Ezhou, the root of Hubei Province and the source of Wuchang, was formerly known as the capital of Wu and ancient Wuchang. It is currently a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Hubei Province, and has been selected as “National Sanitary City” and “National Civilized City”, covering a total administrative area of 1,596 square kilometers. The city is consisted of three county-level administrative districts (Echeng, Huarong and Liangzi Lake) and two functional areas (Gedian Economic and Technological Development Zone -- national project, and Airport Economic Zone -- provincial project). According to the seventh national census, the city's total resident population is 1.0794 million, which is one of the five cities and prefectures with population growth in Hubei Province. In the province, its industrialization rate ranks the first, the urbanization rates the second and GDP per capita the third.
Ezhou City was named "Fan State” in the Yao period, "Capital of E" in the Xia period and "E State" in the Yin and Shang periods. It was also the feud of the King of Chu and the King of E in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and Sun Quan claimed himself emperor here in the Three Kingdoms Period. On May 14, 1949, Echeng was liberated. In 1983, the administrative division of Echeng City and Echeng County was reset, and Ezhou City (under the provincial government) was established, merging Huangzhou Town of Huanggang County. In 1992, Ezhou City became sister cities successively with Sanjo (Japan), Abengunu (Cote d'Ivoire, Africa) and Whyalla (Australia).
Ezhou is located in the center of China’s economic geography. It is the key city of the Wuhan urban circle, an important node city of the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and the focus of the two major national strategies (the strategy of the rise of the central China, and the strategy of developing the Yangtze River Economic Belt). The city is therefore the dual center for both the country and the region. Ezhou, locating by the Yangtze River, is adjacent to Wuhan. People are close, roads are connected and industries are integrated. It is the city that has the tightest link to Wuhan in the Wuhan urban circle. The two national development zones, Ezhou Gedian Economic and Technological Development Zone and Wuhan Donghu High-tech Development Zone, are seamlessly connected.
In June 1956, Mao Zedong made an inspection tour to the south China. He swam in the Yangtze River, and wrote "I have just drunk the water of Changsha, and come to eat the fish of Wuchang” in "Shui Tiao Ge Head · Swimming”. In September 1958, Mao Zedong inspected the "Cotton Test Area in the Linjiang Management Zone of Xuguang People's Commune" in Linjiang, Ezhou.
On July 22, 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected Tongshan Mountain in Ezhou, and started a new chapter of development for Ezhou.