Yichang

Yichang, city in eastern China, in Hubei Province, a port on the Yangtze River. The Yangtze Gorges, upstream to the east and navigable only by small vessels, make Yichang the head of navigation on the middle Yangtze River and an important transshipment point for traffic to and from adjacent Sichuan Province. Manufactures include chemicals, textiles, paper, processed food, and cement.

An old, walled city, important from ancient times, Yichang grew rapidly as a treaty port after 1877. Japanese forces damaged (1938-1940) and occupied (1940-1945) the city during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), severely disrupting commercial activities. Industrial activity expanded after 1949. Population (2003 estimate) 4,150,000.