Wuhan
Wuhan(Chinese: 武汉), composed of the three towns of Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang, is the capital of Hubei Province. The three towns, separated by the Yangtze and Hanshui rivers,a re linked by bridges, and because these municipalities are so closely connected by waterways, Wuhan is also called the "city on rivers." Being the largest inland port on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and a major stop on the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, Wuhan is one of China‘s most important hubs of water and rail transportation and communications.
Wuhan has an old history and rich cultural traditions. It began to prosper as a commercial town about two thousand years ago, when it was called Yingwuzhou (Parrot beach). From the first century to the beginning of the third century, the towns of Hanyang and Wuchang began to take shape. During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the area became one of the most prosperous commercial centers along the Yangtze River. By the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Hankou had become one of the four most famous cities in China. Today, Wuhan is the political, economic, and cultural center of Central China. It boasts of one of China‘s leading iron and steel complexes -- the Wuhan Iron and Steel Corporation. Wuhan is also a city with a strong revolutionary tradition.
Yellow Crane Tower
Yellow Crane Tower(Chinese: 黄鹤楼), located on Snake Hill in Wuchang, is one of the "Three Famous Towers South of Yangtze River (the other two: Yueyang Tower in Hunan and Tengwang Tower in Jiangxi).
Legend has it that in Wuchang, there used to be a wine shop opened by a young man named Xin. One day, a Taoist priest, in gratitude for free wine, drew a magic crane on the wall of the shop and instructed it to dance whenever it heard clapping. Thousands of people came to see the spectacle and the wine shop was always full of guests. After 10 years, the Taoist priest revisited the wine shop. He played the flute and then rode on the crane to the sky. In memory of the supernatural encounter and the priest, the Xins built a tower and named it Yellow Crane Tower.
According to records, the tower was first built in 223 A.D during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280). After completion, the tower served as a gathering place for celebrities and poets to party and compose poetry. It was estimated that up to the Tongzhi Reign of the Qing dynasty, as many as 300 poems about the tower had been found in historical literature. Cui Hao, a famous poet during the Tang dynasty (618-907), made the tower well known throughout China with his poem "Yellow Crane Tower".
Destroyed many times in successive dynasties, the tower was rebuilt time and again until 100 years ago when it was, for the last time, reduced to ashes. The present tower is a complete reconstruction and is the result of four years of work beginning in 1981. Where the old tower was only 15 meters wide, the ground floor of the new structure was increased to 20 meters wide. The tower, 51.4 meters high, is five-storied with yellow tiles and red pillars, overlapping ridges and interlocking eaves, more magnificent than the old one.
The new Yellow Crane Tower is regarded as the symbol of Wuhan city.