Wuhan

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Situated at the confluence of the Yangtze River and its biggest branch, the Han River, Wuhan, with a population of 8 million and an area of 8,467 square kilometers, serves as both the provincial capital of Hubei and the economic, cultural and political center of central China. Wuhan is divided by the two rivers into 3 boroughs: Hankou, Hanyang and Wuchang. These three converge at the Wuhan Yangtze Bridge, the first bridge ever built across the Yangtze River.

See and Do

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Historical sites

Yellow Crane Tower

Yellow Crane Tower is located on Snake Hill in Wuhan, Hubei Province. Enjoying the fame of 'The First Scenery under Heaven', it is one of the most renowned towers south of the Yangtze River. Its cultural significance led to its being made the symbol of Wuhan City.

According to legend, Yellow Crane Tower was built by the family of an old pothouse owner living in Wuhan City long ago, named Old Xin. One day, a shabbily dressed Taoist priest came to the pothouse and asked for some wine. Old Xin paid no attention to him, but his son was very kind and gave the Taoist some wine without asking for money. The Taoist priest visited the pothouse regularly for half a year when one day the Taoist said to the son that in order to repay his kindness, he would like to draw a crane on the wall of the pothouse, which would dance at his request. When people in the city heard of this, they flocked to the pothouse to see the dancing crane. The Xin family soon became rich and they built the Yellow Crane Tower as a symbol of gratitude to the Taoist priest.

The Yellow Crane Tower has a very long and complicated history. It was first built in 223, during the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280). Due to the ideal location, it was built by Sun Quan (182 - 252, King of Wu) as a watchtower for his army. After hundreds of years, its military function was gradually forgotten and the tower was enjoyed mainly as a picturesque location.

During the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), many popular poems were written in praise of the Yellow Crane Tower. It was these poems that made the Tower so renowned and induced for people to visit. During the following centuries, it was destroyed and rebuilt several times. During the Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) Dynasties alone the tower was destroyed seven times and rebuilt seven times. In 1884, it was completely destroyed in a fire and was not rebuilt until 1981. The tower had different architectural features in different dynasties. However the tower which stands today is based on the one designed during the Qing Dynasty. It stands 51.4 meters (about 168 feet) high and has five floors. The appearance of the tower is the same regardless of the direction it is viewed from. The roof is covered by 100,000 yellow glazed tiles. With yellow upturned eaves, each floor seems to have been designed to resemble a yellow crane spreading its wings to fly.

Guiyuan Buddhist Temple

Covering an area of about 46,900 square meters (approx. 55,812 square yards), Guiyuan Buddhist Temple is situated in the west section of Hanyang district in Wuhan City. Being one of the four best temples in Wuhan, the temple, which was originally established in 1658 in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), was initially built on the site of Wuzhangpu Kuiyuan in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The word 'Guiyuan' originates from a sutra, meaning to surpass the circumscription of existence and extinguishment, to return to purity and tranquility.

Though it is a construction of a Buddhist temple, it is also in a garden style. The distribution is compact, and the design is delicate. The temple is even interspersed by kiosks and parterres.

There are five courtyards in the temple: the eastern courtyard, the western courtyard, the southern courtyard, the northern courtyard, and the middle courtyard. The distribution of the temple is in the shape of a cassock. Initially, the temple was not completed, but was extended in the next several decades to reach the present scale.

The eastern courtyard is the entrance of the temple, in which a large apricot coloured door opens towards the east, indicating the importance of forming kind relationships and saving all human beings from sufferings. On the lintel of the door, a tablet is hanging with the name of the temple written on it.

After entering the temple, you can see the northern courtyard to your right, in which the Amitabha, Kwan-yin Bodhisattva, and Dashizhi Bodhisattva are worshipped. Collectively they are called the 'three western saints'. The Wenshu Bodhisattva and Puxian Bodhisattva are also worshipped. The Sutra Collection Pavilion in the courtyard has a rich collection of cultural relics of Buddhism, figures of Buddha, religious paraphernalia, stone carvings, paintings, calligraphies, and books from abroad.

