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Lichuan, Hubei

Coordinates: 30°17′28″N 108°56′11″E / 30.2910°N 108.9364°E / 30.2910; 108.9364
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Lichuan
利川市
Lichwan
Lichuan Railway Station
Lichuan Railway Station
Lichuan is located in Hubei
Lichuan

Lichuan

Location in Hubei

Coordinates: 30°17′28″N 108°56′11″E / 30.2910°N 108.9364°E / 30.2910; 108.9364
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceHubei
PrefectureEnshi
Township-level divisions2 subdistricts
6 towns
6 townships
Municipal seatDuting Subdistrict (都亭街道)
Area
 • County-level city4,612.19 km2 (1,780.78 sq mi)
 • Urban133.00 km2 (51.35 sq mi)
Elevation
1,083 m (3,553 ft)
Population
 (2010)[1]
 • County-level city654,094
 • Estimate 
(2017)
983,000
 • Density140/km2 (370/sq mi)
 • Urban226,500
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
Area code0718
Websitelichuan.gov.cn

Lichuan (Chinese: 利川; pinyin: Lìchuān) is a county-level city of the Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in southwestern Hubei province, People's Republic of China, located 52 kilometres (32 mi) west of Enshi City, the prefecture seat. It borders Chongqing Municipality to the southwest, west, and north. It has approximately 870,000 inhabitants.[when?]

Nature[edit]

Lichuan is believed to be the location of most (if not all) of the naturally growing Metasequoia glyptostroboides trees in existence. The genus Metasequoia, related to the giant redwoods of North America, was first described as a fossil from the Mesozoic Era in 1941. But in 1943 a small stand of an unidentified tree was discovered in Modaoxi (磨刀溪), presently known as Moudao (谋道) Town, in Lichuan County, by Zhan Wang.[3] After the end of the World War II, this tree species was officially described as the only living species of Metasequoia, and given the scientific name Metasequoia glyptostroboides. In 1948 the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University sent an expedition to Lichuan to collect seeds and, soon after, seedling trees were distributed to various universities and arboreta worldwide for growth trials.

Presently, a number of natural Metasequoia populations exist in the hills and wetlands of Lichuan. Most of these groups are small, with fewer than 30 trees each; however, the largest of them, in Xiaohe Valley, is estimated to consist of around 5,400 trees.[3] Outside of Lichuan, a few trees are also said to exist in the Hunan Province.[3]

The Tenglong Cave is located within a few miles from Lichuan.

Administrative divisions[edit]

There are two subdistricts, seven towns, and five townships under the city's administration:[1][4][5][6]

Subdistricts (街道)[edit]

Two subdistricts:

Towns ()[edit]

Seven towns:

Townships ()[edit]

Five townships:

Climate[edit]

