Yizhou
| |
|---|---|
 Yizhou City | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 24°28′N 108°35′E / 24.467°N 108.583°E | |
| Country | China |
| Region | Guangxi |
| Prefecture-level city | Hechi |
| Township-level divisions |
|
| District seat | Qingyuan |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,869 km2 (1,494 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 153 m (502 ft) |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 610,000 |
| • Density | 160/km2 (410/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Postal code | 546300 |
Yizhou (Chinese: 宜州; pinyin: Yízhōu), formerly Yishan County (宜山县), is a district under the administration of Hechi City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.
Yizhou is located in the northwest of Guangxi on the Long River in an area noted for its magnificent karst formations. The limestone karst formations dot the district and surrounding country and several rivers cut through the landscape.[citation needed] The district of Yizhou has several hundred thousand inhabitants. The surrounding countryside is home to a number of ethnic Zhuang villages. The economy is centered on sugar production, with a British-Chinese jointly run sugar processing plant nearby. The countryside surrounding Yizhou is similar in appearance to the tourist Mecca Yangshuo, located in the east of Guangxi. While Yizhou has a convenient tourist infrastructure, foreign tourists are sparse.
A notable person from Yizhou is the Song dynasty singer Liu Sanjie 刘三姐, renowned for her voice.[citation needed] The people of Yizhou believe that Liu was born there and a statue of her is in the district center.
In 2002 a riot struck the district. The Yizhou riots involved violence between the police and local farmers.[1]
In Shanghai, the Yishan Road and Yishan light rail station are named after the district.
On 26 August 2008 an explosion at a chemical plant killed 20 people and injured many more. 11,000 were evacuated from their homes.[2]