In the southern courtyard, the most famous hall is the Lohan Hall. It is also one of the five best Lohan halls in China. The 500 Lohans here are vivid and lively just like real people. They are all identical in size, and each is no more than 25 kilogram's in weight. What is most amazing is that one can never find two Lohans with the same appearance or expression. They are all totally different from each other. Counting Lohans in the courtyard forms an interesting custom in Wuhan. It is said that one can know the disasters and fortunes in the present year by counting the Lohans. The method is like this: counting from the discretional Lohan in the direction according to one's first step into the hall until he has counted the numbers of his age. When he reaches the last Lohan, the expression of it will tell him all.

In the centre of the middle courtyard, there is the Daxiong Baodian. The statue of Sakyamuni in this hall is the biggest Buddhism figure in the temple. A lion that is said to be the image of Sakyamuni in pre-existence lies to the north of the statue. Behind the statue, some other figures are worshipped.

Villa of Chairman Mao Zedong

The famous villa of Chairman Mao Zedong in Wuhan is strategically located at the scenic bank of East Lake of Wuchang, which consists of Meiling Buildings One, Two and Three. It was once a retreat house for Chairman Mao and other privileged ruling members of the Politburo. During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, Mao in a letter nicknamed it 'Home of the White Clouds and Yellow Cranes' where he enjoyed the quiet ambiance and great relief it offered. The attractive scenery of tree-lined footpath, dense grove, flying songbirds, and Chairman Mao's favorite pines, bamboo trees and plums seen everywhere can undoubtedly, make one reluctant to leave.

Meiling was Mao's summer villa where he lived for a long time and often visited many times besides Zhongnanhai. He came here once a year up to three times a year, at the most, and stayed for one month to as long as six months.

Meiling Building One is the most interesting structure since it was Chairman Mao's private residence where he ate, slept, wrote and conducted numerous daily national affairs. He gave audience to many celebrities and foreign friends, including President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger of the United States of America in 1972. Moreover, he wrote here the famous poem Swim that won universal praises. It has a bedroom, a sitting room, a reception room and a formal dining room. As the picture shows, the dining room is accentuated by a restful scenic painting of trees with dark gray foliage, soft rose colored flowers and a gentle orange sun, with its questionable mix of plum carpeting, red tablecloth and emerald green crushed velvet armchairs.

The same grey covered chair where the great leader sat is still there, but rather faded and frayed now. The chair and lamps are still in the same semi-circular position as they were 27 years ago. The bedroom was furnished with plain fifties furniture with a pink and white patterned chaise. Next to the large-sized bed hangs his blue and white striped king size bathrobe. There still remain the slippers of him and his wife, Jiang Qing.

Meiling Building Two, the assembly hall, has a huge lobby cloaked in heavily worn curtains. The hall with its hundreds of red upholstered chairs facing the stage is cordoned off while the lobby is open to the public. On the balcony, there is a wicker chair placed in a certain position as was placed in the past, with a framed photograph hanging next to it. Visitors are permitted to sit on the chair and take photos of themselves as souvenirs.

Meiling Building Three houses Mao's private indoor swimming pool. It is about 30-meter long and six lanes wide, the same as most competition-sized pools. It is lined with tiles with stainless steel ladders, and underwater lights. There are nine floor-to-ceiling tinted windows, which Mao could see through during his daily swims.

Meiling was open to the public in the early 1993, and has received numerous travelers, both local tourists and foreigners. It is now a very hot tourist spot where many could recall Chairman Mao's experiences of his late years and get glimpses of the great leader's historical and colorful life.

Natural Sites

East Lake, the biggest scenery tourist attraction in Wuhan and also the largest lake within a city in China, is located on the south bank of the Yangtze River and in the east suburb of Wuchang. It covers an area of 87 square kilometers (33 square kilometers of water area) that is five times greater than the area of the West Lake in Hangzhou. Because of its winding banks and crisscrossing ponds and brooks, it is called 'a lake with 99 bays'. The East Lake Scenic Area was formed from many famous scenic spots along the bank. The six major ones are Tingtao (Listening to Surging Waves), Mo Hill (Millstone Hill), Luoyan (Diving Wild Goose), Baima (White Horse), Chuidi (Playing Flutes), and Luohong Hills.

Among the six scenic areas, Tingtao and Mo Hill scenic areas are the most two notable and are open to visitors.

