Wuhan

Location within China
Location within China
Modern and ancient
Modern and ancient

Wuhan ( Simplified Chinese: 武汉; Traditional Chinese: 武漢; Hanyu pinyin: Wǔhàn) is the capital of Hubei province, and is the most populous city in central China. It lies at the confluence of the Yangtze and Han River. It has a population of approximately 8,310,000 people. In the 1920s, Wuhan was the capital of a leftist Chinese Nationalist government led by Wang Jingwei in opposition to Chiang Kai-shek.

Geography

The metropolitan area consists of 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). 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.

History

View from the Yellow Crane Tower
View from the Yellow Crane Tower

The area was first settled more than 3,000 years ago. During the Han Dynasty, Hanyang became a fairly busy port. In the 3rd century AD, walls were built to protect Hanyang (AD 206) and Wuchang (AD 223). The latter event marks the foundation of Wuhan. In AD 223, the Yellow Crane Tower (黄鹤楼) was constructed on the Wuchang side of the Yangtze River. Cui Hao, a celebrated poet of Tang Dynasty, visited the building in the early 8th Century; his poem made the building the most celebrated building in southern China. The city has long been renowned as a center for the arts (especially poetry) and for intellectual studies. Under the Mongol ruler ( Yuan Dynasty), Wuchang was promoted to the status of provincial capital. By approximately 300 years ago, Hankou had become one of the country's top four trading towns.

Wuhan Custom House, opened in 1862
Wuhan Custom House, opened in 1862

In the late 1800s railroads were extended on a north-south axis through this city, which then became an important transhipment point between rail and river traffic. At this time foreign powers extracted mercantile concessions, with the riverfront of Hankou being divided up into various foreign controlled merchant districts. These districts contained trading firm offices, warehouses, and docking facilities.

In 1911, Sun Yat-sen's followers launched the Wuchang Uprising that led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China. Wuhan was the capital of a leftist Kuomintang government led by Wang Jingwei in opposition to Chiang Kai-shek during the 1920s.

The city has been subject to numerous devastating floods, which are supposed to be controlled by the ambitious Three Gorges Dam. That project is set to be completed in 2009, but is plagued by environmental, technical, and social issues.

Major bridges

First bridge

The First Chang River Bridge at Wuhan was built over the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) in 1957, carrying the railroad directly across the river between Snake Hill (on the left in the picture below) and Turtle Hill. Before this bridge was built it could take up to an entire day to barge railcars across. Including its approaches, it is 5,511 feet (1680 m) long, and it accommodates both a double-track railway on a lower deck and a four lane roadway above.

The First Bridge at Wuhan. This view is upstream, toward the distant Three Gorges and Chongqing
The First Bridge at Wuhan. This view is upstream, toward the distant Three Gorges and Chongqing


The second bridge

The second bridge, a cable-stayed bridge, built of pre-stressed concrete, has a central span of 400 meters The Wuhan Second Changjiang River Bridge is 4,678 meters in length (including 1,877 meters of the main bridge) and 26.5 to 33.5 meters in width. Its main bridgeheads are 90 meters high each, pulling 392 thick slanting cables together in the shape of double fans, so that the central span of the bridge is well poised on the piers and the bridge's stability and vibration resistance are ensured. With six lanes on the deck, the bridge is designed to handle 50,000 motor vehicles passing every day.

The third bridge

The Third Wuhan Chang River Bridge was completed in September 2000. Located 8.6 kilometers southwest of the First Bridge, constructions of Baishazhou Bridge started in 1997. With an investment of over 1.4 billion yuan (about 170 million U.S. dollars), the bridge, which is 3,586 meters long and 26.5 meters wide, has six lanes and has a capacity of 50,000 vehicles a day. The bridge is expected to serve as a major traffic hub for the future Wuhan Ring Road, greatly easing the city's traffic and aiding local economic development.

Tourist sites

Replica instruments of ancient originals are played at the Hubei Provincial Museum. A spectacular set of bronze concert bells is in the background and a set of stone chimes is to the right
Replica instruments of ancient originals are played at the Hubei Provincial Museum. A spectacular set of bronze concert bells is in the background and a set of stone chimes is to the right


  • The Hubei Provincial Museum includes many artifacts excavated from ancient tombs, including a magnificent and unique concert bell set. A dance and orchestral show is given here, using reproductions of the original instruments.
Ancient bronze concert bells at the Hubei Provincial Museum
Ancient bronze concert bells at the Hubei Provincial Museum
  • The Rock and Bonsai Museum includes a magnificent mounted platybelodon skeleton, many unique and finely figured rocks, a giant quartz crystal (as large as an automobile) and an outdoor garden with miniature trees in the penjing ("Chinese Bonsai ") style.
  • Some luxury Riverboat tours begin here after a flight from Beijing or Shanghai, with several days of flatland cruising and then climbing through the Three Gorges with passage upstream past the Gezhouba and Three Gorges dams to the city of Chongqing. With the completion of the dam a number of cruises now start from the upstream side and continue east, with tourists traveling by motor coach from Wuhan. Although there is no longer the excitement of fast water cruising through the three gorges, and some of the historic wall carvings will soon be underwater, much of the drama of the high cliffs and narrow passages remains.
Yellow Crane Tower
Yellow Crane Tower
  • The Yellow Crane Tower (aka. Huanghelou), modern in structure, ancient in lore and legend. This tower has been destroyed and reconstructed numerous times, was burned last in 1884. Reconstruction took place in 1981. The reconstruction utilized modern materials and even includes an elevator, yet in outward appearance and detail is true in spirit to the traditional design of the tower through the centuries.
  • Jiqing Street(吉庆街), a street full of road side restaurants and street performers during the evening, well-known by Chinese due to a novel Live Show (生活秀) with stories of events on this street by Chi Li. It's a great place to know how locals live, eat, and to enjoy some local performance. Each song costs around 10 RMB, and you can order 3 songs with 20 RMB, provided you know those song names in Chinese. Performances include pop music, folk songs, rock'n'roll, stand-up comedy, and so on, mostly in Chinese or local dialect.

