Overview
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, and one of the largest cites in
central part of China. It is also the heart of politics, economy and culture in
Hubei province. Wuhan stretches 155 kilometers from north to south and 134
kilometers from east to west, which is like a dance-gracefully butterfly.
Wuhan consists of three parts: Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang, which are
divided by Yangtze River and Han River. Each part has its own major municipal
function: Wuchang is the culture center, where a lot of universities are located
here; Hankou belongs to a commerce center, which is the most prosperous and busy
in Wuhan; Hanyang is the industrial base of the city, which embodies the
development of Wuhan.
Having a proud 3000-year-old history, even in Han Dynasty Wuhan has turned
itself to a busy port along the Yangtze River. In the following dynasties,
Wuchang (part of Wuhan) gradually grew into the provincial capital. Colorful
historical background left Wuhan rich tourist resources. The famous attractions
include Hubei Provincial Museum, Yellow Crane Tower, and Guiyuan Temple,
etc.
Attractions
Yellow Crane Tower
Yellow Crane Tower is located on the Snake Hill in Wuchang and is one of
the most famous towers in south of Yangtze River. It becomes a symbol of Wuhan
and a must-see for travelers.
Legend tells, in ancient times, a family (named Old Xin) opened a pothouse,
and a Taoist monk dressed shabbily always begged for wine, meanwhile, Old Xin
never rejected to give him for over six months. Then this monk drew a crane on
the wall of the pothouse to thank Old Xin for his charity before his departure
and said that it could dance. This painted crane could really dance and added
much fun to this family. Thus a lot of guests were attracted here by this crane.
From then on, business in this pothouse was flouring. Ten years later, this
Taoist monk returned and rode on the crane to the sky. To memorize this Taoist,
Old Xin built this tower here and named Yellow Crane Tower.
The main building of Yellow Crane Tower has five floors. The first floor is
a hall to display a famous painting, the immortal leaving to the sky by the
crane; the second floor mainly introduce its history; the third one houses a
collection of poems of scholars; the forth is to list works of modern painters;
the top floor you can have a panoramic view of the entire city, Yangtze River
and Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge.
Hubei Provincial Museum
Located in the bank of East Lake, Hubei Provincial Museum was first built
in 1953. It boasts the most important collection of cultural artifacts in the
province. It is also listed as National Tourist Attraction of Grade AAAA.
There are over 200,000 cultural relics in the museum and 812 are listed as
first-class and 16 are national treasures including ancient musical instruments,
pottery, bronze vessels, ancient weapons, Lacquer Ware, jade, ancient money and
so on. All these offer important information for science research.
The Museum has held about over 100 exhibitions or displays, including the
Exhibition of the Natural Environment and Resources in Hubei, the Display of
Zong Houyi Mausoleum Unearthed in Sui County, the Exhibition of Lacquer Wares of
the Warring States, Qin and Han Period in Hubei Province, and so on. It attracts
a lot of visitors at home and abroad.
East Lake
Located in the east of Wuhan, East Lake is a state-level scenic spot and
the largest park in the city with covering 88 km2, including 33-square-kolimeter
lake area. Because of its winding lakeshore and crisscrossing harbors, it is
also called the lake of 99 bays. Beautiful water, abundant plants and special
gardens within gardens, these feature this scenic spot.
East lake scenic spot includes six major parts: Tingtao (Listening to
Surging Waves), Mo Hill (Millstone Hill), Luoyan (Diving Wild Goose), Baima
(White Horse), Chuidi (Playing Flutes), and Luohong Hills. Various flowers and
trees are around East Lake, people can see flowers blooming all the year round,
such as, orchids in spring, lotus in summer, osmanthus in autumn, and plum in
winter. Different seasons can give visitors different enjoyment.
Guiyuan Temple
Guiyuan Temple is located in the west of Wuhan and one of the four biggest
Buddhist temples. It was originally built in 1658 by two brothers named Baiguang
and Zhufeng from Zhejiang province. The temple boasts its unique and abundant
collection of Buddhist doctrines and features exquisite architecture as well as
vivid sculptures.
Guiyuan Temple consists of five courtyards, such as, the eastern courtyard,
the western courtyard, the southern courtyard, the northern courtyard, and the
middle courtyard. The eastern one is the entrance of the temple; the southern
one is Arhat Hall; the northern one is the Sutra Collection Pavilion; the middle
one is Daxiong Hall.
Dining
Wuhan strategically stands at the mid reach of Yangtze River, a land of
abundance. Its nearby area is the well-know rice and fresh water fish production
base in China, which offer huge food selections for Wuhan cuisine. Wuhan cuisine
is featured with the fish dishes and all kinds of meat balls. Its most famous
dish is called Steam Wuchang Fish.
Steamed Wuchang Fish
Thanks to the Chairman Mao praise in his poem, Wuchang fish became the most
famous dish in Wuhan. In fact, the fish itself was originally produced in
Liangzi Lake of Ezhou. There are dozens of cooking methods. Steaming is the most
popular way. Local cooks often use 1 kg Wuchang Fish steamed together with ham,
mushrooms, bamboo shoots and chicken soup.
Doupi
It is also a traditional folk snack. People often grind green beans and
rice to proceed to make it into sheets, then wrap with polished glutinous rice
and meat in center. Finally, fry it with oil. The Old Tongcheng in Zhongshan
Street is famous for it. They prepare it with more care, which make it taste
more delicious.
There are other delicious snacks streets in Wuhan, which include Hubu Lane,
Qiaokou Road and Jiqing Street. Hubu Lane, 150-meter long, has been well known
for the stalls and serves a variety of breakfast and snacks for more than 20
years.
Shopping
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