Yueyang Overview

Basic Information

• Chinese Name: 岳阳
• Administrative Category: Prefecture-level City
• Location: Northern Hunan
• Area: 15,019.2 square kilometers
• Population: 5,681,100(2016)

Administrative Division

According to the official website of the government in July 2017, Yueyang has jurisdiction over 4 districts, 4 counties and manages 2 cities. What's more, Yueyang has 4 administrative districts. The municipal government is located in Yueyang Avenue, Yueyanglou District.

• 4 Districts: Yueyanglou District(岳阳楼区), Yunxi District(云溪区), Junshan District(君山区)
• 4 Counties: Xiangyin County(湘阴县),  Yueyang County(岳阳县), Huarong County(华容县), Pingjiang County(平江县)
• 2 Cities: Miluo City(汨罗市), Linxiang City(临湘市)
• 4 Administrative Districts: Yueyang Economic and Technological Development Zone(National Level)(岳阳经济技术开发区（国家级）), Chenglingji Lingang Industrial New District(城陵矶临港产业新区), Nanhu New District (南湖新区), Quyuan Management District(屈原管理区)

Geography

Yueyang, formerly (until 1913) Yuezhou,  northern Hunan Province, southeast-central China. It is situated on the east bank of the outlet from the Dongting Lake into the Yangtze River, some 5 miles (8 km) from the outlet’s confluence with the Yangtze. Its port on the Yangtze is known as Chenglingji Port. The city is built on a high bluff well above high-water level, in a good defensive position.

Climate

Yueyang City is located in the East Asian monsoon climate zone. The climatic zone has the transitional nature of the mid-subtropical to the northern subtropical zone and enjoys a humid continental monsoon climate, which has these characteristics: warm and humid, four distinct seasons, rich in heat, short cold period, long frost-free period, hot summer, sufficient rain, distinct rainy season, concentrated precipitation.

Best Time to Go

The best time to visit Yueyang for general outdoor tourist activities is from late May to early September, with a peak score in the third week of August. The best time to visit Yueyang for hot-weather activities is from early July to mid August, with a peak score in the last week of July.

Transportation

Yueyang is at the confluence of Dongting Lake and the Yangtze River. It is the only riverside port open to the outside world in Hunan. Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, No.107 national highway and Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway go through the city from south to north, with convenient transport facilities. It is very convenient to get to Yueyang by air, train, long-distance bus and ship.

Festivals

Yueyang, a place with many ethnic minorities, has many unique folk festivals and the strong customs, which have become the major scenery line of Hunan Tourism. Although there are many traditional festivals in China, the most exciting is undoubtedly unique festivals for tourism. The main festivals are as follows:

What to Do in Yueyang

Characterized by spectacular landscapes, charming natural scenery and diverse ethnic customs, Yueyang is an impressive region to visit. Yueyang Tower(岳阳楼), located on the city wall of the west gate of the ancient city in Yueyang city, Hunan province, China, Yueyang Tower faces Junshan Island and overlooks Dongting Lake, being exquisite and imposing. Since ancient times, it has enjoyed the good reputation that Dongting Lake is the best among lakes, and Yueyang Tower is incomparable among towers. Qu Yuan Temple is used to worship Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet and minister who lived during the Warring States period of ancient China, and is located in the bank of Miluo River, Miluo City. Zhangguying Village (张谷英村) is an ancient village. Located in Zhangguying Town, Yueyang County, Hunan Province, the village is named after the forefather Zhang Guying. It is famous for its ancient building complex in the Ming and Qing dynasties. As vernacular residence in scale in the South Central China, the ancient building complex is the best preserved in China. What's more, the complex has been placed on the list of Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level on June 25, 2001. The village was also included on the first batch list of National Famous Historical and Cultural Villages on October 8, 2003 and became one of AAAA-rated tourist attractions on December 18, 2014. It is difficult to list all attractions in Yueyang one by one. If you want to know detailed information about attractions in Yueyang, you can see the introduction of attractions in the following. Of course, you can contact us for more detailed information. Therefore, come here, we can always find the right attractions for you according to your requirements. In fact, when you choose to go to Hunan, what you meet will be a dreamy trip.

History of Yueyang

The area now called Yueyang has been inhabited for over 3,000 years. It was originally established as a prefecture called Hanchang in 210 AD during the Three Kingdoms period. Under the Song Dynasty (AD 960-AD 1279) it was heavily fortified, with walls 4 miles (6.4 km) in circumference, and became the seat of the military prefecture of Yueyang, whence its present name. During the Taiping Rebellion, its capture by the rebels in AD 1852 was an important stage in their advance up the Yangtze River valley to Nanjing. At the time of the foundation of the Republic of China in AD 1911, it became a county, taking the name Yueyang.