Climate data for Lichuan (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 17.5
(63.5)
21.9
(71.4)
29.7
(85.5)
32.0
(89.6)
31.6
(88.9)
33.7
(92.7)
34.3
(93.7)
34.1
(93.4)
33.2
(91.8)
28.0
(82.4)
23.9
(75.0)
19.7
(67.5)
34.3
(93.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 5.8
(42.4)
8.1
(46.6)
13.0
(55.4)
18.7
(65.7)
22.3
(72.1)
25.4
(77.7)
28.0
(82.4)
28.1
(82.6)
23.7
(74.7)
18.2
(64.8)
13.6
(56.5)
8.0
(46.4)
17.7
(63.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 2.4
(36.3)
4.4
(39.9)
8.2
(46.8)
13.5
(56.3)
17.4
(63.3)
20.7
(69.3)
23.2
(73.8)
22.7
(72.9)
18.9
(66.0)
13.7
(56.7)
9.1
(48.4)
4.0
(39.2)
13.2
(55.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 0.0
(32.0)
1.7
(35.1)
4.9
(40.8)
9.7
(49.5)
13.8
(56.8)
17.3
(63.1)
19.9
(67.8)
19.1
(66.4)
15.6
(60.1)
10.9
(51.6)
6.1
(43.0)
1.4
(34.5)
10.0
(50.1)
Record low °C (°F) −10.2
(13.6)
−9.0
(15.8)
−5.1
(22.8)
0.3
(32.5)
5.1
(41.2)
9.2
(48.6)
11.4
(52.5)
12.3
(54.1)
7.0
(44.6)
0.5
(32.9)
−3.7
(25.3)
−8.6
(16.5)
−10.2
(13.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 24.5
(0.96)
32.0
(1.26)
63.3
(2.49)
118.5
(4.67)
179.1
(7.05)
191.1
(7.52)
197.8
(7.79)
158.1
(6.22)
122.4
(4.82)
104.4
(4.11)
63.9
(2.52)
22.4
(0.88)
1,277.5
(50.29)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 12.7 12.1 13.9 15.7 17.6 16.8 16.8 14.8 13.0 15.2 12.3 10.6 171.5
Average snowy days 11.6 7.0 2.6 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.9 5.7 28
Average relative humidity (%) 80 79 78 78 79 81 81 80 81 83 82 80 80
Mean monthly sunshine hours 50.7 46.0 85.1 109.5 116.7 114.1 158.6 176.7 115.0 87.9 75.2 63.1 1,198.6
Percent possible sunshine 16 14 23 28 28 27 37 43 31 25 24 20 26
Source: China Meteorological Administration[7][8]

Transport[edit]

China National Highway 318 runs through Lichuan on its way from Enshi to Wanzhou, Chongqing. G50 Shanghai–Chongqing Expressway also passes to the south of the city centre.

Until the opening of the Yiwan Railway in 2010, there were no railways in Lichuan (or anywhere in Enshi Prefecture). Now Lichuan Station has regular service to Chengdu, Wuhan, and points beyond. In the future, Lichuan will become a junction where the future Yuli Railway (the line from Lichuan toward Chongqing) will join the Yiwan Railway mainline (from Yichang via Lichuan to Wanzhou, with further connections to Chengdu).

Proposals have also been made for the construction of a tourist scenic railway between Lichuan Railway Station and the region's popular tourist attractions, the Tenglong Cave and the Enshi Grand Canyon Scenic Area (恩施大峡谷景区).[9]

References[edit]



(一)^ abc沿 [Lichuan City Historical Development] (in Simplified Chinese). XZQH.org. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2019. 20044612.19{...}201065409480586400014423660771609844726459539595804337923067355935001525913216741492 2013[2013]6275

(二)^ abMinistry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, ed. (2019). China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2017. Beijing: China Statistics Press. p. 66. Retrieved 11 January 2020.

(三)^ abcLanglois, Gaytha A. (2005), "A conservation plan for Metasequoia in China", in LePage, Ben A.; Williams, Christopher James; Yang, Hong (eds.), The geobiology and ecology of Metasequoia, Volume 22 of Topics in geobiology, Springer, p. 369, ISBN 1-4020-2631-5

(四)^  [Lichuan Overview].  (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 6 January 2019. 4600西92105275

(五)^ 2017 [2017 Statistical Area Numbers and Rural-Urban Area Numbers: Lichuan City] (in Simplified Chinese). National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China. 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2019.   422802001000  422802002000  422802100000  422802101000  422802102000  422802103000  422802104000  422802105000  422802106000  422802200000  422802201000  422802202000  422802203000  422802205000  422802400000 

(六)^ 2011 (in Simplified Chinese). National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China. Retrieved 2013-02-21.

(七)^   WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 11 June 2023.

(八)^   (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 28 May 2023.

(九)^ Wang Gongshang (); Li Yuhui ().  [Enshi is looking forward to the construction of the mainland's first forest scenic tourist railway]. -. Retrieved 2013-12-25.

External links[edit]