Yichang is my hometown where I have livedformore than 20 years. However, this is the first time that I have tried to introduce it in English to international friends. Before I start writing these words, so many things came to my mind. Finally, I decided to use the traditional Chinese way to introduce my hometown Yichang, which is to describe this city by interpreting the Chinese characters constituting Yichang.

　　Well, let’s first startin the ancient times when Yichang was called Yiling. Simplyspeaking, ‘Yi and Ling'together refer to small hills. When we look at the topographic map of China through Googlemap, we can easily find that Yichang is located at the junction of the second and the thirdsteps of China's terrain. Our wise ancestors hadalready noticed that thousandsof years ago, and a famous Chinese statesman Ou Yangxiu in Song dynasty once said: ‘Rivers become calm when they pass here, mountains become small when they reach here, and people become happy when they come here.’ Due tothisnatural advantage, we have hundreds of tourist attractions and two world famous dams (Gezhouba Dam, and Three Gorges Dam).

　　Now let’s come back to the modern name ‘Yichang’ . ‘Yi’ is the first character of Yichang. Generally speaking, it means being suitable. You may ask: ‘besuitable for what?’ Well, the answer is being suitable for living.

　　Personally speaking, life should, like the subtropical monsoon climate, havefour distinctseasons. Fortunately, if you live here, you can have such a wonderful experience of feeling the impulse of nature since Yichang has hundreds of famous scenic spots, each of which has its own unique style in different seasons. For example, if you come here in summer when the Yangtze River is in its wet season, Three Gorges is a great place to visit. With the help of local travel agencies, you and your friends can go for a cruise along the Yangtze River, enjoying the majestic modern wonder - the Three Gorges Dam (if you are lucky enough, you will see the spectacularflooding of the dam) and the idyllic scenes of theThree Gorges one by one. It is indeed enviable to live here where you can always find a place to relax with such rich traveling resources.

　　Furthermore, cultivated by the distinctive climate, food here is of great diversity and quality. Taking fruit as an example, the best oranges and tangerines in China are produced here. Every year in autumn, tons of juicy and sweet oranges can be seen in Yichang, many of which will be exported abroad. If you not only like eatingthis deliciousfruit, but also want to pickit yourself, there are many pick-your-own farms available in Yichang offering a variety of oranges in different sizes and shapes at an attractive price.

　　Now we cometo ‘Chang’, the second character of Yichang, referring to prosperity. Well, Yichang is neither like Beijing or Shanghai, where life pushes you to move on, nor like those underdeveloped places with very limited chances. That is to say, Yichang has its own steady yet not slow step.In terms of its transportation, if you want to come here, planes, high-speed trains, and ships are all available, and if you want to commute, besides traditional taxis and buses, the newly built BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) will help you arrive at most places within one hour, which is very hard to achieve for those metropolises. Nowadays, a more environmental-friendly way of transportation becomes popular in Yichang, that is riding sharedbikes. Just imagine how enjoyable and easedit is to ride a sharedbike in the riverside park along the sparkling Yangtze River,with the fresh air blowing against your face.

　　Just as an old Chinese saying goes, the glory of a place brings greatness to the people here. Besides possessing impressive natural scenery, Yichang is also a place withaprofound cultural atmosphere and outstanding people. For instance, if you like literature, you should come to Yichang which is named the city of poetry, notonly because it is the hometown of the great ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan, but alsobecausenumerous beautiful poemswere written to appreciate this place. So far, there are more than 20,000 citizenswho keep writing poetry,and 15 poetry communities. What’s more, if you like music, you should also come to Yichang which is named the city of music as one seventh of the pianos all over the worldare produced here. Moreover, theChina Yangtze River Piano Festival is held here every year.

　　All in all, Yichang is a small yet attractive city with unique style anda promising future. People here are wise, warm and friendly, and you are always welcome to visit us.(Heng Gong)