Wuhan
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Wikipedia.
Wuhan
(wo͞o-hän), city (1994 est. pop. 3,519,600), capital of Hubei prov., central China, at the junction of the Han and Chang rivers. The great industrial, commercial, and transportation center of central China, Wuhan comprises (since 1950) the former cities of HankouHankouor Hankow
, former city, since 1950 part of the Wuhan conurbation, E Hubei prov., China. Built on an alluvial plain on the left banks of both the Han and Chang rivers, it is the largest city in the conurbation and contains its port, a major facility handling
..... Click the link for more information. , HanyangHanyang
, former city, now part (since 1950) of the Wuhan conurbation, E Hubei prov., China, on the right bank of the Han River at its junction with the Chang. It is a heavy industrial center. Hanyang was founded during the Sui dynasty (A.D. 581–618).
..... Click the link for more information. , and WuchangWuchang
, former city, since 1950 part of Wuhan, E Hubei prov., China, on the right bank of the Chang River at the mouth of the Han. It is an administrative and cultural center, with diverse industries. The oldest of the three Wuhan cities, it dates from the Han dynasty (200 B.C.
..... Click the link for more information. . Situated in the heart of China, virtually equidistant from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu, it is an air, river, and rail hub dominating the middle Chang plain; China's main north-south railroad runs through the city. The Chang is there spanned by a mile-long bridge that accommodates both trains and motor vehicles. The busy port on the Chang, although about 600 mi (970 km) from the sea, handles large oceangoing vessels. Wuhan is one of the most important industrial centers in China; it has the country's second largest concentration of metallurgical facilities. Also in the city are railroad shops, automotive works, textile mills, food-processing establishments, and plants making heavy machinery, glass, cement, fertilizer, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and paper products. The many institutions of higher learning include Wuhan Univ., Central China Technical Univ., and a medical college. A bridge across the Han River links Hankou and Hanyang. Wuhan was the apparent origin of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and experienced China's highest death rate from the disease and most severe quarantine.
Wuhan
a city in China, one of the country’s principal economic centers. Capital of Hupeh Province and administrative center of Wuhan Municipality. Formed in 1953 from the three cities of Hank’ou, Hanyang, and Wuch’ang. Population, 3 million (1974).
Wuhan is situated at the confluence of the Han Shui with the Yangtze. An important transportation hub for Central and Southwest China, it has been called the crossroads of nine provinces. The city has a large river port, accessible to oceangoing vessels of medium size; it is a railroad and highway junction and has an airport. Wuhan is a commercial and distribution center for a rich agricultural and mining area. Tea, cotton, rice, and minerals are shipped from the city, and it receives coal, metals, industrial equipment, and other goods and materials.
Wuhan has a metallurgical combine. In addition to machine tools for heavy industry and the textile industry, the city produces boilers, forging and pressing equipment, metal structural members, ball bearings, railroad cars, ships, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, chemical products, and cement. The city has many enterprises of the food-processing, leather and footwear, and other branches of light industry. Wuhan has a branch of the Academy of Sciences of the People’s Republic of China, research institutes, and higher educational institutions. The two-deck Wuhan bridge was built across the Yangtze in 1957.
K. N. CHERNOZHUKOV
Wuhan is an ancient city. In the Chou period (1027–256 B.C.) a settlement developed in the area and became a transportation hub. In the Chan Kuo period (A.D. 220–280) intensive construction was carried out on the site of modern Wuhan. Under the Yuan Dynasty (13th—14th centuries), Wuch’ang became the capital of Hupeh Province. In 1853 it was occupied by the Taiping rebels. Beginning in 1861, foreign concessions were granted in Hank’ou. The Hsinhai Revolution of 1911–13 began in Wuch’ang. The Peking-Hank’ou strike of 1923 was directed from Hank’ou, and during the revolution of 1925–27, the revolutionary government was located in that city from December 1926 to July 1927. From October 1938 to August 1945, Wuhan was occupied by Japanese troops. In May 1949 the People’s Liberation Army of China freed the city from the Kuomintang.
Wuhan does not have a regular street plan. Architectural landmarks include the seven-story Paota Pagoda, built in the 13th century. The city has museums and numerous parks.
Chiehfang (Liberation) Park is the site of a mass grave of Soviet volunteer pilots who perished during the Chinese people’s national liberation war against the Japanese invaders (1937–45).