Food
The efficient nature of Chinese culinary etiquette means that you can get pretty much anything you want to be cooked before your eyes in a matter of minutes. You can seldom cross the road without coming face to face with a street vendor armed with a cart selling the snack du jour. Every region boasts its own specialties and Wuhan’s hot dry noodles do not disappoint. Traditionally a humble breakfast food, adaptations and variations of this sesame infused local delicacy can now be purchased throughout the city until nightfall.
Blossoms
Springtime in Wuhan means blossoms. Visit in March when cherry, plum and peach blossoms simultaneously burst into life, luring photo-hungry sightseers to some of the most impressive flower gardens in the country. Wuhan University campus is perhaps the most celebrated spot. Stretched alongside the dormitory building, Cherry Blossom Avenue is home to nearly 200 Tokyo cherry trees. This sight alone attracts over 100,000 visitors during the week in spring when the blossoms are at their finest.
Shopping
China’s swiftly developing consumer culture means one thing. Malls, and lots of them. There is little variation from one gleaming shopping mall to the next, however, Wuhan offers a number of alternative shopping experiences to spice up your trip. There is picturesque Han Street which winds along the riverside. Or Wuhan’s answer to Shanghai’s East Nanjing Road, Jianghan Road, which transforms into a hawker-market by night. Then there is Optical Valley walking street. This novel shopping pavilion surrounds an out of use aircraft-turned-restaurant and has a number of districts which are individually modeled on different European countries.
Nightlife
Nightfall in Wuhan by no means signals the end of a play. Whether you choose to sip cocktails on a fifth-floor rooftop or sit on the roadside with a bottle of local beer, there is no excuse for hiding away in your accommodation. Grungy rock pubs, Belgian beer taverns and eloquent wine bars are all on the cards. For anyone seeking a more authentic experience of Chinese nightlife, the go-to option is karaoke. Fortunately, Wuhan has a KTV joint on almost every corner, so grab a booth and join the singing.
Art
Wuhan Art Gallery’s stunning Chinese watercolor paintings are just a snippet of what’s going on in Central China’s art scene. The city is now attracting more and more international exhibitions as they over-spill from Beijing and Shanghai. This is not surprising given Wuhan’s rich cultural heritage, romantic landscapes and arty areas such as Tan Hua Lin walking street. Areas like these are packed with bohemian stores and showcase some of Wuhan’s most crafty folk in action. Local artists can be spotted inside their stores selling their work.