New cultural gallery takes shape

A building resembling a ship is taking shape at the Yangcha Road section of the Binjiang Park. The venue, which will open to the public at the end of this month, is the new Yichang Port Opening Culture Gallery. The building’s distinctive shape and its view of the Yangtze River will provide visitors with an immersive experience of Yichang's history and its “Gorge River Culture”.

Yichang is at the southwest of Hubei Province. It lies at the junction of the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River and has long been known as the "Gateway to the Three Gorges" and the "Sichuan-Hubei Gullet". It is an important transportation hub between Sichuan and Hubei provinces.

As Yichang Port opened to foreign trade in 1877, the influx of foreign firms boosted the economic growth of the city. Local shipping and transshipment trades quickly expanded. With its economy connected to outside world, Yichang’s urban area upgraded in a fast pace, and a trade center was formed near the Binjiang area. The booming local commercial trade further accelerated Yichang’s development.

Photo by Huang Xiang.