Before the Chinese New Year, Hunan government set up a new department to plan and implement a development strategy for water transport in the province. Mr Chen Jianqiang has become the first director of the provincial water transport bureau. Hunan government has pledged to invest Rmb170bn in the coming 20 years to develop its water transport network.

Yueyang is Hunan’s only major port on the Yangtze trunkline. However, Poyang Lake, also located in the province, is China’s largest lake and a major Yangtze tributary.