Wuhan

Only from the air can we really see how densely populated the land is along the  Chang Jiang River – or better known in the west as the Jangtsekiang River.  This also explains the huge numbers of people who lose their homes when the waters overwhelm  the shore and huge land areas are flooded. 

Our river journey to Chongqing begins in Wuhan, a historical town in modern Chinese history.

On the shores of the East China Sea is the former summer residence of Mao Tse Tung, equipped with a tennis court, pool and its own movie theater.  In addition to Mao’s furniture, there is a collection of pictures of famous people who stayed at the residence, including Marshall Montgomery who met with Mao here in 1961.  The residence also holds a bunker with an escape route which can be visited.  In the past, the East China Sea was covered with lotus blossoms, but after an attempted attack by two nationalistic Chinese divers, Mao had the lotus plants removed.  Today the sea is used to cultivate pearls. In addition to Mao’s residence we can also find a new guest house belonging to the Communist Party.

Near the  Yellow Crane Tower, we find the red house where Dr. Sun Yatsen developed plans for the republic during the Revolution of 1911 and overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Initially the government was housed in this building, before moving to Nanjing in 1912.  Today the building serves as a Revolutionary Museum.

The shores of the Yangze River dominate the huge landing bridges for cruise ships with the modern backdrop of Wuhan, a city of 7 million people.

The ship’s own orchestra greets the passengers with music. Only during the course of our journey will we discover the multitalents of the crew members.