Wanzhou District

Wanzhou District (simplified Chinese: 万州区; traditional Chinese: 萬州區; pinyin: Wànzhōu Qū) is a city on the upper reaches of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River in China. It is currently governed as a district of Chongqing Municipality, bordering Sichuan to the northwest and Hubei to the southeast. It was formerly known as Wanxian or Wan County (simplified Chinese: 万县; traditional Chinese: 萬縣; pinyin: Wànxiàn). Prior to Chongqing's formation as a direct-controlled municipality, Wanzhou was part of Sichuan province. The urban core of Wanzhou is 228 km (142 mi) away from Chongqing's city proper.

"Wanzhou" literally means "myriad-prefecture", where "a myriad rivers converge and a myriad traders gather" (万川毕汇、万商云集). Due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, 47% of Wanzhou's old urban area will be underwater by the time the reservoir is filled. Buildings in the submerged area have been torn down and new ones rebuilt on higher ground.

History

The district was part of Wanxian Prefecture, then the prefectural Wanxian City. It was renamed to Wanzhou in late 1990s.

Wanzhou (disambiguation)

Wanzhou District is a district in Chongqing, China and the site of a former prefecture.

Wanzhou or Wan Prefecture (萬州) may also refer to: