Jingzhou is the birthplace of Chu culture, with very rich cultural heritages. In more than 400 years during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, 20 generations of kings of Chu made Jingzhou the capital. With the hard work, ancestors of Chu created Chu culture comparable to the culture of ancient Greece (Athens), the earliest rice cultivation technique, the oldest ironware, the most exquisite bronze craftsmanship, the world-famous Lao-Zhuang philosophy, Songs of Chu, art music and dance, and many famous historical figures in the world such as Qu Yuan and King Zhuang of Chu who "enquires about ding in the central plains", namely, has great ambitions.
Jingzhou, as the birthplace of the culture of Three Kingdoms, and the world-famous ancient battlefield of Three Kingdoms, has been identified as the hometown of the culture of Three Kingdoms in China. "To learn about the affairs of the Three Kingdoms, go to Jingzhou". Two-thirds of 120 chapters in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms directly or indirectly mention Jingzhou through a series of well-known stories of the Three Kingdoms such as Liu Bei borrowing Jingzhou, Guan Yu defending Jingzhou, Lv Meng attacking Jingzhou and Guan Yu attacking Xiangfan but losing control of Jingzhou, making Jingzhou famous at home and abroad. Jingzhou is the center of the Revolutionary Base in Western Hunan and Hubei, and an excellent tourist city in China. Jingzhou (Jiangling) Ancient City is one of the first batch of 24 historical and cultural cities announced by the State Council. There are many cultural landscapes and historical sites throughout the city, including 5 proven city sites of Chu, 73 cultural sites of Chu, more than 800 large ancient tombs, and historical sites such as Wulin Ancient Battlefield, Huarong Ancient Road, Luhuadang where Zhou Yu was infuriated by Zhuge Liang by foiling his plans on three different occasions, Guan Yu's Drill Field, Zhanghua Temple, and Wanshou Pagoda. By the end of 2019, Jingzhou had 1 national historical and cultural city (Jingzhou Ancient City), 3 historical and cultural towns (Honghu Qujiawan, Jianli Zhoulaozui, and Jianli Chengji), and 4,077 immovable cultural relics, of which 14 were under national-level protection (3 were merged), 58 under provincial-level protection, and more than 600 under city (county)-level protection. The cultural relics under national-level protection include Jinan Ancient City of Chu, Tianxingguan tombs, Yutaishan ancient tombs, Jigong Mountain paleolithic ruins, Zuomaling ruins, Yinxiang City ruins, Balingshan ancient tombs, Jingzhou city walls, sites of the Revolutionary Base in Western Hunan and Hubei, site of Jiming City, Wanshou Pagoda, Three Temples of Jingzhou (Taihui Temple, Kaiyuan Temple, and Xuanmiao Temple), and Jingjiang Flood-diversion Sluice. Among them, Jinan City, the ancient capital of Chu made by 20 generations of kings of Chu in 411 years, located in the north of Jingzhou Ancient City, is the best preserved and largest ancient city site discovered in the south of China.
On March 4, 2010, the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Hubei Provincial People's Government signed the Framework Agreement on Jointly Building the Jingzhou National Relics Protection Area in Beijing. Jingzhou National Relics Protection Area is the third national-level relics protection area in China after Xi'an National Relics Protection Area and Luoyang National Relics Protection Area. In November 2010, the Hubei Provincial People's Government decided to establish Jingzhou Jinan City of Chu Relics Protection Area. Xiongjiazhong Chu tombs, located in the northwest of Jinan City, the ancient capital of Chu, 45 kilometers away from Jingzhou Ancient City, are the largest known cemetery for high-ranking nobles of Chu with the highest specifications and the most complete layout. Xiongjiazhong tombs of 68.2 meters above sea level are mainly composed of five parts, namely, main tombs, accompanying tombs, horse and chariot pits, row burial pits and ditches. Main tombs are wooden funeral chamber tombs in the shape of "A" with a sloped tomb path. On the south side of main tombs are 56 row burial pits, which are arranged evenly in the north-south direction in 4 rows, each having 14 burial pits. The ancient tombs have an extraordinary scale. Only its coffins cover an area of 248 square meters, ranking first among the known coffins for emperors in China.
