China Travel

VOX is considered, among Chinese music aficionados, to be one of the country's finest rock clubs. Offering live music almost daily, VOX is situated in Wuhan's student district and regularly hosts China's top bands and DJs, as well as a rotating cast of international bands. In addition to the club's excellent program of events and atmosphere, VOX is also stocked with an amazing selection of beers, offering Belgian favorites like Leffe, Chimay and Duvel along with the status quo Chinese pilsners. If that's not enough, VOX is definitely an economical destination; cover charges average around RMB 30, while beers are extremely affordable. more »

Located down an alley off Lumo Lu in Wuhan's Wuchang district, the Ximen Night Market is a sprawling lane of restaurants and stalls that mainly sell food, but also delve into such random items as antique books and knock-off shoes and clothes. Like many other Chinese night markets, Ximen is basically a street lined with tables and vendors, waitresses coming to serve you their tese kaoyu (special flavor grilled fish in a pan), oudai (spicy lotus stalks) and other traditional Chinese fare. Additionally, quarter kegs of beer can be purchased for RMB 50. An attraction every day of the week, Ximen is especially bustling and buzzing on weekends, where locals find a table early on and often stay all night, eating, drinking and conversing. Ximen is a little off the tourist radar, but it is a great destination experience one of Wuhan's most authentic traditions.   more »

Baotong Temple is located at the southern hillside of Hong Shan Mountain in Wuchang District, Wuhan. It is fairly difficult to see the Temple from afar, hidden as it is almost entirely behind heavy vegetation. This is a fairly representative and classic Chinese Buddhist temple, consisting of a Grand Hall, Meditation Hall and the Abbots Hall. There are also two gargantuan iron bells here, almost 900 years old, dating back to the Southern Song Dynasty. The halls are orderly distributed, simple yet solemn and splendid. Most of the architectures were built along the natural landform of the mountain inside the temple as well as behind it. As the most famous structure inside the temple, Hong Shan Pagoda was built in Yuan Dynasty and the whole construction costs 11 years. It's built in honor of a monk named Lingjiciren; therefore the pagoda is also called Lingji Pagoda. Made of bricks a... more »

Set in the eastern suburbs of Wuchang, the East Lake Park, is the largest open space in Wuhan and it's six times the size of Hangzhou's West Lake (for those of us who love to compare lake sizes in China). The mild temperature and wealth of sunshine allow for a wealth of lush greenery and flowers throughout the park with over 372 different types of plants and 80 species of bird and fish. The  Wuchang fish is the rarest and the most famous. The park provides a nice respite from the city while still being with it's boundaries.    more »

Changchun Taoist Temple is the largest and best-preserved Taoist Temple in Wuhan. The temple here consists of numerous corridors and stone staircases, all fashioned from brick and wood, with grand eaves and arches suspended from the ceiling. Decorating the hall walls are carvings and niches that epitomize typical Taoist architectural style. Many of the religious relics here were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. In recent years, many have been added to enhance the religious value of the Temple so that today, this place has the widest range of Taoist cultural relics in Wuhan.   more »

The Guiyuan Temple is Wuhan's most famous Buddhist temple, both in terms of religious significance and architecture. For several years this temple has been considered one of the most holy Buddhist sites in central China and Buddhist followers and dignitaries including the US Secretary of State, former Singapore Prime Minister and the Cambodian King have visited the temple. Although the temple at the site today is not the original, the renovations have been executed authentically -- consisting of a Grand hall, Guest hall, Meditation hall and Abbot's room and covering an area of 46,900 square meters. The original temple building took over six years to finish. Inside, the temple houses a collection of rare sutra, a jade Buddha and 500 gilded Arhats, all of which survived the ravages of the Cultural Revolution. And on a side note, there is also a good vegetarian... more »

Sitting atop Snake Hill, the numerously reconstructed Yellow Crane Tower, initially built around 220 AD, is Wuhan's most famous attraction. From the outside, the structure appears traditional, but if you peek inside, the 1980s elevator belies its modernity. Mao is said to have ascended the tower in 1927 to view the Yangtze River. This modern Qing style Tower is a reproduction of a Temple that was originally situated 1km from the  present location destroyed by fire in 1884. Despite the fact that this is not an important historical relic, many poets and artists over the years have reportedly found inspiration in this impressive monument. The Tower is 50 meters high with five stories stretching upwards from the ground. The roof of the structure is covered with thousands of tiny tiles glazed in gold. Frescos decorate the walls and the entire construction is hung together wit... more »

Also known as the Qingchuan Building, Qingchuan Pavilion is located at the eastern foot of Tortoise Hill on the north side of the Yangzi River, facing the Yellow Crane Tower. A pavilion was first established here during the Ming Dynasty between 1522 and 1567. Although not an important historical spot, the pavilion has an impressive geographical location and the ingenious structure of the building has been praised by numerous literary figures over the years. The pavilion has been destroyed numerous times and the building at the site today is the result of renovations in 1983. The pavilion is made mainly with wood and stone, and glass and metal have been used for the windows and doorframes.   more »

Gui Shan (Tortoise Mountain) is named Yiji Shan in ancient times. It's located in the north of Hanyang District with Yangzi River to its east, Hanshui River to its north, Yue Hu (Moon Lake) to its west and Lianhua Hu (Lotus Lake) to its south, facing She Shan (Snake Mountain) in Wuchang across the Yangzi River. On the eastern part of Gui Shan locate historic sites like Yugongji (the legendary place where a famous Chinese Hero Dayu successfully controlled the water), King Dayu Temple and stone carvings on the cliff. The ancient site of Qingchuan Pavilion was right on Yugongji. Gui Shan Scenic Area has been a famous tourist site since ancient times. Climb the mountain from the eastern foot along the stairs and you may see the bronze statue of Huangxing, a leader during the Chinese Revolution of 1911, the first civil revolution against feudalism in China. Walking forwards along the m... more »

Connecting Hanyang District and Wuchang District, Wuhan's First Yangzi River Bridge is the first bridge on Yangzi River for both highway and railway functions. The construction of the bridge started in September 1955 and was completed in October 1957. The whole bridge is especially sublime with the upper layer functioning as highway and the lower layer as railway. Two trains can run from either end of the bridge at the same time. Altogether there are eight piers and each arch has a span of 128 meters, which enables large ships with a load of more than ten thousand tons to pass through easily. At the bottom of the bridge there is an elevator to bring people onto the highway of the bridge. It's really a great feeling to stand on the bridge looking into the far distance with a wonderful panoramic view of Wuhan City.   more »