Welcome To Wuchang - Temples, Towers & Revolutions!

Guanggu serves greatness but I wanted to see what Wuchang had to offer, going underground once more I ended up taking two trips to this part of Wuhan because my sense of direction had me fooled! Trusting a famous Wuhan tourist attraction that's received some beautification, I don't care! Like a prayer I went Taoist randomly, Changchun Temple was like 'Ni Hao!' 
Getting off the Wuhan Metro at Zhongnan Road I had a vague idea where I was heading, I knew that I needed to be on Wuluo Road. After walking for what felt like an age along Wuluo Lu I made it to the Taoist Temple in question, I was excited! Missing my chance to see the nearby Baotong Temple I had my sights set on some Taoist Temple Realness! Escaping the sweltering sun was a winner, the temple walls housed a peaceful courtyard. I was bad, I took some photos of the inside of the shrine but I won't include them in any of my blogs because that's even more shady! Many notable people have had something to do with Changchun Taoist Temple like Genghis Khan! 1851 was a bad time for this place of worship during the Qing Dynasty but He Hechun helped restore the temple from its state of jeopardy. Whatever else happened in the past I have to say that this temple looked great in 2015! Where can I find some incense B?!
Exploring the different avenues and courtyards within the temple walls was amazing and quite calming at the same time. People were just going about their business, with all the incense burning there was such a relaxed and special atmosphere around. Maybe the gods wants to say something to me, well the way the figures in the shrines stared at me it could of been possible! Come to think of it I had never been to a temple before that baking hot August afternoon in Wuchang, I'm still determined as ever to see Baotong Temple but that will have to wait! I found some incense sticks in a shop within the temple walls, they were only 15 RMB, which is about £1.50 so I was sold! I loved the stone troffs that were used to burn some heavy duty incense, the biggest I have ever seen! Finding some peace away from the hectic pace of Wuhan I appreciated that if nothing else, getting to grips with the quirks of Wuchang's Changchun Taoist Temple was great! I'm not religious, but!
I wanted to start a revolution! Finding the Wuchang Uprising Memorial of 1911 felt so good because that Wuluo Road had me fooled the first time around! After scrolling through Wuhan on Trip-Advisor I wanted to see what the revolution of 1911 served. Signalling the final Chinese Dynasty the work of Sun Yat-sen brought the famous uprising, making the Qing Dynasty the final time China was ruled by an Emperor and his Empress. Sun Yat-sen was apparently in the U.S. during the Uprising so what's that all about? Capturing the red flags was an imperative part of my visit to the 1911 Uprising Memorial in Wuchang. Learning heaps about the revolutionist, founding father and first president of the Republic of China was a task because most of the exhibits were in Chinese. October, 10th of 1911 was a day that shook a country that was operated by its Dynasties, Throughout the Dynasties those Empresses were on fleek Wu!
Free admission was another attraction for this historic Wuhan point of interest, you already know that I'm all about saving those Yuan's when I can! Wasting no time I was on the money, making my way from each exhibit without a moment to loose! The open areas of the 1911 Uprising Memorial were decorated in a simple fashion, I saw where Sun Yat-sen would have dined the most important people during the time of his power in Wuhan. The boardrooms served a hint of London's Cabinet War Rooms even though everything was at ground level. Getting a snap of the frontage took some going, I was not content with the way the right flag was swaying in the slight summer breeze, I needed to get a grip gurr! So, Taiwan celebrate the Uprising of Wuchang on the 10th of October each year but the National Holiday is known as 'Double Ten Day'. Getting under the skin of Wuchang's 1911 Uprising Memorial gave me a great insight to another piece of Wuhan's history. Wuhan, get your rebel on!
Every city in the world has its showpiece attraction, for Wuhan there's the Yellow Crane Tower. Originally built in 223 A.D. after the Han Dynasty in China, this palatial tower experienced a shed load of batterings during the Ming and Qing Dynasties alone but fast forward to modern China it was decided in 1981 a new tower would be built. I spoke to my Wuhanese friends about this Wuhan attraction several times, they saw the rebuilt version as fake but I took the current Yellow Crane Tower as a great place to experience. The fact that the original Yellow Crane Tower was located in a different place in Wuhan I wanted to appreciate the story behind this Wuhanese attraction, haters will always hate! Unlike the Wuchang Uprising Memorial of 1911 I didn't have any problems locating it first time around but the weather was too damn hot that day! Yes, the Yellow Crane Tower truly embodies Wuhan Overness!
Paying the 80 Yuan to gain admission to the Yellow Crane Tower park I was more than impressed with what I saw, the views from the gardens were simply beautiful. Climbing up to the fifth floor I wanted to see the views everyone had been going on about, to tell the truth I was not disappointed one bit! Viewing Wuhan's cityscape from a higher view gave me a sense that I had arrived, making Wuhan my home had been easy but seeing the views of the mighty Yangtze River cemented the reasons why I had chosen Wuhan! This central Chinese city is called the 'Chicago of China' for its vast transport interchanges and big city vibe that must compare to the 'Windy City?' I haven't been to Chicago but the views from the tower of the bridges and ever-growing city skyline I was seeing a hint of New York City in the air! Rolling all three of my Wuchang discoveries together as one leaves me with a feeling of amazement, this city keeps things fresh and is unapologetic at all costs! I'm representing!
Wuchang Is Calling!
Joseph Harrison