Hubei is a central province of the People's Republic of China. Its abbreviation is e, an ancient name associated with the eastern part of the province since the Qin Dynasty. The name Hubei means "north of the lake", referring to Hubei's position north of Dongting Lake. The capital of Hubei is Wuhan.

Hubei province is situated in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and to the north of Dongting Lake. It borders Henan to the north, Anhui to the east, Jiangxi to the southeast, Hunan to the south, Chongqing to the west, and Shaanxi to the northwest. The high-profile Three Gorges Dam is located in Yichang, in western Hubei.

A popular unofficial name for Hubei is Chu, after the powerful state of Chu that existed here during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

Hubei covers an area of 180,000 square kilometers (about 69,500 square miles) with a large population of 60,280,000. Its capital, Wuhan, is located in the southeastern part of the province.

Hubei has been said to be one of the originating places of the Chinese people. Today many minority ethnic groups live in this area including: Miao, Tujia, Dong and some others.

Climate is a major North subtropical monsoon climate, with from subtropical to temperate transition characteristics. Light adequate calories and rich, long frost-free period, precipitation plentiful, and the rain heat the same quarter, which will help agricultural production. Most places in Hubei enjoy four distinct seasons, with the best times to travel there being spring and autumn.

Blessed with beautiful mountains and rivers and a rich, vibrant culture, Hubei has an abundance of fascinating tourist attractions.

The world-famous Three Gorges, renowned for their spectacular views, rank in the top ten scenic spots in China.

But the gorges are not Hubei's only attraction. Shennongjia has been included in the Protection Plan for Man and Nature by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and Wudang Mountain and Mingxian Tomb have been designated World Culture Heritage sites.

Hubei Museum, a provincial museum famous throughout the country, possesses a large number of world-class ancient relics, while Guqintai has the deeply moving friendship story of Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi who became inseparable friends through their shared appreciation of the melody "High Mountain and Flowing Water."

Other attractions include Chibi (Red Cliff) where a famous ancient battle happened and Jingzhou, a historical city made famous by Three Kingdom battles are also worthy of sight.