Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain250px-Wuhan_montage.png, and is the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze river and Han river. Arising out of the conglomeration of three cities, Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang, Wuhan is known as "the nine provinces' leading thoroughfare": It is a major transportation hub, with dozens of railways, roads and expressways passing through the city. Because of its key role in domestic transportation, Wuhan was sometimes referred to as the "Chicago of China.” It is recognized as the political, economical, financial, cultural, educational and transportation center of central China.

College and Universities

    Wuhan is one of the three scientific and educational centers of China, along with Beijing and Shanghai. It has the largest number of enrolled college students in the world in 2011. The city of Wuhan has 85 higher educational institutions such as Wuhan University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Wuhan ranks the 3rd in China in scientific and educational strength: It contains 3 national development zones,  4 scientific and technologic development parks, as well as numerous enterprise incubators, over 350 research institutes, 1470 high-tech enterprises, and more than 400,000 experts and technicians. Wuhan also boasts 8 national colleges and universities among its 36 colleges and universities.

Culture

    Wuhan is one of the birthplaces of the brilliant ancient Chu Culture in China. Han opera, which is the local opera of Wuhan area, was one of China's oldest and most popular operas. During the late Qing dynasty, Han opera, blended with Hui opera, gave birth to Peking opera, the most popular opera in modern China. Therefore Han opera is called "mother of Peking opera" in China.

Cuisine

    Hubei cuisine ranks as one of China’s ten major styles of cooking with many representative dishes. With development of more than 2,000 years, Hubei cuisine, originated from Chu Cuisine in ancient times, has developed a lot of distinctive dishes with its own characteristics, such as steamed blunt-snout bream in clear soup, preserved ham with flowering Chinese cabbage, etc.

    "Guozao" is a popular way of saying having breakfast in Wuhan. It is generally said that Guangzhou is the paradise for eating and Shanghai for dressing, while Wuhan is a combination of both. Sitting favorably at the heart of China, Wuhan has gathered and mixed together various habits and customs from neighboring cities and provinces in all directions, which gives rise to both diversity and integration.

1. Hot and Dry Noodles, Re-gan mian (热干面) consists of long freshly boiled noodles mixed with sesame paste. The Chinese word re means hot and gan means dry. It is considered to be the most typical local food for breakfast.
2. Duck's neck or Ya Bozi (鸭脖子) is a local version of this popular Chinese dish, made of duck necks and spices.
3. Bean skin or Doupi (豆皮）is a popular local dish with a filling of egg, rice, beef, mushrooms and beans cooked between two large round soybean skins and cut into pieces, structurally like a stuffed pizza without enclosing edges.
4. Soup dumpling or Xiaolongtangbao（小笼汤包）is a kind of dumpling with thin skin made of flour, steamed with very juicy meat inside so that is why it is called Tang (soup) Bao (bun), because every time one takes a bite from it the soup inside spills out.
A salty doughnut or Mianwo (面窝) is a kind of doughnut with a salty taste. It's much thinner than a common doughnut, and is a typical Wuhan local food.

Sister Cities

Wuhan is twinned with:
Tabriz, Iran, since 2009
Adelaide, Australia, since July 2007
Arnhem, Netherlands, since June 1999
Bordeaux, France, since June 18, 1998
Sweden, since September 2007
Cheongju, South Korea, since October 29, 2000
Christchurch, New Zealand, since April 4, 2006
Duisburg, Germany, since October 8, 1982
Romania, since August 12, 1987
Hungary, since October 19, 1995
Khartoum, Sudan, since September 27, 1995
Kiev, Ukraine, since October 19, 1990
Manchester, England, United Kingdom, since September 16, 1986
Markham, Ontario, Canada, since September 12, 2006
Japan, since September 7, 1979
Pittsburgh, United States, since September 8, 1982
Porsgrunn, Norway, since June 2004
Austria, since December 20, 2005
St. Louis, United States, since September 2004
Ashdod, Israel, since October 2009
Kópavogur, Iceland, since September 2007
Faisalabad, Pakistan

Diplomatic representation

Until October 2011, there are three countries that have consulates in Wuhan:
1. France
2. Republic of Korea
3. USA

The U.S. Consul General, the former Honorable Ms. Diane L. Sovereign, has been stationed in Wuhan since November 30, 2009. The office of the U.S. Consulate General, Central China (located in Wuhan) celebrated its official opening on November 20th, 2008 and is the first new American consulate in China in over 20 years.