Wuhan Tourist Attractions
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Capital of Hebei ProvinceWuhan lies at the confluence of the Changjiang and Hanshui rivers, in the east of Hebei province, on the Beijing-Canton rail route.
Guqin Tai Terrace
The Guqin Tai Terrace was laid out probably in the 11th C, in memory of the famous qin player (a qin is a seven-stringed zither-like instrument) Yu Boya, who lived over 2000 years ago and is thought to have come here often to sit and seek solace in his music. It seems that his close friend, Zhong Ziqi, was the only one who appreciated the quality of his composition ''Mountain Brook''; when Zhong Ziqi died Yu Boya decided never to play his zither again. On the terrace stands a small pavilion on the ledge of which hangs a small wooden plaque with four Chinese characters which mean ''mountain brook''; a commemorative column marks the spot where Yu Boya used to sit and play.
Yellow Crane Tower
Yellow Crane Tower, extolled as the ''eternal sight of the city'', stands proudly on the top of Snake Mountain (Sheshan) in the west of Wuchang district. The original building was erected in 1223 in memory of an immortal being who was said to have flown down to the mountain on the back of a yellow crane.The five-story, 51m/167ft high tower has been destroyed several times and subsequently rebuilt. It last burned down in 1984 and was rebuilt in 1985. The first tower is said to have been built here 1600 years ago.From the tower there is a good view of the Changjiang river and the countryside around Wuhan.
East Lake
Wuhan's East Lake is relatively large at 33sq.km and is a popular destination for recreational pastimes.
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Mount Hongshan
Mount Hongshan lies east of Yellow Crane Tower. Its temples, pagodas, caves and rocks combine to make it an interesting place to visit.Special mention must be made of Baoting Si Temple on the southern slope of the mountain, the seven-story, 43m/140ft high Lingji Ta Pagoda which dates back to the Tang period (618-907), and the 11m/36ft high Xingfusi Ta Pagoda (1270) on the western slope. Also of interest is the Tomb of Shi Yang, one of the leaders of the Great Strike of February 7th 1923, who was arrested that same day and executed a few days later. When the tomb was moved here in 1953 a monument was erected over it.
Temple of the Regained Perfection
The Temple of Regained Perfection (Guiyuan Si), about 1km /.5mi southwest of Guqin Tai Terrace, was built in the Qing period (1644-1911), through the efforts of the monk Bai Guang, on the site of a mandarin's private garden, and the architecture is to some degree secular.The main buildings - evenly distributed over the courtyard which is adorned with pools, trees, flower-beds and artificial hillocks - are similar to all other Buddhist temples in China; they include the Buddha Hall, the Luohan Hall (Luohan Tang) containing 500 Luohan statues, and the Changjian Ge Pavilion with sutras (Buddhist teachings).
Shenxiang Baota Dagoba
The Shenxiang Baota Dagoba near Yellow Crane Tower is at least 9m/30ft tall and dates from the year 1343. It had to be removed to enable the Changjiang Bridge to be constructed, and in 1957 it was rebuilt close by.Nearby can be seen the former headquarters of the military government during the 1911 uprising.
Strolling and Reciting Pavilion
In front of the Strolling and Reciting Pavilion (Xingyin Ge), which can be reached by means of a bridge leading from the bank of East Lake, stands a statue of the poet Qu Yuan (c. 332 BC-AD 295). The pavilion is of three stories and nearly 23m/75ft high.
Tortoise Hill
Changjiang Bridge leads to Tortoise Hill, in the northeast of the Hanyang district of the town. Here visitors can see the Memorial Temple of the Mythical Ruler Yu (Yugongji Ci), the Tomb of General Lu Su (172-217) and that of the revolutionary Xiang Jingyu (1895-1929).
Wuhan Changjiang Bridge
This bridge, erected in 1955-57 and the first to be built across the Changjiang river, links the Wuchang and Hanyang districts. 1670m/1832yd long and on two levels; the lower is used by trains and the upper by road traffic.
Surroundings
There are several attractions in the Wuhan surroundings.
Old Mines on Mount Tonglushan
Mount Tonglushan lies some 75km/47mi southeast of Wuhan. Excavations in this region have revealed several hundred underground tunnels, together with tools for mining copper-ore and nine smelting furnaces, some of which date from the Spring and Autumn period (770-221 BC). The mining area covers about 8sq.km/3sq.mi, most of which is covered by a layer of slag weighing 40 tonnes, the waste product of copper-smelting.
Cockerel Mountain
Cockerel Mountain, 200km/125mi north of Wuhan on the border with Henan province, is famous for its springs, forests and mild climate (the average summer temperature is 24°C or 75°F). The mountain is named after a peak, 784m/2573ft high, the shape of which reminds one of a sleeping rooster.
Map of Wuhan Attractions
Map - Wuhan