Economy

Wuhan is a sub-provincial city. The GDP per capita was approximately 23,500 yuan (US$2,940 on purchasing power parity basis) in 2004. In 2005, the city's average disposable income was 10,850 yuan, up 13.4% from a year earlier. [1]

Colleges and Universities

[National]

No. School Website
A01 Wuhan University
武汉大学

a combination of:
合并自:
(the former) Wuhan University (founded 1893)
(原) 武汉大学
(the former) Wuhan University of Hydraulic and Electrical Engineering
(原) 武汉水利电力大学
(the former) Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping
(原) 武汉测绘科技大学
(the former) Hubei Medical University
(原) 湖北医科大学		 http://www.whu.edu.cn/
A02 Huazhong University of Science and Technology
华中科技大学

a combination of:
合并自:
(the former) Huazhong University of Science and Technology
(原) 华中理工大学
(the former) Tongji Medical University
(原) 同济医科大学
(the former) Wuhan Urban Construction Institute
(原) 武汉城市建设学院
(the former) Wuhan Science and Technology Vocational College
(原) 科技部干部管理学院		 http://www.hust.edu.cn/
A03 China University of Geosciences
中国地质大学 (武汉)		 http://www.cug.edu.cn/
A04 Wuhan University of Technology
武汉理工大学

a combination of:
合并自:
(the former) Wuhan University of Technology
(原) 武汉工业大学
(the former) Wuhan Automotive Polytechnic University
(原) 武汉汽车工业大学
(the former) Wuhan Transportation University
(原) 武汉交通科技大学		 http://www.whut.edu.cn/
A05 Huazhong Agricultural University (founded 1898)
华中农业大学		 http://www.hzau.edu.cn/
A06 Huazhong Normal University
华中师范大学		 http://www.ccnu.edu.cn/
A07 Zhongnan University of Economics and Law
中南财经政法大学

a combination of:
合并自:
(the former) Zhongnan University of Finance and Economics
(原) 中南财经大学
(the former) Zhongnan Institute of Polotics and Law
(原) 中南政法学院		 http://www.znufe.edu.cn/
A08 South-Central University for Nationalities
中南民族大学		 http://www.scuec.edu.cn/


[Public]

No. School Website
B01 Hubei University
湖北大学		 http://www.hubu.edu.cn/
B02 Wuhan University of Science and Technology
武汉科技大学		 http://www.wust.edu.cn/
B03 Jianghan University
江汉大学		 http://www.jhun.edu.cn/
B04 Hubei University of Technology
湖北工业大学		 http://www.hbut.edu.cn/
B05 Wuhan Institute of Technology
武汉工程大学		 http://www.wit.edu.cn/
B06 Wuhan University of Science and Engineering
武汉科技学院		 http://www.wist.edu.cn/
B07 Wuhan Polytechnic University
武汉工业学院		 http://www.whpu.edu.cn/
B08 Hubei College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
湖北中医学院		 http://www.hbtcm.edu.cn/
B09 Wuhan Institute of Physical Education
武汉体育学院		 http://www.wipe.edu.cn/
B10 Hubei Institute of Fine Arts
湖北美术学院		 http://www.hifa.edu.cn/
B11 Hubei Police College
湖北警官学院		 http://www.hbpa.edu.cn
B12 Wuhan Conservatory of Music
武汉音乐学院		 http://www.whcm.com.cn/
B13 Hubei University of Economics
湖北经济学院		 http://www.hbue.edu.cn/

Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.

Language

Wuhan natives speak a dialect of Southwestern Mandarin Chinese. Because it also has a blend of southern Chinese elements, the Wuhan dialect was once promoted as the ideal basis for a standard Chinese dialect. Standard Chinese however is now based on the Beijing dialect.

Folklore

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°C, and the maximum often exceeds 40°C.

The Lute Platform in Hanyang was where the legendary musician Yu Boya is said to have played. Yu Boya played for the last time over the grave of his friend Zhong Ziqi, then smashed his lute because the only person able to appreciate his music was dead.

Popular foods

  • Re gan mian (热干面) is a kind of noodle which is very popular in this city.
  • Ya Bo Zi (鸭脖子) is a local version of this popular Chinese dish, made of duck necks and spices.
  • Dou Pi is a popular local dish with a soy skin containing egg, rice, beef, mushrooms and beans.
  • Xiao Long Bao

Famous people

  • Dong Bi Wu is the first Mayor of Wuhan after the founding of People's Republic of China.
  • Modern Writer Chi Li is from Wuhan.
  • Tennis Players Li Na and Li Ting are from Wuhan and reside in Hankou.
  • Olympic medal winning diver Fu Mingxia is from Wuhan and resided in Hankou.
  • Famous table tennis player Qiao Hong is from Wuhan.
  • Vice Premier and Minister Of Health of China Wu Yi, is a native of Wuhan. She was ranked the 2nd Most Powerful Woman in the World by Forbes.com

Astronomical phenomena

  • The next total solar eclipse fully visible at Wuhan will be the Solar eclipse of 2009-Jul-22 to occur on July 22, 2009
  • The last total solar eclipse fully visible at Wuhan was on September 21, 1941

Twin Cities