Wuhan
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[Wuhan] (Simplified Chinese: }}}; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) 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
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.
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.
In 1938, Wuhan and its proximities became the battlefield of the Battle of Wuhan, a major conflict in the Second Sino-Japanese War.
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 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 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 Changjiang 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
- At Wuchang you can find East Lake, the largest lake within a city in China.
- 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.
- 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.
- The Yellow Crane Tower (aka. Huanghelou), modern in structure, ancient in lore and legend. The original tower is presumed to have been first built in approximate 220 AD. The tower has been destroyed and reconstructed numerous times, was burned last in 1884. Complete 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 Mandarin 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. [link]Colleges and universities
There are eight national colleges and universities, and thirteen public colleges and universities in Wuhan.National
| Wuhan University (founded 1893) [武汉大学] | Huazhong University of Science and Technology [华中科技大学] | China University of Geosciences [中国地质大学 (武汉)] | Wuhan University of Technology [武汉理工大学] |
| Huazhong Agricultural University (founded 1898) [华中农业大学] | Central China Normal Univrsity [华中师范大学] | Zhongnan University of Economics and Law [中南财经政法大学] | South-Central University for Nationalities [中南民族大学] |
Public
| Hubei University [湖北大学] | Wuhan University of Science and Technology [武汉科技大学] | Jianghan University [江汉大学] | Hubei University of Technology [湖北工业大学] |
| Wuhan Institute of Technology [武汉工程大学] | Wuhan University of Science and Engineering [武汉科技学院] | Wuhan Polytechnic University [武汉工业学院] | Hubei College of Traditional Chinese Medicine [湖北中医学院] |
| Wuhan Institute of Physical Education [武汉体育学院] | Hubei Institute of Fine Arts [湖北美术学院] | Hubei Police College [湖北警官学院] | Wuhan Conservatory of Music [武汉音乐学院] |
| Hubei University of Economics [湖北经济学院] |
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 Four Furnaces of China, along with Nanjing, Nanchang and Chongqing. Wuhan is by far the hottest of the Four Furnaces; the average temperature in July is 37.2°C (99°F), and the maximum often exceeds 40°C (104°F).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
- Hot and Dry Noodle, "Re gan mian" (热干面) is a kind of noodle which is very popular in this city.The Chinese word "Re" means hot and "gan" means dry. The most 'Wuhaneseful' food.
- Duck's Neck, "Ya Bo Zi" (鸭脖子) is a local version of this popular Chinese dish, made of duck necks and spices.
- Bead Pan, "Dou Pi" (豆皮）is a popular local dish with a soy skin containing egg, rice, beef, mushrooms and beans.
- Soup Bun, "Tang Bao"（汤包）is a kind of dumpling with thin skin made of flour, steamed with very juicy meat inside, it is called Tang(soup)Bao(bun) is this, because every time one takes a bite from it the soup inside spills out.
- Salty Doughnut, "Mian Wo"(面窝) is a kind of doughnut with salty taste. It's much thinner than common doughnut, and is a typical Wuhan local food.
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.He founded the famous school Wuhan high school in 1920.
- 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
Soccer
In May 2006 top Chinese soccer team Wuhan Huanghelou announced that they had formed a lucrative deal with top English team Bolton Wanderers which would see both coaching and commercial methods exchanged.Sister Cities
- Arnhem, Netherlands, since 1999
- Bordeaux, France, since 1998
- Cheongju, Republic of Korea, since 2000
- Duisburg, Germany, since 1982
- Galaţi, Romania, since 1987
- Gyor, Hungary, since 1995
- Khartoum, Sudan, since 1995
- Kiev, Ukraine, since 1990
- Manchester, United Kingdom, since 1986
- Oita, Japan, since 1979
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America, since 1982
- St. Pölten, Austria, since 2005
See also
External links
Prefecture-level divisions of Hubei
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| List of Hubei County-level divisions |
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