Jingzhou has 17 A-level tourist attractions, including 5 4A-level ones (Jingzhou Museum, Jingzhou Ancient City Historical and Cultural Tourist Area, Yuexi Peninsula Hot Spring Resort, Songzi Weishui Scenic Area, and Jingzhou Chariot and Horse Array for King of Chu Scenic Area), and 12 3A-level ones (Former Residence of Zhang Juzheng, Jingzhou Jiulaoxiandu Scenic Area, Beizha Scenic Area in Gong'an County, Wanshou Garden, Guandi Temple, Honghu Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery in Western Hunan-Hubei Soviet Area, Nanyue Mountain Forest Park in Shishou City, Guan Yu Temple in Jingzhou, Zhoulaozui Revolutionary Base in Western Hunan and Hubei, Zushi Temple Scenic Area in Jianli County, Jing-Chu Intangible Cultural Heritage Skills Inheritance Institute, and Xiejiaping Tourist Area in Songzi City); 4 national red classic tourist attractions, 1 national leisure agriculture and rural tourism demonstration county, 2 famous characteristic landscape tourist towns and villages in China, 2 famous tourist towns and 9 famous tourist villages in Hubei Province, and 10 leisure agriculture demonstration sites; 32 city-level leisure agriculture demonstration sites.
Jingzhou Museum, located at the west gate of Jingzhou Ancient City with an area of more than 50,000 square meters, is a local comprehensive museum integrating functions such as display and exhibition, publicity and education, cultural relics collection and protection, archaeological excavation and research, having a collection of 130,000 cultural relics, including 553 sets of national first-class cultural relics. The museum ranks first in the collection of ancient lacquerware in the country for more than 10,000 pieces of lacquerware from the Chu and Qin and Han dynasties, ranks first in the country in the collection of bamboo slips from the Chu and Qin and Han dynasties, and is well-known at home and abroad for the collection of many varieties of well-preserved silk fabrics from the early Warring States Period, hailed as the world's "treasure of silk fabrics" by experts and scholars. The Treasure Hall has the Sword of Goujian, the world-famous weapon from the Warring States Period, the well-preserved soft male corpse from the Western Han Dynasty, and the world's greatest continuous crossbow machine, embroidered shoes, hemp skirt, and bamboo slips from the Warring States Period, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists every year.
Weishui Scenic Area, located about 30 kilometers southwest of Songzi City, is a national forest park, provincial tourist resort, and provincial nature reserve integrating mountains, waters, caves, forests and springs, with a total area of 286 square meters, including the core scenic area of 52.8 square kilometers. It is a natural scenic area with mountains, waters, lakes, and caves. The famous Weishui Reservoir in the scenic area, which is enclosed by the largest artificial earth dam in Asia, has a vast water surface with an area of 37 square kilometers, a total storage capacity of 598 million cubic meters, 159 islands, more than 850 branching streams, and 500 peninsulas. With lush forests and pleasant climate, the reservoir area can be called a holiday and health resort. In addition, the scenic area includes the ancient tombs of the Warring States Period, the relics of Wu Sangui's troops, the ancient post roads of Hunan and Hubei, and Lingjiu Temple, the ancient temple of the Jin Dynasty, with rich cultural connotations.
Honghu Lake, located in the southwest of Honghu City with an area of about 30,800 hectares, is the largest freshwater lake in Hubei Province with the richest organic content, and an important freshwater fishery base in the country, attracting Chinese and foreign tourists for its unique natural and cultural landscapes.
Zhanghua Temple was built in the second year of Taiding in the Yuan Dynasty (1325) at the former site of Zhanghua Palace, which is the former palace of King Ling of Chu according to the legend. The existing temple was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. It is listed as Hubei's "Three Jungles" together with Guiyuan Temple in Hanyang and Yuquan Temple in Dangyang.
Wanshou Pagoda, located in the west of Shashi section, Jingjiang Dike, was built by Zhu Xianjie, the 7th King of Liao in the Ming Dynasty, in the 31st year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1552) under the order of his legal mother Imperial Concubine Mao for Emperor Jiajing to pray for life. The seven-floor pagoda is more than 40 meters high, more than 20 meters above the surface of Jingjiang Dike. The outer wall of the tower preserves 87 jade Buddha statues from the Han Dynasty, 102 stone steles, and 2,347 bricks with reliefs, Manchu, Tibetan, Hui, Mongolian and Chinese characters and decorative patterns in total.