湖北省

Why this place

Hubei is built around the Yangtze, which runs the length of the province; the Three Gorges Dam near Yichang is the largest hydroelectric station in the world, and the river is the province's spine. Wuhan's museum holds the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, with the greatest set of bronze bells ever found.

What to see

• The Three Gorges Dam and the gorges upstream, by cruise
• Wuhan's Hubei Museum, the Yellow Crane Tower and the 1911 revolution sites
• Wudang Mountain — the Taoist mountain of the internal martial arts
• Shennongjia and Enshi's canyons and caves in the west
• Jingzhou's Ming city wall and its Chu textiles

What to eat

• Wuhan's hot dry noodles and doupi, the city's two breakfasts
• Yangtze river fish; Wuchang fish and lotus-root soup
• Enshi and western Hubei's Tujia cooking

How to plan

A week: Wuhan three, Yichang and the dam one, plus a 3-day cruise or Wudang Mountain.

Best time

March–May and October–November

Cities 13

武汉市 Wuhan黄石市 Huangshi十堰市 Shiyan宜昌市 Yichang襄阳市 Xiangyang鄂州市 Ezhou荆门市 Jingmen孝感市 Xiaogan荆州市 Jingzhou黄冈市 Huanggang咸宁市 Xianning随州市 Suizhou恩施土家族苗族自治州 Enshi