武汉市

Why this place

Wuhan is three towns — Hankou, Hanyang and Wuchang — that were merged after the railway and the river made them one city. The Yangtze here is wider than you expect and the city's life is built around it. Wuchang's Yellow Crane Tower is the most famous pavilion in the middle of China, and the modern history museums on the Hankou side cover the 1911 revolution that ended the empire.

What to see

• The Yellow Crane Tower and the Wuchang riverbank, looking over the Yangtze
• Hubei Provincial Museum — the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, with its bronze bells and chime set
• The 1911 Revolution Museum in Wuchang, at the army barracks where the uprising began
• Hankou's colonial riverside, with the old customs house, banks and concessions
• East Lake, one of the largest lakes inside a Chinese city, with gardens and a long causeway
• The Hanyang Iron Works site and the bridges over the Yangtze

What to eat

• Hot dry noodles (reganmian) — Wuhan's breakfast, sesame-sauce noodles eaten standing up
• Doupi — sticky rice and egg wrapped in a bean sheet, the other Wuhan breakfast
• Lotus root soup and Wuchang fish, the city's two classic dishes

How to plan

Two or three days: the museum and East Lake, the 1911 sites and the old Hankou riverside, plus a day for the Yellow Crane Tower and the bridges.

Best time

March–May and October–November; Wuhan's summers are famously punishing

Practical tips

• The Yangtze is worth a ferry crossing just to feel the size of it — the commuter ferries cost almost nothing