The city of Wuhan is one of China’s largest industrial hubs and a major crossroads. The capital of Hubei province has 11 million people and is under an unprecedented, open-ended lockdown to try to prevent the spread of a virus that first appeared in the city last month.
Its history
An inland port on the north bank of the Yangtze, which stretches from far western China to Shanghai, Wuhan is said to be about 3,500 years old.
It came under British control in the 1800s as a treaty port and like much of China was occupied by the Japanese during the second world war.
It was the site of the Wuchang uprising in 1911 that eventually brought on the Qing dynasty’s downfall and the founding of the modern republic of China. That government was vanquished by communist forces in 1949, leading to the People’s Republic of China.
Its industry
Wuhan is the birthplace of China’s steel industry and draws on iron ore and coal from nearby mines. It is also a major manufacturing centre for textiles, machinery, trucks and consumer products.
Because of its central location, it is the main distribution point in central China for river, railway, road and other transport.
The local government says 300 of the world’s top corporations have invested in the city, including Walmart and car makers such as Honda, Nissan and PSA Citroen Peugeot.
Its highlights
The city has high levees along the Yangtze protecting it from flooding and one of its most famous landmarks is the scenic but heavily polluted East Lake.
The ancient, five-storey Yellow Crane Tower, rebuilt several times, is featured in famous Tang dynasty poems.
Wuhan is called one of the “furnaces” of the Yangtze, thanks to its extremely hot and humid summers.
Its happenings
It is a host city for the 2021 Fifa Club World Cup, is speeding up the building of five national-level industrial bases, and is striving to build up its high-tech industries as the “optic valley” of China.
The city is also the site of an annual swim across the Yangtze to commemorate the famous 1966 swim by revolutionary leader Mao Zedong at age 72.
Its food
Like the Sars virus in 2002-03, the new coronavirus was thought to have been transmitted from animals to people by the consumption of exotic wildlife. Apart from such creatures, Wuhan is famed for peppery frog legs, braised crayfish and spicy duck necks, a favourite drinking snack.