WUHAN
Wuhan, meaning 'Valiant Chinese' (a contraction of the names of the three cities of which it is a conglomerate: Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang), is the provincial capital of Hubei Province and the fifth largest city of China. Wuhan is in central China, is a major industrial complex and inland port at the confluence of the Han and Yangtze rivers. The port is accessible to oceangoing vessels. Wuhan was formed in 1950 when three cities--Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang--were combined into one administrative unit. The name is an abbreviation for the cities, which retained their individual identities. Hankou, the commercial center and largest of the three, occupies the northwestern quadrant, lying west of the Yangtze and north of the Han River. Hanyang, the smallest of the three and a manufacturing and residential section, lies west of the Yangtze and south of the Han River. Wuchang, the administrative and educational center and provincial capital, is on the eastern bank of the Yangtze. Wuhan is China's traditional base of manufacture industry, is also one of the origins of China's modern industry.
Geographical Features
Wuhan is situated in the middle of Hubei Province of China, the east of Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and Hanshui River. The Yangtze River and Hanshui River divide Wuhan into three parts: Hankou, Hanyang and Wuchang, which were generally known as Wuhan's Three Towns. Wuhan occupies a land of 8467.11 sq km, most of which is plain and supplemented by hills with a great number of lakes and pools. Wuhan's climate belongs to subtropical zone monsoon climate with abundant rainfall and clear four seasons. The Yangtse River penetrates the city, while the Han Jiang divides Wuhan vertically from the north to the south, so that the whole city is divided geographically into the 'Three Wuhan Towns' -- Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang. Wuhan is naturally very charming. There are more than 100 lakes and mountain ranges. Because of its hot summer weather, Wuhan is known as one of the 'Three Furnaces' of China, along with Nanjing and Chongqing. Wuhan is by far the hottest of the Three Furnaces; the average temperature in July is 37.2 Co, and the maximum often exceeds 40 Co. The coldest months are January and February with temperature as low as 5 Co, while the hottest months are July and August with temperature as high as 42 Co, and the annual precipitation - 1,200 millimeters (mainly from February to May). The four seasons in Wuhan are clearly marked with extreme temperatures dominating both summer and winter here. The summer here is almost unbearable. The heat also fells like it will last for eternity, with spells lasting for weeks on end and little difference in temperature between day and night. Although rainfall is fairly high at this time, it provides little respite from the city heat. The best time to visit this 'furnace' is autumn, when temperatures are much more manageable and there is less rainfall than at other times of the year.
Hankou
The area was built on an alluvial plain on the left banks of both the Han and Chang rivers. It is the largest city in the conurbation and contains its port, a major facility handling oceangoing vessels. The city has many industries. Hankou owes much of its development to the Beijing-Guangzhou RR, which crosses the Chang at Hankou. The city was opened as a treaty port in 1862, held (1938¨C45) by the Japanese, and in 1949 passed to the Chinese Communists.
Hanyang
It is on the right bank of the Han River at its junction with the Chang. It is a heavy industrial center. Hanyang was founded during the Sui dynasty (A.D. 581¨C618). It is linked by bridge with Hankou.
Wuchang
It is on the right bank of the Chang River at the mouth of the Han. It is an administrative and cultural center, with diverse industries. The oldest of the three Wuhan cities, it dates from the Han dynasty (200 B.C.¨CA.D. 200). The first outbreak of the Revolution of 1911, which led to the formation of the Chinese republic, occurred there on Oct. 10. The day is celebrated as the Double Tenth, the tenth day of the tenth month. The city's numerous institutions of higher learning include Wuhan Univ.
People
Wuhan is the largest city in Central China with a population of 7,565,000 with a majority of Han nationality. Wuhan natives speak a dialect of Southwestern Mandarin Chinese. The major religion is Buddhism.