The East Lake gate opens to the Tingtao scenic area featuring the rare sequoia especially elegant in late autumn. The Listening-to-the-Waves Tower (Tingtao Xuan), with its classic elegance is one of the famous buildings in this area, along with Land of Water and Cloud (Shuiyun Xiang) which serves as a teahouse, and the Tingtao Inn of Wine, a restaurant offering local fish dishes. On the north, the center of this area, is the Poetry-Reciting Pavilion (Xingyinge), built for memorizing works of Qu Yuan, the great patriotic poet of the State of Chu (one of the seven warring states before Qin (221BC-206BC) in China's first feudal dynasty). Many exhibits about Qu Yuan are featured in this building including his great literary masterpieces. In addition, the first allegory sculpture park in China is here displaying wonderful sculpture and allegories.

Characterized by beautiful landscape, abundant plants, the customs of the State of Chu and unique gardens, the Mo Hill Scenic Area attracts many tourists. In this area, the Chu cultural theme park displays the Chu culture in China. The Botanical Viewing Garden where more than 360 kinds of plants are nursed in 13 special gardens with flowers blooming all the year round - orchids and cherry blossoms in spring, lotus in summer, osmanthus in autumn, and plum blossoms in winter - is also admirable. Two of the most famous are the Cherry Blossom Garden said to be one of the world's three cherry blossom capitals along with Hirosaki in Japan and Washington in America, and the Plum Blossom Garden which is listed as the top plum garden. For more details about Mo Hill, please click Mo Hill.

Other scenic areas include Luoyan (Diving Wild Goose), known for its serene environment, Baima (White Horse), with the white horse tombs, Chuidi (Playing Flutes), Zhu Zhen (the sixth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)), and Luohong Hills, where the highly respected Wuhan University is situated.

Besides these, the Bird Forest with 200 kinds of birds, the mysterious East Lake Ocean Park, the biggest sand beach bathing area in inner China, the Friendship Forest where many other cities' delegates together with Wuhan people have planted trees symbolizing friendship are all worth a visit.

What make the East Lake Scenic Area more incredible are its recreational facilities: the exciting slide way, the ropeway, the yachts, tandem bikes, the skating rink and the pleasure ground for children.

As Wuhan has a subtropical monsoon climate with four distinct seasons, the ideal months to visit are from March to April and from September to October. Thus you avoid the scorching summer heat of July and August with 40 C (104 F) heat, and the cold winter period from November to late January with its severe cold. The festival periods such as the Wuhan International Tourist Festival (Late September-Mid October), Plum Blossom Festival (February-March) are the highly recommended times to visit the East Lake Scenic Area.

Wuhans climate

The metropolitan area comprises three parts - Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang, commonly called the "Three Towns of Wuhan" (hence the name 'Wuhan', combining 'Wu' from the first city and "Han" from the other two). The consolidation of these three cities occurred in 1927 and Wuhan was thereby established. These three parts face each other across the rivers and are linked by bridges, including one of the first modern bridges in China, known as the 'First Bridge'. It is simple in geographical structure - low and flat in the middle and hilly in the south, with the Yangtze and Han rivers winding through the city.

Wuhan occupies a land of 8494.41 square km, most of which is plain and decorated with hills and a great number of lakes and pools. Wuhan's climate is a subtropical monsoon one with abundant rainfall and distinctive four seasons. Wuhan is known for its oppressively humid summers, when dewpoints can often reach 26 degrees C or more. Spring and autumn are generally mild, while winter is cool with occasional snow. In recent thirty years, the average annual rainfall is 1269 mm, mainly from June to August; annual temperature is 15.8 degrees C - 17.5 degrees C, annual frost free period lasts 211 to 272 days and annual sunlight duration is 1810 to 2100 hours.

Dining in Wuhan

With the rich fresh water resources, Hubei has a flourishing fishing industry and the local cuisine, known as "E Cuisine", is one of the noted Ten Cuisines in China. Its fresh water fish dishes are well known and dominate 80% of the menus at the restaurants in Wuhan. Different from either sweet Cantonese food or hot spicy Sichuan cuisine, Hubei cuisine features lightly spiced flavoring and strong tastes, delicious soups and delicate fish dishes.

