Yichang is a small city on the north bank of the Yangzi which would see few visitors were it not the terminus for the Three Gorges cruise, and the nearest city to the gigantic dam 22 miles west at Sandouping. Most tourists arrive by boat from Chongqing, but you can also start the Three Gorges cruise upstream from Yichang, which takes fractionally longer. Chances are you won't need to stay in Yichang, but if you do you'll find reasonable hotel rates and a pleasant, if unexceptional small city.
Getting Here & Away
By Air
Taxis cost around $60 to the airport, which is six miles east of town.
Flight details from Yichang
Beijing (2 daily, 2 hrs); Chongqing (1 daily, 50 mins); Guangzhou (2 daily, 1 hr 40 mins); Shanghai (1 daily, 2 hrs); Shenzhen (1 daily, 1 hr 30 mins); Xi'an (1 daily, 1 hr 10 mins).
By Rail
The train station sits on a hill immediately above Dongshan Dadao.
Train details
Beijing (1 daily, 20 hrs); Guangzhou (3 daily, 15-23 hrs); Hangzhou (1 daily, 27 hrs); Nanjing (1 daily, 21 hrs); Shanghai (1 daily, 10 hrs); Xi'an (1 daily, 6 hrs).
Getting Around
Yichang is small enough to negotiate on foot, but there are taxis ($5) if it's too hot to walk.
Orientation
As a small city Yichang is fairly easy to find your way around and the bulk of amenities are within walking distance of the train station. The train station sits on a hill in the north of town and there are restaurants, hotels, shops, a post office and banks between here and the Yangzi River a mile to the south.
Information Sources
The better hotels are your best bet for information in Yichang, but the CITS at Yiling Lu (tel.0717-6220-837) are also helpful and can arrange tours.
Communications
Telephone code: 0717
Post Office: At the intersection of Yunji Lu and Yiling Lu.
Internet access: There are Internet cafés dotted around the city, including one on the south side of Fusui Lu.
Bank of China: Shengli Lu.
Public Security Bureau: Tiyuchang Lu (tel.0717-6499-943).
Medical services: Yichang Central People's Hospital at 127 Yiling Lu (tel.0717-6447-894).
Sightseeing
Aside from the mammoth Sandouping Dam site an hour out of town, which has become a popular tourist sight, Yichang has little in the way of visitor attractions. You can take a taxi to the Gezhouba Dam ($20) in the north of town, which was formerly the largest along the Yangzi, but otherwise the best thing to do is take a wander through the riverside park.
Where to Stay
If you plan your onward travel well, there's no need to stay in Yichang, but if you find yourself here for a night there are a few reasonable hotels. The functional but friendly Heping Jia Ri (tel.0717-6254-088; $$) and upscale Yichang International (tel.0717-6222-888; $$$) are both down by the river on Yanjiang Dadao, while the Taohualing (tel.0717-6236-666; $$$-$$$$) on Yunji Lu is a safe mid-range bet in the center of town. If you're on a tight budget, there are a selection of cheap places at the train station end of Yunji Lu, including the good value New Century Hotel (tel.0717-6445-559; $$).
See Travel & Living, Food & Drink section for an explanation of the $ restaurant price codes and Accommodation for a key to the hotel price codes.
Where to Eat & Drink
Yichang's restaurant scene isn't up to much, but the better hotels have reasonable fare and the Beijing Jiaoziguan ($-$$) on Longkang Lu serves tasty dumplings and other northern fare. For cheap eats the nightmarket, which sets up along the river on Yanjiang Dadao, is popular with locals and tourists alike. You'll find a good cup of tea and some riverside retreat at the Zhenjiangge Teahouse, but if you crave things Western there's a McDonald's and KFC set around the square, and a few coffee shops such as Liujin Suiyue nearby. Yichang doesn't have much nightlife to speak of, but there are a few bars along Jiefang Lu.
Appendix
Bibliography & Recommended Reading
The following books are all worth reading, particularly the triple-starred works, and have been of use and interest during my travels in China and the compilation of this book. You'll find reviews for most of the titles below at www.amazon.com.
Biographies
Jung Chang, Wild Swans
Jung Chang & Jon Halliday, Mao: The Unknown Story
Richard Evans, Deng Xiaoping and the Making Of Modern China
Ma Jian, Red Dust: a Path Through China
John Man, Genghis Khan
Anchee Min, Red Azalea: Life and Love in China
Philip Short, Mao: A Life
Marina Warner, The Dragon Empress
Adeline Yeh Mah, Fallen Leaves
Classics
Li Bai & Du Fu, Endless River
Wu Cheng'en, Journey to the West
Confucius, The Book of Songs
Luo Guanzhong, Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Luo Guanzhong & Shi Nai'an, Outlaws of the Marsh aka The Water Margin
David R. McCraw, Du Fu's Laments from the South
Arthur Waley (trans) Monkey – an abbreviated version of Journey to the West
Cao Xueqin, The Dream of the Red Chamber
Sun Zi, The Art of War
Culinary
Francine Halvorsen, The Food and Cooking of China
Nina Simonds, The Food of China: a Journey for Food Lovers
Martin Yan, Martin Yan's Culinary Journey Through China
Culture & Society
Ian Buruma, Bad Elements: Chinese Rebels from LA to Beijing
Tom Clissold, Mr China
Ted Fishmen, China Inc
Oded Shenkar, The Chinese Century
Kenneth Wilkinson, World Cultures: China
XueXinran, The Good Women of China
Fiction
Andrea Barrett, The Middle Kingdom
Carolyn Choa & Su Li-Qun, The Picador Book of Contemporary Chinese Fiction
Wei Hui, Shanghai Baby
Lao She, Rickshaw Boy
Wang Shuo, Please Don't Call Me Human
Sid Smith, A House by the River
Annie Wang, People's Republic of Desire
Mo Yan, The Garlic Ballads
History
Patricia Ebrey, Cambridge Illustrated History of China