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Published: October 21st 2008
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A view of the city from our balcony - and yes, it's like this everywhere. Building on top of building. For those of you who don't really have an idea of where we are living, I though I'd paint a colorful word picture for you😊 Are you ready? Ok - turn your imagination on!
Wuhan (武汉 in Chinese), located in the middle of Hubei province, in the middle of Central China, is a "small city" by Chinese standards, with a population of "only" 10 million (give or take a few). It is known in China for it's spicy food, it's history, and the Wuhanese people are known for their temper (attributed to the spicy food!). Wuhan is composed of three cities that grew together - Hankou (where we live), Hanyang, and Wuchang, (stereotypically Hankou is known as the business district, Wuchang as the educational district, and HanYang as the industrial district - but this is changing) and is intersected by two major rivers, the Yangtze and the Han. It was first called Wuhan in 1927.
Wuhan's history is rather extensive. In 1911, Sun Yat-Sen's followers launched the Wuchang Uprising, which led to the beginning of the Boxer Rebellion and ultimately ended the Qing Dynasty (the last dynasty and emporer of China). It was also the capitol of a leftist
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Jean standing on the overpass connecting both sides of Jiang Han Lu. The bus stop is in the background. Kuomintang government who opposed Chiang Kai-shek during the 1920s. Currently it is the largest city in Central China, and serves as the center of transport - it has two major train stations, numerous long distance bus stations, and an international airport.
Alright - I know that most people don't get hot and bothered by history, so I'll move on (but seriously, it's really interesting if you ever want to read up on it!). The question we seem to get asked the most is why Jean and I chose Wuhan over other cities in China. To be sure, there are more beautiful cities, and Wuhan is not full of historical sites or the best shopping, but it's real! China has destroyed a lot of it's history in order to make way for anything new (just look at Beijing destroying the old hutong neighborhoods in order to build for the olympics) and it's very difficult to find a place that still encompasses "real" China, however you define that. But to us, Wuhan is full of opposites, and it's an incredibly interesting city to live in!
There are a few cultural sites to visit in Wuhan: the Yellow Crane Tower (Huang
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Jean "licking" a giant fudgsicle in front of Starbucks! He Lou), East Lake (Dong Hu), Mo Mountain (Mo Shan), and Gui Yuan Temple (Gui Yuan Si), just to name a few - plus a few of the old city walls are still standing. We have seen almost all of them, and I'll include some photos on here today. There are also some modern wonders - there is a replica of the World Trade Towers, appropriately called the World Trade Towers (no joke). They are much shorter then the originals were, but still make you think. There are also a few buildings that have international awards for architecture. But perhaps most importantly (to Tanya anyways) there are some pretty cool places for shopping! Walking Street (Jiang Han Lu) is over 2 kilometers of stores, both sides of the road, and nothing with wheels is allowed (ok, maybe the odd bike). Shops and department stores seem to go on forever. And then there are the various markets all over the city. Unlike Canada, if you need something in China (whether it's shoes or a cell phone) you go to the market that specializes in that. Many of them are huge, and the assortment can be a little overwhelming. Imagine shopping for
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Me in front of Walmart, close to Jiang Han Lu. a cell phone in a market where there are more then 100 shops, each with more then 200 choices. LOL you can go a little crazy! And you'd better know how to bargain (or haggle, as Jean calls it) or you'll get skinned alive!
And if you're every hungry, there are food stalls everywhere! Most of them sell snacks (snacks vary from nuts and fruit to seafood and meat to rice balls to stinky tofu - Jean can't stand the smell, if you ever visit China AVOID STINKY TOFU!!!), but many also sell fried rice or noodles. You can get a huge bowl of either for about 3Y (Y for Yuan, there are roughly 6 yuan for every Canadian dollar). Another popular favorite is barbecue, NOT to be confused with Canadian barbecue. This barbecue is cooked over hot coals, then peppers with various herbs and spices until it sometimes gets a little out of control. Say "bu lada" which means "no spice" and you'll be fine! They barbecue everything - meat, vegetables, even noodles and bread. My personal favorites include lamb, cucumber, potatoes, dofu (tofu in Canada), and little pieces of bread.
One of our favorite past times
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The number 2 bridge crossing the Yangtze River. is going to the night market. We take the light rail train (exactly like the Skytrain in Vancouver) from our road to Jiang Han Lu, then walk to the night markets. They go on for blocks - just an endless line of stall in every direction. You can find anything there - shoes, lighters, earrings, nun-chucks, rings, fake nails, food, jade, clothes, hair ornaments, computer parts, cell phones, the list goes on and on. Every booth is different, but they all have one thing in common - if you want something, be prepared to bargain!!!
Another favorite way to spend time is shopping for DVD's. Many of you may remember that the last time I was here, I came home with a million DVD's (ok not that many, but close). Jean and I promised each other that we wouldn't spend every waking minute watching DVD's, but... we haven't had much money to do stuff, the weather has sucked some days, and the DVD's have gone down in price!!! So... we found our way back to the huge DVD store I spent so much money in before - and one the employees recognized me after 4 years!!! Can you imagine?
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My "weather ball" from 4 years ago. I would sit in my office and look for this building: if it was clear, the weather was good - if it was fuzzy, it was polluted - and if you couldn't see it, you wouldn't want to go outside! LOL She was so excited to see me, even gave me a good deal on DVD's. Haha... too funny. Anyways, we haven't spent that much at all, but we have purchased seasons of TV shoes - Two and a Half Men, House, Smallville, Boston Legal, McGyver, and Without a Trace. Each show cost less then $5! We haven't even begun to watch them all, we're good for awhile!
Well, I know I've talked your ear off for awhile, but I hope you enjoyed it. Next time I'll tell you all about our school and friends. Have a good one - and don't forget us over here!!!
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Milady605
Milady606
This is a really good description of Wuhan, and great pictures. I'm living here as well, and looking forward to doing more exploration (I've mostly kept to Wuchang.)