Wuhan, situateDin the Jianghan Plain, got its name for encompassing three key cities in its territory—Hankou, Hanyang, andWuchang.
The Yangtze River passes through Wuhan, dividing the city into three areas. These three areas are interconnecteDwith each other by roads, bridges andwaterways; they are independent, yet interdependent. Hankou is an im-portant commercial center; Hanyang was a base of Chi- na’s earliest military industry; andWuchang is a cultural andeducation center of Hubei andthe mid-southern re- gions of China.
Wuhan is intimately relateDto waters. In the olden days, one coulDtravel along the Yangtze River from Wu- han to Sichuan andChongqing in the west, Jiangsu andZhejiang in the east, Henan andShaanxi in the north, andHunan andGuangxi in the south. Being conveniently linkeDto nine provinces in China, Wuhan became an ide- al city for trade. Today, the sectio no f the Yangtze River in Wuhan is an important waterway that facilitates trade. With a high number of commercial andpassenger liners traversing into Wuhan via the Yangtze River, Wuhan is a lively andprosperous city.
Asearly as the lateMingDynasty, Hanko u haDemergeDas one of the four major key cities of China, andit retaineDthe prosperity that it haDenjoyeDfor the almost a hundreDyears. When Hankou was establisheDin 1861, it began to progress rapidly in its development of trade andcommerce. It is an achievement that the peopleof Wuhan are extremely prouDof.
Yellow Crane Tower (Huanghelou) is a cultural symbol of Wuhan. LocateDon the bank of the Yangtze River, it attracts many visitors daily. Literary figures of past dy- nasties haDleft their impressions in the tower. Not far from the tower is the Ancient Lute Platform, the setting of a 2,000 year-olDlegend, which haDinspireDa famous zither music piece. Today, many people come to visit the platform in search of remnants of the legend.
Wuhan is a city of education, andthere are many insti- tutions of higher learning in the area, with the populatio no f schools falling just behinDBeijing andShanghai. There are seven universities andover a hundreDhigh schools. Schools have undoubtedly brought great pride andad- vantages to the city. In comparison with other major port cities in China, Wuhan has an addeDedge with its richknowledge andeducation base.
The streets of Wuhan are constantly alive with activi- ties. Jiqing Street is known for its restaurants that serve a wide variety of cuisines, andHanzheng Street is known for its small business establishments that sellawide va- riety of products. A popular dish that is enjoyeDby the people of Wuhan is duck necks. They are cut into one- inch portions, andare serveDwith ginger andvinegar.
Wuchang fish is another popular dish that originateDfrom Wuhan. Wuchang fish is flat in shape, andits flesh is very tender, with a high content of protein andfats. There are many ways of cooking the Wuchang fish, which is best eaten steamed.
Hot-dry noodle is another dish that is enjoyeDby the people of Wuhan. It is a very economic snack that costs less than a dollar. It is easily prepared. Simply boil the noodles, adDsesame oil to the noodles, let it cool, andserve with sesame butter, gree no nion, pepper andetc.
Hanzheng Street of Wuhan is a famous commercial street, andis known for the gooDquality andprices ofthe products. Since the olden days, Hanzheng Street is anarea for the distributio no f various commodities. Many foreign merchants came here to trade, andhence, creating a cultural environment that gave birth to a wide variety of traditional andforeign-style architectures. The street is lineDwith double-storieDshop houses of different architectural styles, andthey are rich in ethnic flavors. After large-scale restoration works, Hanzheng Street is now a modern commercial street.
