Wuhan

China's major port along the middle stretch of the Yangzi River, Wuhan is the result of the merging of three adjacent river towns in 1921: Hanyang, Hankou, and Wuchang. Hankou is where most Yangzi River cruise ships call. Its waterfront along Zhongshan Dadao is laced with colonial buildings from the 19th century, when the British, French and Germans held sway. Visitors today are entertained on two market streets that come to life after dark: Jiqing Street, where roving buskers work the tables of streetside cafes, and Jiangshan Road, where shoppers flock. Wuhan's number one tourist stop is Yellow Crane Tower in Hanyang, an 1,800-year-old ...

China's major port along the middle stretch of the Yangzi River, Wuhan is the result of the merging of three adjacent river towns in 1921: Hanyang, Hankou, and Wuchang. Hankou is where most Yangzi River cruise ships call. Its waterfront along Zhongshan Dadao is laced with colonial buildings from the 19th century, when the British, French and Germans held sway. Visitors today are entertained on two market streets that come to life after dark: Jiqing Street, where roving buskers work the tables of streetside cafes, and Jiangshan Road, where shoppers flock. Wuhan's number one tourist stop is Yellow Crane Tower in Hanyang, an 1,800-year-old military watchtower that is immortalized in Tang Dynasty poetry. Today's version of Yellow Crane Tower dates only from 1981, but it still affords the same fine view of the river and city. Nearby are a teahouse with ancient music performers on hand; the Mao Pavilion, which contains the poems by the Chairman etched in stone; and the Memorial Hall of the Wuchang Uprising, a 1911 protest that led to the end of the Qing Dynasty and the rise of the first Republic under Sun Yat-sen. The Wuchang district is home to the Hubei Provincial Museum, renowned for its collection of ancient musical instruments, particularly its bronze concert bells. Among other attractions are Mao Zedong's Summer Villa, complete with the Chairman's indoor swimming pool; the Wuhan Botanical Garden; Guiyuan Temple, an early shrine to Zen Buddhism with a whimsical row of Buddhist statues; and the Wuhan Zoo, the residence of pandas, bonsai plants, and bears on bicycles.

About the Expert

J.D. Brown is a contributor to Frommer's China and Frommer's Beijing, coauthor of Frommer's China: The 50 Most Memorable Trips, Berlitz Shanghai, Berlitz Singapore, and other books.