Comprised of three towns--Wuchang (武昌), Hankou (汉口), and Hanyang (汉阳)--that face each other across the rivers and are linked by two bridges, Wuhan is shaped like a flying butterfly. It is simple in geographical structure--low and flat in the middle and hilly in the south, with the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) and Han rivers winding through the city. Dotted with hills and lakes, Wuhan boasts a natural landscape rarely found in any other big city.
The area was first settled more than 3,000 years ago, during the Han Dynasty, and Hanyang became a fairly busy port. In the 1st and 3rd centuries AD, walls were built to protect Hanyang and Wuchang. About 300 years ago, Hankou became one of the country's top four trading towns.
In 1911, Sun Yat-sen's followers carried out the Wuchang Uprising (武昌起义) that led to the collapse of Qing Dynasty and establishment of Republic of China.
The first Yangtze Bridge was built in Wuhan in 1957, thus connecting North and South China by railroad for the first time in history. Including its approaches, it is 5,511 feet long, and it accommodates both the double-track railway and a roadway