7 Days in Ezhou

The 1345 Guanyin Pavilion on its reef — in flood years the Yangtze covers the base — then Xishan's Nine-Bend Pavilion above the current.

1. ezhou binjiang park
2. ezhou guanyin pavilion
3. ezhou xishan

Hundreds of Han-to-Six-Dynasties bronze mirrors, then the earthworks of the capital that Sun Quan established in 221 AD and left in 229 when the court moved to Jianye.

1. ezhou museum
2. ezhou wuwang city ruins

A 30-minute ferry to the island — Hubei's second-largest freshwater lake and the home waters of the Wuchang bream; fish lunch on the waterfront.

1. ezhou liangzi lake
2. ezhou liangzi island

Forest walks at Zhaoshan on the lake's southern shore, then the lotus beds of Honglian Lake to the north, with village fish markets along the road.

1. ezhou zhaoshan forest park
2. ezhou honglian lake

An honest neighbouring-megacity day: the intercity rail opened in 2014 takes about 40 minutes — the tower first raised in 223 AD and rebuilt in 1985, the 1957 river bridge, and a walk through the old streets below Snake Hill.

1. ezhou yellow crane tower
2. ezhou changjiang bridge

Another declared neighbour day to the east, about half an hour by rail: the open-pit iron mine with terraced walls about 440 metres deep, then Cihu Lake at dusk.

1. ezhou huangshi mine park
2. ezhou cihu lake

A slow morning lap of Yanglan Lake, a last look at the pavilion from the riverside park, then the train or flight — Ezhou's Huahu airport opened in July 2022 and flies to a growing list of cities.

1. ezhou yanglan lake
2. ezhou binjiang park