Today Wuhan is one of the most important cities in China and has for more than 3500 years, since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, been an important town which time to time through the centuries also has been the political, military and cultural centre for the whole of China.

1500 BC Shang Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty establishedt Panlong town, a water transport hub, in a suburb of present Wuhan

300-200 BC Warring States Period
Military fortresses were built at Snake Hill and Turtle Hill

222 CE Three Kingdoms Dynasty
AD 222 Sun Quan, the king of Wu starts to build the town Wuchang

Tang Dynasty (618-917)
Poet Li Bai in gave the city the name River City

Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
Hankou starts to be developed as the main city in the area. and the two new cities Wuchang and Hanyang began to be built at the junction of Yangtse River and Han River.

Qing Dynasty (1616-1911)
The Governor of Hubei and Hunan Zhang Zhidong, started the modern industry of China and Eastern Asia by setting up factories in Wuhan and the town is changing from a trading town to a manufacturing town.

1911
The Revolution started October 10 in Wuchang, inspired by Dr Sun Yat-sen, that overthrew the Qing Dynasty and was the first step to China’s advancing to the New Democratic Revolution. Since then Wuhan became a political centre, and served as the capital of the National People’s Government and was for years a centre of Chinese Communist Party activities.

1927
The city is named Wuhan and the three towns, Hankou, Wuchang and Hanyang come under one administrative system and named Wuhan.

The junction of the two rivers divides the city into three towns:Hankou,Hanyang and Wuchang.

1957
For the first time can cars and trains cross the Yangtse River when the Yangtze River Bridge is opened.

1970
The car factory Dongfeng or Easterly Wind in Chinese is headquartered in Wuhan.

1986
Wuhan was appoited to a “China famous historical and cultural city” by the State Council.

1992
Wuhan became an open city for foreign companies. The following 7 years Wuhan’s local economy had an average annual growth rate of 16% which was called “Wuhan Phenomenon” by Chinese economists.

1995
The second Wuhan Changjiang River bridge is opened.