Wuhan Cuisine is also known for its unique methods of preparing delicacies from land and sea, freshwater fish and soup.

Famous dishes include Steamed Wuchang Fish, Mianyang Three Steamed Dishes, Xiaotaoyuan Soup, Wangji Chicken Soup, Hongshan Vegetable Bolts, Dongpo Pork and others.

• Steamed Wuchang Fish: With a history of over 1,700 years, Steamed Wuchang Fish is a typical food in Wuhan. This freshwater fish, when steamed together with mushrooms, bamboo shoots and chicken soup, keeps both the original fresh taste of the fish and the nutrients. China's Chairman Mao Zedong in his poem "Swimming" writes: "I have just drunk the waters of Changsha. And come to eat the fish of Wuchang." Actually, the so-called "Wuchang Fish" is not the lake fish from the present Wuchang, but those fished from the waters in E Country, because in ancient times, the name Wuchang referred to all the area of the present E Country.

• Xiaotaoyuan Soups: These are kinds of restorative soups cooked over a low heat which preserves both the fresh taste and the nutrients. The most famous include Chicken Soup, Spareribs Soup, and Duck Soup. The best place to taste it is the Xiaotaoyuan Restaurant at 64 Lanling Lu in Hankou.

• Mianyang Three Steamed Dishes: The three steamed dishes refer to steamed fish, pork, and meatballs or shrimp balls. People of Mianyang (now Xiantao City in Hubei Province) keep the traditional way of steamed dishes from the old days. Nowadays, chefs have tailored the ingredients, cooking methods, and techniques for the local people's taste.

• Hongshan Vegetable Bolts: A kind of red vegetable grown in Hongshan District in Wuchang is a speciality of Wuhan. It is crisp and tender with a refreshing flavor. A famous dish called Hongshan Bolts fried with Smoked Pork (Cai4 Tai2 Chao3 La4 Rou4) can be found on every menu in any restaurant. The carefully chosen vegetables are those grown right around the area near Baotong Temple in Hongshan, which are considered to be the most crisp and tender. The bolts and smoked pork are cut into three-centimeter (1.86-mile) long pieces and stir-fried. The finished dish should be fresh and tender.

In most of the restaurants you can find the above specialties on the menu. The well-known chain restaurants in the city include Little Blue Whale (Xiao Lan Jing), Wuhan San Wu, Yan Yang Tian, Hubei San Wu, and Fu Sheng. They all have branches established throughout the city. We provide address details for travelers below.

Get around in Wuhan

By bus

Wuhan has a cheap, efficient, but horribly bewildering bus system in place. If you have a local to guide you, it can be used to get from place to place with impressive speed (if not comfort or safety). Without a local to guide you, you'd better have a very good map and a good grasp of Chinese.

By taxi

Taxis abound in Wuhan, easily outnumbering other private and public vehicles. Rates are relatively cheap at 3RMB on the flag and with around 50RMB getting you between almost any two spots you're likely to want to travel between. It is possible to get higher taxi fares, but usually only because the taxi driver has deliberately taken you on a longer trip (which is, thankfully, not a common occurrence). Airport taxis are the exception. Foreigners in particular are likely to get ripped off by taxi drivers at the airport. They will demand prices starting at 150RMB to go anywhere in the city. (For reference, going from the airport to the middle of Hanyang costs about 50RMB typically.) It is advisable to insist on the metre before the taxi starts moving and if the driver refuses, step out, collect your luggage and go back to the taxi stand.

Note that this problem is strongly ameliorated during the daytime when there is a supervisor at the taxi stand who is an airport employee, not a taxi driver himself.

One oddity of the taxi system is crossing the bridges. Because of the traffic problems and snarls at the bridges, the city has instituted a system in which half the taxis are not permitted to cross the bridge on half the days. Basically, if the day of the month is odd, odd-numbered taxis are allowed to use the Number One bridge. If the day of the month is even, even-numbered taxis are allowed to use the Number One bridge. This system may extend to the Number Two bridge (this is not yet confirmed) but it does not extend to the Number Three Bridge. In most circumstances, however, it is not advisable to use the Number Three bridge as it tends to increase the taxi fares dramatically (although it is an interesting ride).

