"And a river runs thru it"

Like my home town of Portland, Oregon, Wuhan is a city divided by a river. In Portland it's the Willamette. Here in Wuhan it's the Chang Jiang, better known as the Yangzi River, which is the world's third longest river. Wuhan has many distinctions including the fact that it's the only Chinese city that actually straddles both sides of a major water artery.

Wuhan is the capital of Hubei Province and has a population of 8 million. An interesting comment in the Lonely Planet guide book is "Not many people go out of their way to go to Wuhan, but a lot of people pass through the place since it's the terminus of the Yangzi River ferries from Chongquing."

Having visited Shanghai, I'd say Wuhan lacks much of the western influence you'll find in Shanghai. One dimension of that statement means that as a Westerner you're still an oddity and a major curiosity. For example, this week Lorraine told me of an incident where a man riding a bike was so intent on staring at her and her husband, Bob, that the man ploughed into a woman pedestrian.

However, it's not to say you won't find America, and other Western nations', influence here since I'm within walking distance of KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonalds (I never eat at them at home and am proud to say I've not changed any habits!) And, I previously posted my experiences of visiting large shopping complexes which feature all familiar American and European brands. All building signs are in Chinese here, while in Shanghai you'll see some in English.

Located in what's regarded as central China, Wuhan is really three former, independent cities that were joined together to create one. Addresses still bear this legacy since where I am, Wuhan University of Technology, is in Wuchang, Wuhan, Hubei Province. Originally founded during the Han dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) as a walled city, Wuchang is now a district of Wuhan. On my December trip here I joined Bob, Lorraine and Shaw for a walk in the inner portion of our district and Shaw remarked that the streets we walked through dated back over 1,000 years. It's here in Wuchang across the Yangzi River from the other two districts—Hankou and Hanyang—where you'll find most of the city's some 40 universities and colleges.

My experience here in Wuhan has been limited to Wuchang. However, flying into Wuhan you must drive through parts of the other two districts to reach and cross the Yangzi River into the Wuchang district.

Hankou, according to the same guide book, features a number of European style buildings which are a reflection of its transformation from the early 1900's into one of China's four major commercial cities today. Hanyang dates to 600 AD and is where heavy industry is located. It's the major contributor to the fact that you see the air you breathe here.

So, depending upon the nature of your business—since it's definitely not a tourist destination—really determines which of the three portions of Wuhan you will find yourself exploring.