The Yangtze River Valley is one of the national cultural cradles in China and Hubei is situated in the middle-reaches of Yangtze River. Hubei have nurtured countless politicians, strategists, writers and other famous people, which gives Hubei a name of “Talents Born in Chu Only”.
Qu Yuan is a great poet and statesman of the Warring States Period and one of the four cultural celebrities in the world. He was born and brought up in Yuantuo, Zigui of Hubei. His major poems include "Lisao (Lament at Parting)," "Jiuge (Nine Lyrical Poems)" and "Guoshang (The Sacrificial Songs),” all classical magnificent masterpieces and a treasure of world literature.
Zhuge Liang is a famous politician and strategist in the Three-kingdom Period, and lived as a hermit in Longzhong of Xiangyang for ten years. Liu Bei visited him for three times and asked him for assistance. His famous statement of Liu Bei Longzhongdui contributes to the formation of the triangular balance of the power of the there kingdoms.
Wang Zhaojun—one of the “Four Beauties” in Chinese ancient history—was born in Nanjun of Zigui in Western Han 
(xiangshan County today). She married to Xiongnu ethnic minority nationality and has enhanced unity between the Han and Xiongnu people which won her great respects.
Tang Dynasty witnessed many excellent poets and writers. The poet Meng Hanran and the writer Pi Rixiu are among them both of who were born in Xiangyang and left many poems and poetry comments. “Tea-Sage” Lu Yu of Tang Dynasty wrote the first monograph on tea Tea Scripture in the world and he was born in Jingling of Hubei (Tianmen today).
The famous calligrapher in Song Dynasty—Mi Fu was born in Xiangyang. The inventor of the type printing—Bi Sheng was born in Yingshan County. Both of them made great contribution to Chinese civilization.
In Ming Dynasty, litterateurs “The Three Yuans (Yuan Zongdao, Yuan Hongdao and Yuan Zhongdao)” lived in Gongan County of Hubei and they formed “Gongan School”. The medical sage Li Shizhen in the same contemporary was born in Qizhou (Qichun County today). He wrote the medical monograph Compendia of Materia Medica, which was a treasure of Chinese medicine and has been translated into several foreign languages. Born in Jiangling, Zhang Juzheng is a famous politician and “Head of Prime Ministers” in Ming Dynasty. He made reforms in politics, which developed China’s economy.
In a word, many talents have been nurtured in the fertile land of Hubei.
In modern history, revolutionary pioneer Chen Tanqiu, Wuhan elite Yun Daiying, famous scholar and poet Wen Yiduo, famous geologist Li Siguang, economist Wang Ya’nan, writer Ye Shengtao, Beijing Opera leader Tan Xingpei and drama master Cao Yu were all form Hubei.
Chairmen of the People’s Republic of China Dong Biwu and Li Xiannian are from Hubei, let along many other outstanding generals. Hongan county is a place for generals while Qichun for professors. Students from city of Tianmen became the first in national entrance examination for science and literal arts for several years in succession. With many universities and scientific research institutes, Hubei has become a province with great human resources.
All kinds of special qualified people go out of this cradle to the whole country and the world as pillars in all trades.