By ferry

The Changjiang River can be crossed by ferry for a very reasonable fee of 1.5RMB. The ferry runs frequently starting at 7AM and ending at 9PM. It offers by virtue of its unique location some nice views of the city, the Number One Chang River Bridge, Yellow Crane Tower, etc. during the day and an interesting nightscape view after dark.

Where to chill

Class	Area	Address
5-star hotel
Wuhan Cosmopolitan Hotel	Hankou Business and Financial District	No.118 Jianghan Road, Hankou District , 430014
Shangri-La Hotel,Wuhan	Hankou Business and Financial District	No 700 Jianshe Avenue , 430015
Novotel Xin Hua Wuhan Hotel	Hankou Business and Financial District	No. 558 Jian She Avenue, Hankou , 430022
Wuhan Jin Jiang International Hotel	IHankou Business and Financial District	No. 707 Jianshe Avenue , 430015
4-star hotel
Jianghan Hotel, Wuhan	Hankou Business and Financial District	No. 245, Shengli Road , 430017
Yangtze Hotel, Wuhan	Hankou Business and Financial District	No. 1131 Jiefang Avenue, Hankou , 430030
Chuyuan Hotel, Wuhan	Wuchang District	Zhuodaoquan North Road, Wuchang District , 430079

Entertainment

Shopping

Wuhan is full of mega shopping centers where u can find good bargains on all your favorite brands and merchandise ur looking for. and for great bargains, shop in some of the smaller stores and u can negotiate the price w the shop owner, just dont start w too low an offer or they might just give up before even offering a counter price.

The commercial industry in Wuhan has long been well-known throughout the country. Like other medium cities in China, the Wuhan commercial industry is flourishing with shopping malls and centers, super markets, chain stores and shopping streets throughout the city.

Featured Street

Cultural streets offer more traditional Chinese items and buildings, an ideal way to learn more about folk artwork and flavors and to find local specialties

Shopping Malls

Large-scale shopping centers with complete selections of dresses, commodities, food, books, home appliances, furniture, etc. Features: Quality assured; reasonably priced

Supermarkets

Supermarket chains such as Carrefour, Metro, and Parkson with stores in all three Wuhan towns Features: low prices with good quality

Recommended

1. Han Zheng Street (Han Zheng Jie): In the center of Hankou Town is a century-old street, Han Zheng (Han Zheng Jie). In 2000, the government developed it into a tourist shopping street. Dazzling shops and stores housed in traditional buildings sell various goods. Today it is the largest wholesale distribution center in central China. Tourists are invited to find inexpensive items -- and are cautioned about quality. Learn to bargain.
   
2. Hanjiang Walking Street: Another featured street is a famous walking street near Hanjiang Lu in the town center. One hundred seventy-seven meters (252 feet) longer than the famous Nanjing Lu walking street in Shanghai, Hanjiang Lu is very popular.
   Over 200 stores and shops housed in traditional buildings sell a complete selection of clothes, appliance, food, commodities and other goods. Five squares in different style are arranged along this street with greenery, springs, cafes and bars. Along the street are buildings that housed old banks, stores and statues depicting the everyday life of Wuhan people. Everything on the street tells the history of the city. Amenities such as public telephones, electronic screens, mailboxes and car parking are available.
   Tip: You can take the tourist special line of Bus 401 from the Wuchang Railway Station or Bus 533 from the Hankou Railway Station.
3. Cultural Street in Xianggang Lu: Located at No. 209 Xianggang Road is a large antique market. An array of stalls and stores sell traditional Chinese folk artwork, chops, curios, Chinese paintings, calligraphy, furniture, jade and other treasures from earlier days. Both locals and travelers enjoy looking for favorites in a sea of choices.

Nightlife

Wuhan nightlife is very attractive. Feel free to join locals in a glamorous night world.

Night Street

Streets in Wuhan come alive around nine in the evening and Wuhan people like to invite friends to Ji Qing Jie street.

Bars and Pubs

It is said that Beijing has the most bars in China, Shanghai has the most graceful bars in China, and Wuhan, the most unique bars in China. After work, people invite friends to all sorts of bars and pubs throughout the city to spend their evening leisure time.