History
With a 3,500-year history, modern Wuhan has been hotbed of sedition. The first shot of the 1911 Revolution was fired here, and Mao taught Communist theory at the local Central Peasant Movement Institute. In 1861, Hankou was opened to trade with foreign powers. In 1927, National Government announced that Hankou, Wuchang and Hanyang were integrated to Jingzhao Region and named Wuhan, whose administrative system was first unified. Wuhan was liberated on May 16, 1949, and was the city governed directly by Central Government by June 1954, afterwards, governed by Hubei Provincial Government. The three cities that make up Wuhan had separate histories until recently. Wuchang was founded by the 1st century AD, and was established as a regional capital under the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). Hankou was known since the Song dynasty (960-1279) as one of China's leading commercial centers. It was opened to foreign trade as a treaty port in 1861, becoming the center of the booming tea trade. The British, Russian, French, German, and Japanese all had Foreign Concessions here, and foreign nations enjoyed an imported lifestyle similar to that of foreigners in Shanghai. In the 1911 revolution that overthrew the Qing dynasty, Hankou was burnt to the ground. In 1937-38 the Guomindang set up their capital in Hankou, before being pushed out by the Japanese in a bloody battle. At the initiative of a Qing dynasty official, the village of Hanyang became one of the first Chinese-developed factory towns in the 1890s. After suffering from the depression of the 1930s and the Japanese occupation of 1938-45, heavy industry declined and light industry has since prevailed in Hanyang. In 1911, the Republican Revolution broke out in the barracks at Wuchang, which led to the toppling of the last emperor of China. While helping slowly build the Communist movement in China, Mao Zedong ran a Peasant Movement Institute in Wuchang in the late 1920s. The Communist government conglomerated the three separate cities in 1950, and named the resulting city Wuhan. At the start of the Cultural Revolution, in 1966, the official Chinese press reported that Chairman Mao Zedong (then age 73) swam across the Yangzi River at Wuhan. The story was intended to quash rumors that Mao was either gravely ill or dead. In Dec. 1986, the State Council promulgated that Wuhan was China famous historical and cultural city.
ATTRACTIONS
Yellow Crane Tower
As one of Four Major Towers in China, it is situated on Snake Hill of Wuchang District. It was said that Yellow Crane Tower was built originally in 223 AD with a history of over 1700 years. Previously it was destroyed and rebuilt in frequent disasters. Standing 51 meters high, the five-story Yellow Crane Tower is the symbol of Wuhan. Situated atop Snake Hill (She Shan) in Wuchang district along the Yangtze River, the tower was originally built at a place called Yellow Crane Rock projecting over the water; hence the name. Acclaimed as an ancient historic site and scenic wonder, it is one of the three most famous towers south of the Yangtze River. Destroyed many times by fire, the tower was reconstructed in 1985 according to a picture from the Qing Dynasty. Covered with yellow glazed titles and supported with 72 huge pillars, it has 60 upturned and layered eaves. Despite its antique interior, the tower is equipped with an elevator and air-conditioning. Wuhan, the starting or ending point for Yangtze cruises, is dirty industrial center of 4 million people and the capital of Hubei province. It is also the site of the first bridge over the Yangtze and the recently reconstructed Yellow Crane Tower.
Guiyuan Temple
As one of national key Buddhism temples, it is situated in Cuiweiheng Road, west of Tortoise Hill of Hanyang District. It was built in 1658 and named upon the Buddhist hymn: "Return to original purity without other resort, there would be many ways if it is at discretion." The Guiyuan Temple is Wuhan's most famous Buddhist temple, both in terms of religion and architecture. For several years this Temple has been considered one of the most holy Buddhist sites in central China and Buddhist followers and dignitaries including the US Secretary of State, former Singapore Prime Minister and the Cambodian King have visited the temple. Although the temple at the site today is not the original, the renovations here have been fairly faithful. The original temple building took over six years to finish; consisting of a Grand hall, Guest hall, Meditation hall and Abbot's room and covering an area of 46900 square meters. Inside, the Temple houses a collection of rare sutra, a jade Buddha and 500 gilded Arhats, all of which survived the ravages of the Cultural Revolution. There is also a good vegetarian restaurant here.
East Lake Scenic Zone
Situated in the eastern suburbs of Wuchang, the East Lake Park is the largest open space in the city. The lake here is huge, six times the size of the West Lake in Hangzhou and divided into different thematic areas including the Listening to the Waves area, Mill Hill, and the Poetry Composition Pavilion. The mild temperature and abundant sunshine here foster the rich plant resources in the East Lake area: 3.18 million plants of 372 different type, among which "the orchid in spring, the lotus in summer, the sweet-scented Osmanthus in autumn and the plum blossom in winter" are the most renowned. There are over 80 species of bird and fish here too of which, the Wuchang fish is the most precious and the most famous. This is pleasant spot, and about as far out of the city than one can possibly get in Wuhan while remaining in the city boundaries.
