Wuxue, formerly Guangji County (Postal Romanization: Kwangtsi), is a county-level city on the north shore of the Yangtze River in eastern Hubei province, People's Republic of China. Wuxue falls under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Huanggang.

Geography

Wuxue's total population is about 580,000 and the city extends over 1200 km2, almost all of which is cultivated. The city has Mount Lu to the east, is close to the Qizhou hometown of famed ancient pharmacist Li Shizhen in neighboring Qichun County in the west, borders the Yangtze River in the south, and leans against the Dabie Shan mountain range in the north. Wuxue is 220 kilometers downriver from the provincial capital of Wuhan and about 50 kilometers upriver from the port of Jiujiang City, on the south side of the Yangtze in Jiangxi province.

Climate

Administrative divisions

Wuxue administers four subdistricts and eight towns:

History

Wuxue opened as a port towards the end of the 16th century. Upon China signing the 1876 Yantai treaty with Britain, foreign merchants established an upgraded wharf. The port's strategic advantage lies in its proximity to the juncture of three provinces — Hubei, Anhui, and Jiangxi — and serves as a central hub for commodity trade. The port was modernized in 1953, with further-enhanced navigational improvements in 1975 and 1980. The total length of the port waterfront is now 14 kilometers, with 23 quay berths and many large warehouses, hoists, and cranes. The port handles both commodity and passenger traffic.

Transportation

In addition to the port, Wuxue is known as the "Gateway to Three Provinces" (mentioned above). As well, it is served by the east-west inter-provincial Shanghai-Hibiscus Expressway, and is a major station on the Beijing-Guangzhou railway. A passenger ferry runs across the river and downstream to Jiujiang, and Wuxue is about one hour by car from Jiujiang airport.