A Snapshot of Yuan’an County

Yuan’an county lies in the northeast of Yichang City. It’s in the transition zone from the Western Hubei Hilly Area to the Jianghan Plain.

Yuan’an has a long history and a rich cultural heritage. It is the hometown of Leizu, wife of Huang Di (the Yellow Emperor) and reputed discoverer of sericulture. The Yellow Emperor is one of the legendary Chinese sovereigns and cultural heroes included among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. He is regarded as the founder of Chinese civilization and said to be the ancestor of all Huaxia Chinese.

It is also the birthplace of the Chu culture given that this is where Chu State (c. 1030 – 223 BC) was established.

The county has an excellent ecological environment with a forest coverage rate of over 74 percent. It is also rich in mineral resources, including 1.78 billion tons of phosphate rock reserves and 600 billion cubic meters of shale gas reserves, making it the richest shale gas resource area in China outside the Sichuan Basin.

Yuan’an has jurisdiction over six towns and one township, covering a land area of more than 1,700 square kilometers. Its GDP in 2021 was more than 20 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 19.2 percent.