A Town in Jizhou, Hubei, Surrounded by Water, Claimed to be the ‘Yangtze’s Bermuda Triangle’
The section of the Yangtze River in Jizhou, also known as Jingjiang, is renowned for its broad river surface and winding, serpentine course. The river channel of Jingjiang meanders and curves, and within the city of Shitou, there is a huge U-shaped bend.
At this U-shaped bend, there is a town, which is Shitou Town.
The name is quite strange, being situated in China's most famous river, the Yangtze, hailed as the country's longest – yet named 'River Mouth'. Why is it called 'Small River Mouth'?
Shitou Town: It's not very large
Shitou Town is located on the north bank of the Yangtze River and is known as the 'Northern Pearl'. It has an area of 138 square kilometers and a population of 28,867. In terms of population compared to the two star towns – Dongshan Town and Xinchang Town – it is smaller than Xinchang Town, only half the size of Dongshan Town.
Although the entire Jizhou region has abundant water resources, Shitou Town's water has its own unique advantages.
Shitou Town has over 30 kilometers of Yangtze River shoreline, and due to the rerouting of the Yangtze, it has formed over 20,000 acres of the ancient Yangtze channel. Surrounding the ancient channel are 30,000 acres of tidal flats. It is precisely because of Shitou Town's excellent environment that two national treasures live along the ancient channel: the finless porpoise (a national level protected animal) and the 'Four-Legged Deer'.
Shitou Town, though the town area is small and the population is not large, has a remarkably well-developed town function, with the Zhonghua New District Cultural Square, hospitals, and schools. It has gained the titles of National Civilized Town, Provincial Health Town, and Jizhou Star Township thanks to its superior natural environment and sound urban construction.
Shitou Town is also a revolutionary old district, where the revolutionary predecessors such as He Long and Zhou Yi-qiu fought. It was also an important logistics base for the Red Army in West Hubei, where the Red Army Hospital, Army Factory, and ' Farmers Bank Coinage Factory' were established.
Shitou Town: Surrounded by water, it is also known as the 'Yangtze's Bermuda Triangle'
The Yangtze's unique course in Shitou Town has also created Shitou Town's unique natural phenomenon. It has been recorded that eight aircraft have crashed near Shitou Town.
According to the Shitou Town Chronicle, before the founding of the People's Republic of China, three military aircraft crashed in Shitou Town, namely in November 1942, May 1944 and June 1944. In October 1990, an aircraft created as a joint venture between the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources and China Fly Dragon Airlines (Heilongjiang) crashed in Shitou Town, resulting in casualties.
Later, four agricultural aircraft also crashed repeatedly. This has cast a mysterious color on the Yangtze section of Shitou Town, so Shitou Town is known as Shitou Town's 'Bermuda Triangle' in Shitou Town.
Shitou Town has abundant Yangtze River water resources and forest resources along the shore, as well as rich red tourism resources.
With the advancement of all-inclusive tourism, Shitou Town's unique resource advantages will undoubtedly transform into huge development advantages.