Hubei Museum
Located by beautiful East Lake of Wuchang District, it is one of the most famous museums in China and one of national key scenic spots. It has collected numerous cultural relics at national treasure level, of which the most famous is Zenghouyi Serial Bells of two thousand years ago, which was well preserved and unearthed in Leigudeng, Suixian County of Hubei. It is composed of dozens of serial bells of different sizes. Although it experienced thousands of years, its tone quality and tone color are still wonderful. The unearthed King Yue's Goujian Sword and King Wu's Fucai's Spear of two thousand years ago are still beautiful and sharp without any rust. The unearthed painted wares, used by ancient Chu people, are still colorful, whose wonderful shapes were hailed as the acme of perfection. Hubei Museum has collected Hubei ancestors' articles for everyday use and articles for war from Old Stone Age, New Stone Age to the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. The worldwide experts and tourists all marvel at these articles for the elaborate craft, wonderful shapes and ingenious design.
Ancient Chime Bells
A complete set of 64 graded bronze ritual bells of different sizes were found from a local tomb excavated in 1978 in the nearby Suizhou city. Weighing a total of 2,500 kilograms, the chime bells are the heaviest musical instruments in the world. When struck the bells emit a perfect 12-tone system covering five octaves. The sound quality of each bell beats any other bell in the world. Of linguistic significance are the inscriptions found on the chime bells in Zeng and Chu languages.
Site of the Former Revolutionary Military Government
Located in Yuemachang of Wuchang District, it is China famous scenic spot. The Revolution of Oct. 10, 1911 in Wuchang overthrew the rule of feudalism of two thousand years in China; Red-bricked Building reflects this true history. In front of Red-bricked Building stands the statue of Sun Zhongshan, great revolutionary pioneer, and the statues of three martyrs surnamed Peng, Liu and Yang, who gave their lives for the Revolution of 1911, as well as the Mustering Platform, set for resisting the army of the Qing Dynasty. The Revolution of 1911 in Wuchang remains resplendent forever.
Wuhan Botanical Garden (WBG)
Wuhan Botanical Garden, one of the several principal gardens in China covers an area of about 70 hectares. There are Aquatic Plant Garden, Rare & Endangered Plant Garden, Chinese Gooseberry Garden, Ornamental Garden, Tree Garden, Pine and Cypress Garden, Bamboo Garden and so on. Up to present about 4,000 species have been introduced or cultivated.
The Yangtze River Bridge at Wuhan
Linking Snake Hill in Wuchang and Turtle Hill in Hanyang, the Yangtze River Bridge at Wuhan was the first steel bridge across the mighty Yangtze River. The bridge is 1,679 meters long and has eight piers and nine arches. Below the six-lane motorway on the bridge, there is a double-track railway of 14.5 meters wide. Construction of the bridge started in September of 1955 and was completed in October of 1957. From the riverbed to the motorway surface, it is 80 meters in height. At each end of the bridge, there is a tower of 35 meters, installed with a lift.
Eternal Spring Temple (Changchunguan)
Located outside the great eastern gate of Wuchang of Wuhan City, the Eternal Spring Temple adjoins Yellow Crane Tower in the west and Baota of Hongshan in the east, where the surroundings are quite beautiful. This area used to be covered with green pines, so it was called "island of pines". During the reign of Genghis Khan, Emperor Taizu of the Yuan dynasty, patriarch Qiu Chuji of the Dragon Gate Sect 2 of the Complete Perfection 3 Tradition came here and built a temple to cultivate Dao. As his literary name was "eternal spring", the name was called "Eternal Spring Temple" by people of later generations. Ever since then, the temple became the most famous Daoist temple in Hubei. It had several hundred houses, several thousand devotees, and a large quantity of pilgrims.
Baotong Temple
Baotong Temple is now situated almost entirely on the hillside. It is fairly difficult to see the Temple from afar, hidden as it is almost entirely behind heavy vegetation. This is a fairly representative and classic Chinese Buddhist temple, consisting of a Grand Hall, Meditation Hall and the Abbots Hall. There are also two gargantuan iron bells here, almost 900 years old, dating back to the Southern Song Dynasty.
Qingchuan Pavilion
Also known as the Qingchuan Building, Qingchuan Pavilion is located at the east foot of Tortoise Hill on the north side of the Yangtze River, facing the Yellow Crane Tower. The pavilion was first established here during the Ming Dynasty between 1522 and 1567.Although not an important historical spot, the pavilion has an impressive geographical location and the ingenious structure of the building has been praised by numerous literary figures over the years. The pavilion at the site today has been destroyed numerous times and the building at the site today is the result of renovations in 1983. The pavilion is made mainly with wood and stone and glass and metal have been used for the windows and doorframes.
