Destinations - Far East - Wuhan

This Capital of the Hubei Province guards the entrance to the Three Gorges and displays many of the areas archeological treasures in the Hubei Provincial Museum.

Wuhan, city and capital of Hubei Province, in central China, a major industrial complex and inland port at the confluence of the Han and Yangtze rivers. The port is accessible to oceangoing vessels. The integrated iron and steel complex at nearby Wukang, one of the largest of its type in China, supports a variety of manufactures, including heavy machinery, railroad equipment, and motor vehicles. Other products include glass, chemicals, textiles, paper, and aluminum. Wuhan was formed in 1950 when three cities—Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang—were combined into one administrative unit. The name is an abbreviation for the cities, which retained their individual identities. Hankou, the commercial center and largest of the three, occupies the northwestern quadrant, lying west of the Yangtze and north of the Han River. Hanyang, the smallest of the three and a manufacturing and residential section, lies west of the Yangtze and south of the Han River. Wuchang, the administrative and educational center and provincial capital, is on the eastern bank of the Yangtze. Wuhan University, in Wuchang, is the principal institute of higher education. Landmarks include the Yangtze River Bridge, connecting Hanyang and Wuchang; East Lake (Tong Hu), one of China's largest lakes, with many historical attractions; Tortoise Hill (in Hanyang); and Xiang Pagoda, made famous by Tang (T'ang) dynasty (618-907) poets and restored several times since it was built in the 3rd century. Wuchang is also the site of the Mao Zedong Peasant Movement Institute and has monuments commemorating the Republican Revolution of 1911. Wuchang, a capital of the Wu kingdom in the 3rd century, is the oldest of Wuhan's component cities. Hanyang was founded during the Sui dynasty (581-618); and Hankou, then known as Hsia-k'ou, during the Song (Sung) dynasty (960-1279). Hankou became the leading commercial center of central China and was opened as a treaty port in 1861. The revolution leading to creation of the Republic of China in 1912 began in Wuchang in 1911. Modern industrialization started in the late 19th century and accelerated after 1949, stimulated by construction of the bridge over the Yangtze (1957), the integrated iron and steel complex (1956-1959), and aluminum-fabricating facilities (1971). Population (1991) 4,901,450.

View all the cruises that call at Wuhan, Far East cruise destination

Companies: Viking River Cruises,

Useful links: