Description : Jingzhou (Chinese: 荆州; pinyin: Jīngzhōu) is a prefecture-level city in southern Hubei province, China, located on the banks of the Yangtze River. Based on the 2010 census, its total population was 5,691,707, 1,154,086 of whom resided in the built-up (or metro) area comprising two urban districts. Jingzhou's central urban area has grown out of Shashi City and Jingzhou Town (historically also known as Jiangling); their names were preserved in the names of Shashi District and Jingzhou District, which include the city's historical center, as well as Jiangling County, which administers the suburban areas of the larger historical area of Jiangling. The name "Shashi" also remains in the names of a number of local facilities, such as Shashi Airport and a railway freight station. Jingzhou has been inhabited for approximately 5,000 to 6,000 years, with the historic Daxi culture residing in present-day Jingzhou. Situated in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the area has been a strategic location of military importance since ancient times. The area of present-day Jingzhou was where the State of Chu was founded. Ying, an ancient city within the borders of present-day Jingzhou, became the capital of the State of Chu in 689 BCE, and remained as such for over 400 years, including during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods of the Zhou Dynasty. The city was lost to Eastern Wu by Guan Yu during the Three Kingdoms period leading to the modern phrase "dàyì shī Jīngzhōu" (大意失荆州), lit. 'carelessness lost Jingzhou'. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties period, it was the capital of the Southern Qi and Liang dynasties. In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, it was the capital of Jingnan (also known as Nanping). Jingzhou was the site of one of the last major battles between Republican and Qing forces during the Xinhai Revolution in 1911. At the end of the Qing dynasty, Jingzhou had one of the largest Manchu populations, around half of the city, anywhere outside Beijing.
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