Located in central China , Wuhan , the capital of Hubei Province , serves as the political, economic and cultural center of the province. The Yangtze, World's third longest river and its largest tributary Hanshui meet in Wuhan and cut the city into three parts of Hankou, Hanyang and Wuchang, namely, Three towns of Wuhan . As a line by Li Bai, a great poet in Tang Dynasty goes, “In the Yellow Crane Tower the jade flute is being played while in the River City of Wuhan plum blossoms are dropping in May.” This biggest metropolis in hinterland China was hence reputed as a River City . With an area of 8494 k ㎡ and a population of 8.58 million, Wuhan administers 13 districts and 3 state – level development zones (Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone, East Lake Hi-tech Development Zone and Wujiashan Taiwan-investment Area).
As a typical garden city featuring mountains and waters, Wuhan is home to hundreds of hills and nearly 200 lakes of various sizes. With a water area making up 25.8% of its entire territory, Wuhan is ranked the first among major Chinese cities in water resources. East Lake, China's biggest downtown lake, covers an area of 33 k ㎡ . |