Shishou

Shishou
石首市
Shihshow
Shishou is located in Hubei
Shishou
Shishou
Location in Hubei
Coordinates (Shishou government): 29°43′15″N 112°25′31″E
Country People's Republic of China
Province Hubei
Prefecture-level city Jingzhou
Area
 • Urban
22.56 km2 (8.71 sq mi)
Population
 (2010)
 • County-level city 577,022
 • Estimate 
(2017)
676,000
 • Urban
149,800
Time zone UTC+8 (China Standard)

Shishou ([ʂɨ̌.ʂòʊ]; Chinese: 石首) is a county-level city under the administration of the prefectural-level city Jingzhou, in the south of Hubei province, near its border with Hunan province, and is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. The Swan Islet Wetland of the Yangtze River in this area is the world's largest national natural reserve both for wild elks(Milu, or David Deer) and for Chinese river dolphins (finless porpoises). The Shishou City National Baiji Reserve for Chinese river dolphins is nearby. It shares its name with a stream flowing into the Yangtze River. In addition, the area enjoys convenient transportation, with an hour's drive from Yueyang East Railway Station on the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway line (90 kilometers (56 mi) of expressway), and 70 kilometers (43 mi) from Jingzhou Railway Station on the Shanghai-Wuhan-Chengdu high-speed railway line. Moreover, Shishou boasts a diversified landscape, including mountains, hills, lakes, rivers, terraces and plains, as well as abundant resources such as rice, cotton, oil plants, eggs, fish, and lotus roots.

Geography

Map including Shishou (labeled as SHIH-SHOU (SHIHSHOW) 石首) (1953)
Shishou Père David's Deer Protection Area

Shishou is in a subtropical monsoon climate zone with an abundant amount of light and heat energy and a long frost-free period. The city receives 1800–2000 hours of sunshine annually, with an annual average temperature of 15.9-16.6 °C, 10 °C or higher accumulated temperature annually, an annual frost-free period of 242–263 days, and an average annual precipitation between 1100mm and 1300 mm. The climatic resources are sufficient for a large variety of crops to grow. Because of the climatic condition of hydro-thermal synchronization during agricultural production seasons, Shishou provides the optimal climate to grow a variety of crops between April and October (80% of the annual precipitation, 75% of annual solar radiation, and 80% of annual accumulated temperature that is greater than 10 °C). The climate is particularly complex in the vicinity of 30 degrees north latitude. Situated far in the Inland, Shishou's climate is minimally affected by the sea, which contributes to its typical continental climate.

Climate

Climate data for Shishou (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 22.0
(71.6)
27.3
(81.1)
30.6
(87.1)
33.9
(93.0)
35.6
(96.1)
36.7
(98.1)
38.0
(100.4)
38.0
(100.4)
36.8
(98.2)
33.5
(92.3)
29.4
(84.9)
22.4
(72.3)
38.0
(100.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 8.2
(46.8)
11.1
(52.0)
15.7
(60.3)
22.0
(71.6)
26.7
(80.1)
29.8
(85.6)
32.4
(90.3)
32.0
(89.6)
28.3
(82.9)
23.0
(73.4)
16.9
(62.4)
10.9
(51.6)
21.4
(70.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.6
(40.3)
7.2
(45.0)
11.5
(52.7)
17.5
(63.5)
22.3
(72.1)
25.9
(78.6)
28.6
(83.5)
28.0
(82.4)
23.9
(75.0)
18.5
(65.3)
12.5
(54.5)
7.0
(44.6)
17.3
(63.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2.0
(35.6)
4.2
(39.6)
8.3
(46.9)
13.9
(57.0)
18.8
(65.8)
22.8
(73.0)
25.5
(77.9)
25.0
(77.0)
20.7
(69.3)
15.2
(59.4)
9.3
(48.7)
4.0
(39.2)
14.1
(57.5)
Record low °C (°F) −8.4
(16.9)
−4.5
(23.9)
−2.5
(27.5)
2.3
(36.1)
9.4
(48.9)
12.7
(54.9)
19.2
(66.6)
16.5
(61.7)
10.5
(50.9)
2.5
(36.5)
−1.5
(29.3)
−7.3
(18.9)
−8.4
(16.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 55.3
(2.18)
67.0
(2.64)
104.7
(4.12)
143.9
(5.67)
172.7
(6.80)
199.1
(7.84)
179.8
(7.08)
115.7
(4.56)
72.9
(2.87)
80.8
(3.18)
71.0
(2.80)
31.8
(1.25)
1,294.7
(50.99)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 10.0 10.7 13.7 13.4 13.3 12.1 10.5 9.1 8.1 9.9 9.7 7.7 128.2
Average snowy days 4.6 2.8 1.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 1.5 10.2
Average relative humidity (%) 77 77 78 79 78 82 81 81 78 77 78 74 78
Mean monthly sunshine hours 83.4 83.0 109.4 131.7 151.4 149.5 208.1 205.3 151.3 134.7 119.4 105.1 1,632.3
Percent possible sunshine 26 26 29 34 36 36 49 51 41 38 38 33 36
Source: China Meteorological Administration

Administration

The city of Shishou has direct jurisdiction over 2 subdistricts, 11 towns, 1 townships, and 1 economic and technological development zone:

Subdivision Simplified

Chinese

Pinyin Population

(2010 Census)

Area

(km²)

Village

Committees

City Proper
Xiulin Subdistrict 绣林街道 Xiùlín Jiēdào 70587 35.9 4
Biheshan Subdistrict 笔架山街道 Bǐjiàshān Jiēdào 70068 56 11
Suburban and rural
Xinchang 新厂镇 Xīnchǎng Zhèn 43314 94.6 19
Henggoushi 横沟市镇 Hénggōushì Zhèn 38521 82 18
Xiaohekou 小河口镇 Xiǎohékǒu Zhèn 38401 226.5 23
Taohuashan 桃花山镇 Táohuāshān Zhèn 21979 99.8 17
Tiaoguan 调关镇 Tiáoguān Zhèn 45189 107.9 21
Dongsheng 东升镇 Dōngshēng Zhèn 62620 173.1 33
Gaojimiao 高基庙镇 Gāojīmiào Zhèn 45562 76 21
Nankou 南口镇 Nánkǒu Zhèn 30388 97.4 17
Gaoling 高陵镇 Gāolíng Zhèn 35036 82 24
Tuanshansi 团山寺镇 Tuánshānsì Zhèn 31329 67 18
Dayuan 大垸镇 Dàyuàn Zhèn 52788 146 25
Jiuheyuan 久合垸乡 Jiǔhéyuàn Xiāng 25312 54 17
Tian'ezhou 天鹅洲 Tiān'ézhōu 17 77.5 6

2009 Shishou incident

In June 2009, Shishou was rocked by violent protest after a man, Tu Yuangao, was found dead, supposedly due to suicide, outside the Yonglong hotel. The hotel is owned by a relative of Shishou's mayor. Tu, 24, was the hotel's chef. Fearing a cover-up, Tu's family refused to accept that his death was a suicide, and guarded his body while awaiting investigation. When police tried to forcefully remove Tu's body, local residents joined Tu's family, blocking the hotel entrance from the police. On June 19 a large number of local residents guarded the hotel, fighting with the police, including armed police. Confrontations between the police and residents continued outside the hotel, and on June 20, the municipal government began cutting internet connections in Shishou. On June 21, the police managed to break through the crowd and took Tu's corpse to a crematorium, apparently without giving the family the investigation it had requested.