Hubei, also Hupeh or Hu-pei, province, central China. It comprises an area of rugged mountains along the western border but is dominated by a lake-studded plain that is traversed by the Yangtze and Han rivers.sheng (province) in northern China, located between the province of Shansi, on the west, and the Po Gulf and Manchuria on the east.

The provincial capital was at Pao-ting until 1958, when it was transferred first to Tientsin and then, in 1967, to Shih-chia-chuang city, 160 miles (260 km) southwest of Peking and at the junction of three major railways. Peking, the national capital, lies within Hopeh province but is independent of the provincial administration.

Summer rice and winter wheat are leading crops, with soybeans, tea, and cotton also important. Wuhan, the capital and largest city, is one of China's leading manufacturing centers; Huangshi is another industrial city located in the province.T'ang-shan is centre of heavy industry, producing steel, cement, and railway-repair materials. Light industry includes textiles, paper, flour mills, and ceramics.

Major industrial towns are Lianhe, Enshi, Yichang, Shiyan Jingmen, Xiantao, Shishou, Xianning, Huangshi, Xiaogan and Guangshui.

Area 187,500 sq km (72,390 sq mi); population 60,280,000.

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