Xiangfan

Xiangfan (zh-sp|s=襄樊|p=Xiāngfán) is a prefecture-level city in Hubei province, People's Republic of China. It was formed from two cities famous in Chinese culture and history, Xiangyang and Fancheng.

Administration

The prefecture-level city of Xiangfan administers 8 county-level divisions, including 2 districts, 3 county-level cities and 4 counties.

Xiangfan, lies on the borders of the Han river, between Wuhan and Xian, the fifth city of Hubei has a population of 5787700 and 466000 live in the city.

The government website of Xiangfan(襄樊市): http://www.xf.gov.cn/
*Xiangyang District (襄阳区)
*Xiangcheng District (襄城区)
*Fancheng District (樊城区)
*Zaoyang City (枣阳市)
*Yicheng City (宜城市)
*Laohekou City (老河口市)
*Nanzhang County (南漳县)
*Gucheng County (谷城县)
*Baokang County (保康县)

These are further divided into 159 township-level divisions, including 106 towns, 29 townships and 24 subdistricts.

History

Xiangfan is a famous national-level historical and cultural city in China, with a history of over 2800 years. It was the location of major battles during the Three Kingdoms period in 191 A.D. between Sun Jian and Liu Biao and in 1267-1273 A.D. between the Southern Song and the Mongols.

Its major scenic spots and cultural sites include Xiangyang City Moat, the Pseudo-classic Street, Ancient Longzhong, Memorial Temple to Mi Fu, Lu- men Temple.

The wall of Xiangfan city is very old, but the condition is fine now. The region's premier tourist attractions are Dahongshan scenic area and some historical relics, including the Lumenshan relic, the Zhanggongci Temple, the Cheng' en Monastery, and the Baishui Monastery.

Industry

Xiangfan is rich in water energy resource. Mineral deposits include rutile, ilmenite, phosphorus, barite, coal, iron, aluminum, gold, manganese, nitre, and rock salt. Rutile and ilmenite reserves rank high in China. Textile industry is the mainstay. Machinery, chemical, electronics, and construction material making are also Xiangfan's industries. Xiangfan is rich in agricultural resources, the chief farm products of Xiangfan include grain, cotton, vegetable oil crops, tobacco, tea, and fruit.Xiangfan is a well known automobile hub (Dong Feng Motors ). In addition, there are quite a few chemical fibre enterprises in the city ( Birla Jingwei Fibres from Aditya Birla Group).

Transportation

Rail and highway transportation facilities in Xiangfan are very good. Air routes from Xiangfan Airport link Xiangfan with some other major cities throughout China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and so on.

External links

* [http://www.xf.gov.cn Government website of Xiangfan] (in Simplified Chinese)
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/contents/06dat/geo.html#xiangfan Exploring Chinese History :: Geographical Database Entry]