Shiyan

About Shiyan

Shiyan is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hubei, China, bordering Henan to the northeast, Chongqing to the southwest, and Shaanxi to the north and west. At the 2020 census, its population was 3,209,004 of whom 1,033,407 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made up of 2 urban districts of Maojian and Zhangwan on 1,193 square kilometres (461 square miles) as Yunyang is not conurbated. In 2007, the city was named among China's top ten livable cities by Chinese Cities Brand Value Report, which was released at 2007 Beijing Summit of China Cities Forum.

Shiyan was first mentioned by its current name in 1484. After the establishment of the PRC, Shiyan was part of Yun County (nowadays Yunyang District).

From the 1930s through the 1950s, Shiyan was heavily impacted by frequent flooding along the Han River. In response to these floods, the government established the Danjiangkou Water Conservancy Project in 1958, a project to prevent flooding along the Han River, supply water for irrigation, and generate hydroelectricity on the river. As part of the project, the Danjiangkou Dam was built from 1958 to 1974, creating the Danjiangkou Reservoir...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.