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Ezhou is a prefecture-level city in eastern Hubei Province, China. Ezhou lies in the east of Hubei Province, on the south bank of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. It is bordered by Wuhan in the west and by Huangshi in the east. The name "Ezhou" dates to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) and derives from the nearby ancient Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BCE) vassal State of E. Although the administrative seat of the city changed several times, the name remained unchanged until the Three Kingdoms era (220−280) at which time it became the capital of the state of Eastern Wu ruled by Sun Quan and was renamed "Wuchang". This name remained in use as late as 1915, which proved confusing to travellers as it was also applied to the much larger city of Wuchang, itself shortly to become part of Wuhan. Throughout China's history Ezhou has remained an important city politically, economically, and militarily with its strategic position along the middle part of the Yangtze River. It is also an important location in the history of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism.