Yiyang, city, northern Hunan sheng (province), southeast-central China. The city is situated approximately 47 miles (75 km) northwest of Changsha (the provincial capital) on the Zi River, to the south of Dongting Lake, on the main highway from Changsha to Changde farther to the northwest.
An ancient county, it was established in the 2nd century bce. Its seat was originally sited northeast of the present city, but it moved in Tang (618–907) times. From 589 it was a county subordinate to Changsha. Briefly an independent prefecture under the name Ting in the Song period (960–1279), it again had that status under Yuan (Mongol) rule (1279–1368). In 1368, however, it again became a subordinate county under Changsha. Established as a county-level city in 1950, Yiyang was upgraded to a prefecture-level city in 1994.
Yiyang traditionally has been a collecting centre for agricultural and other products from the Zi River basin, and, until the latter part of the 20th century, most of its population engaged in the transport of timber, coal, mineral ores, and grain. A long-established handicraft tradition was mostly based on local wood and bamboo. More recently, Yiyang has also developed industrially, with operations that produce linen fabrics, paper, and processed foods and mine antinomy. In addition to the traditional waterway transportation provided by the Zi River, the Shimen-Changsha rail line, built in the 1990s, passes through the city. Yiyang is also on another main north-south rail line from Luoyang (Henan province) to Zhanjiang (Guangdong province), which was completed in 2008. In addition, the city is linked by expressway with Changsha. Pop. (2002 est.) city, 320,675; (2007 est.) urban agglom., 1,352,000.