Yichang, a medium-sized city located in the western part of Hubei province, China. Due to its advantageous geographic location at a fork in the upper Yangtze River, Yichang has developed into the second largest city in Hubei province and as a distribution center, an important trading port, and a transportation hub linking west Hubei with east Sichuan Province. The Three Gorges Dam is located within its administrative area, in Yiling District
Yichang attracts domestic and foreign visitors alike seeking to explore the Three Gorges and to admire the modern irrigation projects of the mighty Yangtze River. There are also boats offering shorter cruises starting and ending at Yichang. Canoeing at the gorges can be an unforgettable experience. Besides the Three Gorges, the Gezhou Dam in Yichang, only about .5 km east of the cruise dock, was the first dam on the Yangtze River, built in the early 1980s, still plays an important role in Yangtze River today. Another place to go through the culture of Yangtze River is the living fossil_Chinese Sturgeon Research Base.