Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, is one of the largest inland cities in China, and enjoys the same preferential policies originally only available to the open coastal cities. I've lived here since I was born. It is composed of three towns called Hankou, Hanyang and Wuchang. Two rivers divide them. One is the Hanjiang (jiang means river), and the other is the Yangtze River (its "English" name) or Changjiang (chang means long). The Yangtze River, 6,300 kilometers in length, is the longest in China and rises in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, flowing south. Wuhan is just in the middle of it.

Because of this advantageous situation Wuhan has become a center of politics, economy, culture, scientific and technological research, and is also an important hub for land, water and air communication and transportation in China. In its comparatively comprehensive industrial system, the metallurgical, machine-building and textile industries are the main sectors.

I've lived in Hankou for nearly 20 years. In my memory, the streets here have always been busy. I can see all kinds stores everywhere. No wonder, for Hankou is the center of business in Wuhan. It seems however that most universities and schools are situated in Wuchang, which give it a strong atmosphere of culture.

The city has a long history. Many sites of historical interest, scenic spots and important institutions are located here. The Yellow Crane Tower is the most famous one. The East Lake is another beautiful place to go. The Ancient Lute Pavilion, Qing-chuan Pavilion, Guiyuan Buddhist Temple are all the clear proof of its long history.

Most Wuhanese are fond of spicy food, just like their spicy, forthright characters. We say what we want to say, never thinking more about it! For example, I if am wearing an unfashionable coat, my friend will say," oh, it looks too terrible!", no matter how close we are. That's just a trifle. You can feel that kind of straight forwardness everywhere.

I have to talk about the weather here. Wuhan is also called "stove city" in China. The city is rather hot in summer. I remembered clearly that every family used to have one or two special beds made from bamboo. We put the beds outside together at night, and chatted. This was a typical experience in the 1980s in Wuhan. But now, almost every family has air-conditioning, so we can not see these special beds any more.

I'm not good at sports, but I do feel the strong craziness of the fans in Wuhan. Football is a good case. The fans are immersed in every football game. I can hardly express what degrees they go to. They play drums and shout in loud voices to welcome their heroes to their hearts. Not every city in China has that kind of spectacle of a long motorcade which is full of crazy fans playing drums around the city.

Wuhan is the third biggest city in China with a population of about 7 million [Thor comments: the actual metropolitan population is about 4 million. It is difficult to compare "city" sizes, because their administrative regions often include rural areas. There are about 600 cities in China and, at least administratively, some are huge]. Sometimes I feel crowded in buses and stores, but anyhow that's the case in all the big cities.

We Wuhanese take the "wintersweet" (plum blossom, or meihua) as our symbolic flower. These are beautiful flowers that blossom only in winter in spite of its coldness. We like them not because they are beautiful flowers, but for their spirit of tenacity.

Well, that is my hometown Wuhan. I'm sure I'll never forget or forsake her.

yours, rebecca