Why is Yueyang a collecting centre for timber rafts?

Yueyang serves as a vital collecting and transshipment point for timber rafts because of its strategic location at the confluence of the Dongting Lake system and the Yangtze River.12

The city acts as a nexus for water traffic, where vast rafts of timber are floated down from the various rivers and waterways of northern Hunan province and neighboring regions. Once these rafts are collected at Yueyang, the timber is either shipped further down the Yangtze River or transported to other destinations via the railway network.12