Recently, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism approved seven new National Cultural Ecology Reserves, among which is the Wuling Mountain Area (Southwestern Hubei) Tujia-Miao Ethnic Cultural Ecology Reserve, covering Yichang Municipality and Enshi Tujia-Miao Autonomous Prefecture. This marks Hubei Province’s first National Cultural Ecology Reserve.

　　The reserve spans Changyang Tujia Autonomous County and Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County in Yichang, along with the entire territory of Enshi Tujia-Miao Autonomous Prefecture, and is now one of the 21 National Cultural Ecology Reserves in China.

　　The Yichang section of the reserve, situated along the middle-lower reaches of the Qingjiang River, boasts profound historical significance as the birthplace and primary activity zone of the Ba people. Throughout history, this region has continuously integrated ancient Chu culture, Han culture, and other ethnic cultures from the Qingjiang River Basin. Functioning as a vital corridor for ethnic migrations, the area absorbed cultural elements from salt merchants, tea traders and horse caravan cultures across dynasties. This convergence shaped a distinctive multi-ethnic cultural fusion centered on the Tujia people. The reserve represents both a quintessential expression of Tujia-Miao culture within the Wuling Mountains region and a significant component of the civilization hub in the middle Yangtze River basin, and stands as a living testament to ethnic integration and the strengthening of the Chinese national community consciousness. (Reporter/Gao Ran, Correspondent/Mao Minjie)