Type One: The Popular Bar

Features: Dancing groups and rock bands present live performances. Karaoke, disco, dice games, and dart games are offered.

Patrons: Businessmen, young people

Recommended: Wuchang Bo Da, a famous entertainment site in Wuhan, important events and activities, live concerts and shows are often held here.

Location: You can find many popular bars in the area near Xinhua Lu and Taibei Lu. Cost Reference: 25 RMB /p.p

Type Two: White Collar Bar

"White collar" in China refers to workers who are well educated with technical skills. They have good salaries and enjoy much social welfare.

Features: To be home to these well-educated elite professionals, these bars are artistically decorated. Jazz, blues, Latin-American music, and exotic dance performances distinguish these bars from noisy popular bars. At the Happy Hour, waiters dress in costumes adapting to show themes. Patron comfort is stressed.

Patrons: White-collar workers, businessmen, foreigners, hotel guests

Location: There are many Type Two bars along the Jianshe Dadao in Hankou

Recommended: Red Lover (Hong Se Lian Ren), Blue Sky (Lan Se Tian Kong) Cost Reference: 35 RMB /p.p.

Type Three: Students' Stage

Features: Usually people are not allowed to sing karaoke in the lobby, which interrupts patrons in bars. Students' Stage bars often provide pop song karaoke opportunities for students in the lobby, plus bottled beers, soft drinks, sweets and cocktails at lower prices.

Patrons: Students

Location: Area around Wuhan University, Huazhong Normal University, and East China University of Technology

Recommended: Big Mouth (Da Zui Ba)

Cost Reference: 20 RMB /p.p.

Natural Scene

• East Lake Scenic Area

Historical Site

• Yellow Crane Tower
• Heptachord Terrace
• Guiyuan Temple

Cultural Site

• Hubei Provincial Museum
• Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge

Wuhan Highlights

Yangtze River attraction highlights

The mighty Yangtze, or ChangJiang, is the third largest river in the world (The Nile is the longest, followed by the Amazon.). At 6,300 kilometers (3,900 miles), the Yangtze is closest in length to the Mississippi. Among the Chinese, the name Yangtze is rarely used. They prefer Chang Jiang simply, Long River.

• Qutang Gorge
• Wu Gorge
• Xiling Gorge
• Three Gorges Dam
• The First Bend of the Yangtze
• Small Three Gorges
• Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge

city highlights

• Shanghai
• Chongqing
• Nanjing
• Yichang
• Danjiangkou
• Badong
• Jingzhou
• Wuhan

Wuhan FAQ & Travelers's Tips

  Transportation

1. Something you should notice about Wuhans traffic

  Travel

1. Is it safe to visit Wuhan?

  Customs

1. What are some popular festivals in Wuhan?

  Other Hints

1. How to communicate with the local people?

• Is it safe to visit Wuhan?

  Wuhan is safe to visit, even after dark, with an obvious police presence and a generally law-abiding people. Penalties for even minor infringements for the locals are harsh which it is why it is this way, a refreshing change compared to many places in the world today.

  Although levels of violent crime are low, pickpockets can still be a problem, however, and you should never let your guard down no matter how safe a destination purports to be. Be especially cautious around the busy train stations in Wuchang and in Hankou as well as in the long-distance bus stations in the same places. Keeping wallets and purses out of sight is common sense and while the locals may think that all foreigners are filthy rich anyway, wearing flashy jewellery when out and about is not a good idea.
  
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• What are some popular festivals in Wuhan?

  The popular festivals in Wuhan, such as Chinese New Year, the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Wuhan International Tourist Festival, are times to be more aware of your surroundings for fear of being scammed, touted or having your pocket felt.

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• Something you should notice about Wuhans traffic

  Many shopping streets are pedestrianised although Wuhan does have a traffic problem, as with elsewhere in the country, and the locals are not known for their courtesy C dont expect a red pedestrian traffic light to mean that a driver would actually stop.

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• How to communicate with the local people?

  The local people speak Wuhan dialect, which is not too difficult to understand if you speak Chinese Mandarin. Usually they speak aloud and fast, but they are always ready to help. Do remember showing your smile first.

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