Wuhan Attractions
Wuhan lies at the confluence of the Changjiang and Hanshui rivers, in the east of Hebei province, on the Beijing-Canton rail route.
Wuhan is a traffic hub and vital industrial and commercial center as well as being a city of culture and politics. There are rich deposits of iron-ore in the surrounding countryside, and a giant iron and steel combine has grown up here.
The city can be divided into three districts - Wuchang in the east, Hankou in the north and Hanyang in the south; at one time these were all independent towns and separated from one another by the Changjiang and Hanshui rivers. Wuhan's name is in fact formed from the first syllables of the names of these three towns.
Wuchang, the oldest of the three towns, was provided with fortifications as long ago as the Han period (206 BC-AD 220) and was the capital of Huguang province. The peasants' revolutionary army led by Chen Youliang made it its headquarters in the second half of the 14th C Wuchang has functioned as the provincial capital since the early 20th C. In 1911 an uprising against Qing rule broke out here.
Hanyang was founded in the Sui period (581-618). China's very first iron and steel works came into operation here at the end of the 19th C. Today light industry predominates.
Hankou was just a village until 1858, when the Western powers made it a trading port. Britons, French, Germans and Russians settled here and soon made it into a commercial center. This development was assisted by the building of the Beijing-Hankou railroad. This in turn produced a proletariat which formed the basis of the revolutionary movement.
Much of Hankou's architecture still betrays a strong European influence.
Wuhan is a traffic hub and vital industrial and commercial center as well as being a city of culture and politics. There are rich deposits of iron-ore in the surrounding countryside, and a giant iron and steel combine has grown up here.
The city can be divided into three districts - Wuchang in the east, Hankou in the north and Hanyang in the south; at one time these were all independent towns and separated from one another by the Changjiang and Hanshui rivers. Wuhan's name is in fact formed from the first syllables of the names of these three towns.
Wuchang, the oldest of the three towns, was provided with fortifications as long ago as the Han period (206 BC-AD 220) and was the capital of Huguang province. The peasants' revolutionary army led by Chen Youliang made it its headquarters in the second half of the 14th C Wuchang has functioned as the provincial capital since the early 20th C. In 1911 an uprising against Qing rule broke out here.
Hanyang was founded in the Sui period (581-618). China's very first iron and steel works came into operation here at the end of the 19th C. Today light industry predominates.
Hankou was just a village until 1858, when the Western powers made it a trading port. Britons, French, Germans and Russians settled here and soon made it into a commercial center. This development was assisted by the building of the Beijing-Hankou railroad. This in turn produced a proletariat which formed the basis of the revolutionary movement.
Much of Hankou's architecture still betrays a strong European influence.
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East Lake
Wuhan's East Lake is relatively large at 33sq.km and is a popular destination for recreational pastimes.
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Guqin Tai Terrace
The Guqin Tai Terrace is dedicated to the famous qin player Yu Boya who lived in this location 2000 years ago.
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Yellow Crane Tower
On top of Snake Mountain stands the Yellow Crane Tower. Most recently rebuilt in 1985, the tower provides exceptional views out over the city and the surrounding countryside.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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).
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.
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.
