Wuhan is not one city but three, joined where the Han river meets the Yangtze: Wuchang on the east bank, Hankou and Hanyang on the west. That geography explains almost everything about the place — why it became China's great inland port, why the first bridge across the Yangtze mattered so much, and why visitors find it sprawling.
Most foreign travellers skip it. That is a mistake for one reason above all others, and it is in a museum.
The bells#
The Hubei Provincial Museum (湖北省博物馆) holds the bell set of Marquis Yi of Zeng (曾侯乙编钟), excavated in 1978 from a tomb sealed in the fifth century BCE. It is a rack of sixty-five bronze bells, the largest weighing over two hundred kilograms, and it is not merely a spectacular object: each bell sounds two distinct pitches depending on where it is struck, the intervals are inscribed on the bronze in gold, and the set covers five octaves.
It is, in effect, a playable musical instrument and a written music theory treatise from 2,400 years ago, recovered intact. If you have any interest at all in early China, this alone justifies the trip.
The museum sits on East Lake and is free to enter, though admission is capacity-managed — book through the museum's official channel before you go rather than turning up.
Where the empire ended#
On the night of 10 October 1911, soldiers of the New Army mutinied at Wuchang. Within a day they had taken the city and declared a military government of Hubei in a red brick building at Yuemachang; within four months the last Qing emperor had abdicated and two thousand years of imperial rule were over.
That building — the Red Building (红楼), formally 武昌起义军政府旧址 — was put up in 1910 as the provincial assembly hall and has been a national protected monument since 1961. It is now the Wuchang Uprising Memorial Museum, and it is a ten-minute walk from the Yellow Crane Tower.
The sights#
| Site | Chinese | Address | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hubei Provincial Museum | 湖北省博物馆 | 武汉市武昌区东湖路160号 | Metro line 8 to 省博湖北日报站 |
| Yellow Crane Tower | 黄鹤楼 | 武汉市武昌区蛇山西坡 | Metro line 5 to 司门口黄鹤楼站 |
| Red Building (1911) | 武昌起义军政府旧址 | 武汉市武昌区武珞路1号 | Yuemachang, walk from the tower |
| Yangtze River Bridge | 武汉长江大桥 | Hanyang to Wuchang, at Snake Hill | Walkable from the tower |
| East Lake | 东湖 | 武汉市武昌区东郊 | Taxi or bus; very large |
| Hubu Alley | 户部巷 | 武汉市武昌区户部巷 | Near 司门口黄鹤楼站 |
The Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge (武汉长江大桥) opened on 15 October 1957 — the first bridge ever built across the Yangtze, a double-deck road and rail crossing of some 1,670 metres, and for a generation the single most photographed piece of infrastructure in the country. It became a national protected monument in 2013, which is unusually young for that status and tells you what it means here. You can walk it, and the Wuchang end is beside the Yellow Crane Tower.
East Lake (东湖) is the reason to give the city a second day: an open water surface of about 33 square kilometres, roughly six times the size of Hangzhou's West Lake, with a long lakeside path and the plum and cherry gardens that draw the whole city in early spring.
Food#
Wuhan's breakfast culture is famous within China and barely known outside it — locals call going out for it 过早, "passing the morning". The dish is 热干面, hot dry noodles: alkaline noodles blanched, tossed with sesame paste, pickled radish and chilli oil, served without soup and eaten standing up. It is the city's signature and costs very little.
户部巷 is the well-known snack lane in Wuchang, a 150-metre alley running between Minzhu Road and Ziyou Road. It is thoroughly touristed now, and Wuhan people will tell you the better breakfast is at whichever unglamorous shop is nearest their own front door — which is true, and also not very actionable if you have two days.
Getting there and around#
Wuhan is one of China's principal rail hubs, sitting where the north–south and east–west high-speed corridors cross, which makes it easy to reach from almost anywhere and a sensible break on a long journey. It has three main railway stations, so check which one your ticket names.
Wuhan has an extensive metro — more than a dozen operating lines — and it is the sensible way to move between the three cities, because the distances are larger than they look on a map. Line 5 serves the Yellow Crane Tower at Simenkou Huanghelou station (司门口黄鹤楼站); line 8 serves the provincial museum at Shengbo Hubei Ribao station (省博湖北日报站).
Frequently asked questions#
Is Wuhan worth visiting?#
Yes, principally for the Hubei Provincial Museum and its bell set of Marquis Yi, which is one of the most remarkable objects surviving from the ancient world and is not replicated anywhere else. Add the 1911 revolutionary sites, the Yangtze bridge and East Lake and it is a comfortable two nights.
Is the Yellow Crane Tower original?#
No. The current tower was built in the 1980s from reinforced concrete, in traditional style, about a kilometre from the historic site — the last old tower was destroyed in 1884. Visit it for the river view and its place in Chinese poetry rather than as a historic building.
Is it safe to travel to Wuhan after COVID-19?#
Yes. COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan in late 2019, and the city has been operating normally for years. No Wuhan-specific health rules apply to visitors — the ordinary China entry requirements are what matter.
What should I eat in Wuhan?#
热干面, hot dry noodles with sesame paste, eaten at breakfast. Wuhan takes its morning meal more seriously than almost any Chinese city, and the local phrase for going out to eat it is 过早.
Does Wuhan have a metro?#
Yes, an extensive one with more than a dozen operating lines. Use line 5 to Simenkou Huanghelou station for the Yellow Crane Tower, and line 8 to Shengbo Hubei Ribao station for the Hubei Provincial Museum.
How many days do you need in Wuhan?#
Two nights. One day for the museum and East Lake, one for the Yellow Crane Tower, the Red Building and the bridge, all of which sit close together in Wuchang.
For where 1911 fits among the dynasties, see Chinese history for travellers; for using Wuhan as a rail interchange, see the guide to transport in China.