The river conserved spirit of people in Jingzhou, who wrotetheir own history; their soul was nourished by the water, with thousands offamous works left. Jingzhou, the ancient city, built by the side of the riverand prospered for the river. Water is the soul of the thousand-year-old city. Theflowing river has carved out the land of milk and honey. Criss-crossing riversand lakes, with blue sky and white clouds, creates a poetic scenery of Canal Towns in South of the Yangtze. Theriver gifted the magnificent land, where cultivated the splendid Chu cultureand staged the well-known story of the Three Kingdoms. It witnessed the riseand fall of modern civilization, and stimulated the on-going vigor of theriverside city.

30 °N, a mysterious and odd parallel, runs through thefour ancient civilizations of the world. The world's most famous rivers also flowinto the sea in this area. Along with the parallel, the Yangtze River flowsthrough the city springing from snow mountains that are 5,000 meters above sealevel. In Jingzhou, it curves with beautiful landscape and then runs eastward.

“Roaring Yangtze River, rages most in Jingzhou. “Peoplewalk on river bed level, but the river flow on their head level”, the Chineseproverb that spread in the past hundred years has been selected into the highschool geography textbooks, describing an amazing scenery. Jingjiang River, themiddle reaches of the Yangtze River from Zhijiang County in Hubei province to ChenglingRock in Hunan province, twists and curves, where has been seriously affectedthe most by the Yangtze river since ancient times. People in the southern bankof the Jingjiang River has suffered from flood.

Over the years, the great embankment protects Jingzhoulike mother’s arms. The challenge of nature has inspired the wisdom and energyof the people of Jingzhou in past dynasties, which made the Jingjiangembankment enter the glorious history of China's water conservancyconstruction. Founded in the late Tang dynasty, Guanyin Rock has been standing nearthe Yangtze River for more than 1,000 years, representing the historicalachievements of generations of people in Jingzhou on flood control. To govern Jingzhou,the flood must be controlled firstly. Since ancient times, the flood has been theconstraint of development of Jingzhou.

On April 5, 1952, Jingjiang Flood Diversion Projectstarted construction. The first large-scale flood control project after thefounding of new China took just over two months to build, which is consideredan amazing miracle in the history of hydraulic engineering. "roaringYangtze River, shows beauty in the Jingjiang." At present, through effortsof Jingzhou City, the ecological new picture with clean water, green shore andbeautiful scenery makes visitors indulge on the 483-kilometer coastline of theYangtze River. The eight counties (cities, districts) of Jingzhou City arestanding by the river. The special location decided the significantresponsibility and mission of Jingzhou on the Yangtze River protection.

The government took efforts such as closing docks,afforesting on the shore, cleaning the riverside, fighting illegal sandexcavation, etc. In recent years, the changes on both sides of the Jingjiang Riverreflect Jingzhou's historical responsibility in enhancing the protection of theYangtze River. If the ever-flowing Yangtze River is magnificent, the Four LakeWatershed on its north and the Jingnan Four Rivers to the south have view ofimplicit beauty.

Honghu, Changhu,Sanhu and Bailu Lake, the four interconnected lakes, are important water conservation areas in JianghanPlain. They breed people in Four Lake Watershed with clean water, bringinggreat harvest.

Four Lake Watershed is thriving for water, also animportant agricultural production base of Hubei Province. People living hererow and fish, digging lotus root, with clean water and paddling birds. It iscommon to see the scenery that "green lotus leaves extend endlessly,flowers show different red under the sunshine".

"Jingnan Four Rivers” are Songzi River, Hudu River, Ouchi River and TiaoxianRiver. The Four Rivers are the link between the Yangtze River and DongtingLake.

For a long time, the Yangtze River and itstributaries, the "Jingnan Four Rivers", have continuously providedthe people in Jingnan with abundant water resources.

With the development of urban economy, these lakes andrivers have made contribution for human beings, but the water ecology was oncedestroyed. However, with the improvement of citizens' environmentalconsciousness, these waters have been revitalized, which has laid thefoundation for green city.

In 2018, the decision of Jingzhou Municipal Party Committeeon bearing mission in mind to accelerate the high-quality development of Jingzhoupointed out that to carry out comprehensively the lake "nonhuman and naturalnourishing" strategy, the promotion of returning land to lake andreturning land to wetland, and the continuously comprehensive management of theFour Lakes basin and the Jingnan Four Rivers.

The Four Lakes and Four Rivers have presented apicture scroll of a canal town with ecological harmony and azure sky. Overlookingfrom high altitude, green waves extend like a silk sleeve full of vitality,waving the graceful scenery of Canal Towns in South of the Yangtze.

Wandering along the moat, surface of lake ripples, itis crowded with visitors; Strolling along the bank of the Jingsha River, thereare pavilions and waterside pavilions, willows and soft wind; Boating on the JiangjinLake, with clear water and blue sky, lotus fragrance bursts.

The drainage system of Jingzhou City is divided into inlandwaterways and lakes. Inland waterways include the moat, Jingsha River, Jingxiang River, Xigan Canal, Sihu Canal,Chihu Canal and Taihu Canal. There are seven lakes, including Jiangjin Lake, Zhanglijia Pool, FanjiaPool, Wen Lake, Xi Lake, Three Kingdoms Park and TaiShi Pool.

The drainage system of Jingzhou City brings bonusbeauty to the scenery the Yangtze River, the Four Lakes, the Four Rivers, goesfurther on harmonious relationship between human and water and highlights thecity's aura. The government formulated the plan for the connection project of drainagesystem and rivers and lakes in the central urban area, aiming to introducewater sources from the Yangtze River and the Chang Lake, restore the waterquality in the urban area, and make connection between the river, lakes, canalsand other drainage system in the urban area, so as to make runoff water flowsacross the city and create an ecological system of rivers and lakes and a smartcity.

In 2008, Jingzhou City improved the water quality ofthe Jingsha River by diverting water from the Juzhang River to the moat, the JingshaRiver, the inland jingxiang River and the Xigan Canal.

In 2014, with startup of project of water diversionfrom Yangtze River to the Hanjiang River, Jingzhou also brought water from theYangtze River to the urban area through the diversion sluice of Gangnan Canal,further improving the urban water ecological environment

In 2017, the connecting project of drainage system of JiangjinLake, Shashi District was completed. The water ofthe Yangtze River is led to Jiangjin Lake through the underground pipeline of ShalondaSquare in Shashi District, and then through the pipeline which is laid from JiangjinLake to Zhanglijia Pool, and finally flows to the Xigan Canal.

Through water-environment management and waterlandscape construction, the former stagnant rivers and lakes have beentransformed into clear water landscape gardens. The integration of urbandrainage system makes the land and water greening mutually reflect and echoeach other, forming a unique and charming canal-town garden city.

The water flows and becomes clear; the landscape hasbeen beautified and lightened; citizens enjoy the changes.

This is the new Jingzhou City in the new era. Thecanal town scenery that “city on the water, water in the city, trees everywhereand surface of clear lake ripples” is still ongoing.