A view from Yellow Crane Tower Photo by Daniel Alvarez Galvis
when I decided to come to China, I had images in my mind of childhood stories, films and novels: mysterious mountains, rice fields, orange-tinged sunsets, mythical heroes, and the ancient wonders of Beijing and Xi'an, which make it appear as an engaging and exciting tale of adventure. I had read about China's economic boom and its fast development. The fact that these two images—the China of my childhood dreams and the China that has become an economic powerhouse—coexist was something I had yet to figure out.
When I arrived in Wuhan, I only noticed the rich immediacy of modernity in all of its glory: fast railways that traverse this city as though they were its veins, connecting it with all the vastness that is China; the business districts where thousands of skilled and honest people, who come from humble anonymity, work for the progress of the city and, perhaps unknowingly, determine its fate; the gorgeous neon lights that light up the malls on Hanzheng Street and Jianghan Road, guiding workers, shoppers, and idlers alike around labyrinthine alleys. All of these images flooded my mind and allowed me to understand how China was far from what I had imagined. These images spoke to me of a China in total synchronicity with the rest of the world or perhaps even a couple of steps ahead of it. I was amazed and satisfied; I had finally witnessed how vibrant a Chinese city could be.
As I have strong curiosity about ancient China, and those questions in my mind melted away the moment I set my eyes upon the "Tower." The first time I saw it I didn't really know anything about it and was simply overcome by its beauty. The Yellow Crane Tower looked like a majestic object from before time, something whose beauty is beyond such vulgar labels as "landmark," "touristic attraction," or "scenic spot." The tower, watching over the city, is a kind of spiritual center, and a symbol of the pride that Wuhan takes in its accomplishments and its respect for the past. After I learned how the tower had been destroyed dozens of times and rebuilt over and over again, I recognized the driving force behind the Chinese miracle: the willingness not to let history, tradition, and myth perish for the sake of progress. This Tower offered me the China I had hoped for, and its presence only underlined the other face of the city, speed and uninterrupted development. The Tower also opened my eyes to the other wonders of Wuhan: the East Lake and its surrounding parks, the green hills, the dense forests, the ancient Guiyuan Temple...
Before applying to become a foreign student in China, I knew very little about Wuhan. Now that I'm about to complete my first year here as a student, traveller, and observer, I think it's necessary for me to say that Wuhan is much more than I expected and that I couldn't have had a better introduction to China than this city. Two different timelines run through Wuhan, and if you watch carefully, you can see them and thus fully appreciate the wonders this city has to offer.
