Description & Facts: Wuhan is the capital of Hubei Province in China and a major port on the Yangtse River. Wuhan is an amalgamation of three smaller cities, Hankou, Hanyang and Wuchang, each separated from the other by a river. Hankou is the business center and it sits to the northwest with the Yangtze River separating it from Wuchang and the Han River separating it from Hanyang. Wuchang is the education center hosting a bewildering variety of universities, institutes and colleges. It is separated from both Hankou and Hanyang by the Yangtze River. Hanyang is the industrial center, home to dozens of pollution-spewing industries including the Citroen car company. It is separated from Hankou by the Han River and from Wuchang by the Yangtze River. The Number One Yangtze River Bridge, an old, Soviet-era colossus of engineering incorporating both rail and automobile traffic in a dual-layer setup, connects Wuchang with Hanyang. The more graceful Number Two Yangtze River Bridge, currently only open to automobile traffic, connects Wuchang with Hankou to the north. There are two major bridges across the Han River shuttling automobile traffic between Hanyang and Hankou. These two bridges are within sight of each other on the few smog-free days that exist. The Number Three Yangtze River Bridge, connects the outskirts of Wuchang with the outskirts of Hanyang to the distant south. Hanyang was a busy port as long as 3,000 years ago in the Han Dynasty. Yellow Crane Tower was first built in 223BCE and became a famous buildings in China through the poetry of Cui Hao during the Tang Dynasty. Wuchang has been a center of learning for centuries, especially in the field of the arts. It became a provincial capital in the Yuan Dynasty. During the 19th century, as a result of concessions granted in the aftermath of the opium wars, large areas of Hankou's riverfront were carved up into foreign mercantile divisions with port and rail facilities. There remain many grand buildings along Hankou's riverfront clearly European in design as a result. In 1911 the city was host to the Wuchang uprising: Sun Yat-sen's revolution that resulted in the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty. The event is commemorated in many place names beginning with "Shouyi", literally "First Revolution", including a public square with an attached museum. In the ensuing chaos of the Republic of China, Wuchang was the capital of a leftist Guomindang government ruled over by Wang Jingwei in direct opposition to Chiang Kai-shek. Beneath Wuhan's industrial exterior a rewarding tapestry of history and cultural arts awaits. Would-be travelers who do not care for the heat should avoid visiting Wuhan in the summer months. As one of the "four furnaces of China" (along with Chongqing, Nanjing, and Xi'an), temperatures in the summer can easily reach 35C. Combine heat with humidity, a lack of wind, and heavy urban pollution typical to most of the rapidly industrialized cities in China and one encounters a recipe for a cloudy yet simmering day of uncomfortable heat.