Three...
, the county seat of the nearby Zigui County. Although it is only a kilometer or two west of the dam (straight-line distance), it is actually several kilometers drive on Hubei Provincial Route 134, because of the terrain.
Administratively, the Town of Sandouping is divided into 19 villages (村) and 1 neighhborhood committee (居民委员会). Sandouping's central urban area, where the town government and most services are located, is technically known as Yuanyi Village (园艺村). It is situated some 5 km east the of the southern end of the Three Gorges Dam.
The neighborhood just to the east, known as Huanglingmiao Village (黄陵庙村), is named after Huangling Temple (黄陵庙) located there near the Yangtze River waterfront. It is being developed as a tourism area, centered around the riverboat dock.
A secondary center of economic activity in the town is located in its western part, within walking distance from the service entrance to the Three Gorges Dam (Gaojiachong Village (高家冲) and Sandouping "neighhborhood committee").
History
The predecessor of today's Sandouping, the village of Huangniupu (黄牛铺, "Yellow Cow Post Station") was established during the reign of the Hongzhi EmperorHongzhi Emperor
The Hongzhi Emperor was emperor of the Ming dynasty in China between 1487 and 1505. Born Zhu Youcheng , he was the son of the Chenghua Emperor and his reign as emperor of China is called the Hongzhi...
in 1496. Sandouping District
District (China)
The term district, in the context of China, is used to refer to several unrelated political divisions in both ancient and modern China....
was created in 1949 and transformed into Sandouping Town in 1984.
Sandouping used to be a small fishing village until it was selected to be the site of the Three Gorges Dam.
In 1999, at the peak of the construction, over 40,000 workers lived in Sandouping.
At the time, special permits were required to enter the town.
Six out of nineteen Sandouping's villages are populated by families that have been resettled from the areas flooded by the waters of the Three Gorges Reservoir
Three Gorges Reservoir Region
Three Gorges Reservoir Region, including 25 county-level divisions of Chongqing municipality and Hubei province, is the region directly or indirectly involved in the submersion of the water storage of the reservoir region of the Three Gorges Project....
, or, earlier, the Gezhouba Reservoir
Gezhouba Dam
The Gezhouba Dam or Gezhouba Water Control Project on the Yangtze River is located in the western suburbs of Yichang City in central China's Hubei province. The dam sits a few kilometers upstream from downtown Yichang, just downstream of the fall of the Huangbo River into the Yangtze. Construction...
.
Economy
The town's economy is closely connected to the Yangtze River. Besides the Three Gorges DamThree Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, located in the Yiling District of Yichang, in Hubei province, China...
, major local enterprises include Hailun Shipyard (海轮造船厂) and Fazhong Vessel Servicing Company (发中船务有限公司).
The three main agricultural products of Sandouping are citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
fruits (according to different governmental sources, 15,000 mu [ 1,000 hectares] or 10535 mu [702 ha] under cultivation, with an annual harvest of 14,000 metric tons ), silkworms (14400 mu/ 960 ha of mulberry pantations), and tea (3316 mu/ 221 ha).
The town's authorities are working on expanding tourism in the area.