When Hubei Meets Australia
All starts from the Yangtze River...
Water has souls-Hubei, a land cradling the Yangtze River, knows it as well as Australia. Interestingly, when we dig deep into what Hubei has to offer in terms of cultural and natural wonders, we’ve found amazing resonance from Australia.
To many Chinese visitors, the biggest Australian tourism and cultural names include the Sydney Opera House, koalas, Blue Mountains, Kakadu National Park, and lobsters, to name just a few. When we try to follow the above-related categories around Hubei, we’ve found the Yellow Crane Tower, golden monkeys, Enshi Grand Canyon, Panlong Ancient City, and crayfish on the must-see & things-to-do lists, not to mention one of the most popular cruise voyages through the Three Gorges.
We, China National Tourist Office Sydney and China Cultural Centre in Sydney work with Hubei Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism to present a wonderful selection of Hubei online When Hubei Meets Australia. Click on the interactive map and get away on a journey all starting from the Yangtze River…
If the rocks of Kakadura National Park depict the early human trajectory in the southern hemisphere, then the Panlong City Site as early as 3,500 years ago represents the glorious history of early human city building in the Yangtze River Basin. The city site, palaces and other large buildings and many high-level noble tombs excavated from the Panlong City site, hundreds of bronze, pottery, jade, stone and bone artifacts record the wisdom of the early Chinese civilization.
The Sydney Opera House has only 38 years history, but it has grown up to be an important member of the World Cultural Heritage List. It is not only the most famous opera house building in the world, but also a symbol of Sydney. The Yellow Crane Tower, known as the most magnificent architecture in China and one of the “Three Famous Buildings in Jiangnan”, is a must-visit spot in Hubei, and is also regarded as a landmark building in Wuhan or even Hubei. The more than 1,000-year-old Yellow Crane Tower stands on the bank of the Yangtze River. Climbing up the tower and overlooking the rolling Yangtze River, it has attracted countless scholars and poets for thousands of years and left more than 100 masterpieces.
Australia’s abundant ecological environment has nurtured many colorful life, among which koala is one of the world’s favorite animal. The vast virgin forest in western Hubei is a paradise for animals and plants, where many rare animals and plants grow. The golden monkey, which is one of China’s national treasures, lives in a large number in the Shennongjia area of Hubei, and has now become one of China’s “ecological spokespersons”.
Like the Blue Mountains Grand Canyon, the Enshi Grand Canyon in Hubei attracts tourists from all over the world. The magnificent canyon is spectacular and wide, the landscape is rich in layers, the mountains are varied, and the river valley is deep. It is known as the “mysterious geographical unit”, with cliffs ringed by peaks, ground seams with tiankengs, various forms of karst landforms, and the world’s longest dark river is found here.
Australian lobster is a popular delicacy on Chinese tables due to its high import price. Different with Australia, which is rich in seafood, Hubei is located inland and is recognized as the “province of a thousand lakes”. Crayfish can be farmed on a large scale here and are sought after by “foodies” from all over the world. There is oil stewed, steamed, minced garlic, spicy, etc., with a variety of tastes. In 2021, crayfish achieved 1.08 million tons of production, which are deprived of various countries and are also one of the must-eat foods for tourists from all over the world to travel to Hubei.
Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as one of the city’s business cards, share many similarities. Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge is the first time road-rail dual-use bridge on the Yangtze River after the founding of New China. It is called “the first bridge on the Yangtze River for thousands of miles”. Traveling to Wuhan and walking on the Yangtze River Bridge has become an indispensable “ceremony”.
The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River is renowned overseas. The vast Yangtze River and the towering canyons outline a magnificent Chinese landscape map. Boarding the boat from Yichang in Hubei is the best way of visit the Three Gorges by taking a cruise on the Yangtze River. Today, in order to preserve the ecology of the Yangtze River, the world’s largest pure electric cruise ship has been successfully developed in Hubei and has been put into operation in Yichang. Since then, the more environmentally friendly, more comfortable and more energy-saving Yangtze River pure electric cruise has opened up a new experience of visiting the Three Gorges.
