Major Economic Indicators (2010)
As the capital of Hubei province, Wuhan is one of the most important cities in central China. It has 8.3 million residents and spans 8,498 sq km. Possessing a total water area of 2,187 sq km, Wuhan is renowned as the “Riverside City” and “Water City” in China. The Yangtze River and Han River divide Wuhan into three districts; Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang, which are commonly known as the “Three Towns of Wuhan”. Traditionally, Wuchang has served as its educational center, Hankou, as its commercial region, and Hanyang, as its industrial area. Wuhan is the most important transportation hub in the central region, which connects the east with the west, channels the north to the south, and links rivers with the sea through its developed transportation network,. It is also one of the most important inland river harbors in Chinese history. When Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge was built in 1957, Wuhan also became the transportation hub of central China. Today, China's north—south and east—west traffic arteries (such as 4 trunk railway lines and 6 national expressways) meet in Wuhan. Furthermore, downtown Wuhan is about 30 km from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport. Wuhan is the scientific and educational center of central China, with 52 higher educational institutions such as Wuhan University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology. It has produced a large number of historically prominent people such as Xia Juhua, Chen Bohua and Xia Yutian.
Wuhan’s history dates back to 3500 years. It was formerly named Panlong Town. Panlong Town is the oldest city ever discovered in the Yangtze River Basin. Due to its well-developed transport network and abundant local products, this area has always been a crucial military stronghold . In recent times, it has also transformed into a political and commercial center.
Wuhan has plenty of attractions such as target="_blank">Yellow Crane Tower,Baotong Zenist Temple, Guiyuan Zenist Temple, Qingchuan Pavilion, East Lake, etc. The >Yellow Crane Tower was built in 223 AD. It is renowned for its poetry. Many famous poets such as Li Bai, Bai Juyi and Lu You have written poems there. Wuhan also boasts some museums like Zhongshan Warship Museum and Qingchuan Pavilion. Wuhan has its own unique food culture. There, Jingzhou Cuisine meets Huangzhou local cuisine. There are many renowned delicacies, such as “steamed blunt snout”, “ braised soft-shell turtle”, and typical snacks, like steamed dumplings from “Sijimei”, Doupi from “Laotongcheng”, hot dry noodles from “Cailinji”, and sweet dumplings from “Wufangzai”.
By the end of 2010, Wuhan had three state-level development zones. The area and pillar industries of these three zones are presented in the table as follows.
China's State Pilot Zone for Overall Reform on Building Resource-Conserving and Environmental Friendly Society (2007)-State Council of China
China Best Tourist City (2000)-National Tourism Administration, PRC
China Historic and Cultural City (1986)-tate Council of China
