Yellow Crane Tower, located on Snake Hill in Wuchang, is one of the "Three Famous Towers South of Yangtze River (the other two: Yueyang Tower in Hunan and Tengwang Tower in Jiangxi).

Legend has it that in Wuchang, there used to be a wine shop opened by a young man named Xin. One day, a Taoist priest, in gratitude for free wine, drew a magic crane on the wall of the shop and instructed it to dance whenever it heard clapping. Thousands of people came to see the spectacle and the wine shop was always full of guests. After 10 years, the Taoist priest revisited the wine shop. He played the flute and then rode on the crane to the sky. In memory of the supernatural encounter and the priest, the Xins built a tower and named it Yellow Crane Tower.

According to records, the tower was first built in 223 A.D during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280). After completion, the tower served

as a gathering place for celebrities and poets to party and compose poetry. It was estimated that up to the Tongzhi Reign of the Qing dynasty, as many as 300 poems about the tower had been found in historical literature. Cui Hao, a famous poet during the Tang dynasty (618-907), made the tower well known throughout China with his poem "Yellow Crane Tower".

Heptachord Terrace, also named Boya Terrace, is located on the bank of Moon Lake, western foot of Tortoise Hill in Hanyang district.

Story goes that Yu Boya used to be a famous musician in Chu kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 B.C.). Although good at musical instrument, he was always depressed for few people can keenly comprehended his music. One day, on his way back to his country after a diplomatic mission, he was blocked here by a sudden heavy rain. When it cleared up, Yu Boya played a piece of music. Zhong Ziqi, a woodcutter, understood quite well the message convey

ed in Boya's music - a vivid description of mountains and rivers, then traced the music and found Yu Boya. Thus the two became bosom friends. One year later, when Ziqi died, Boya, knowing there would be no one else to appreciate the beauty of his music, smashed his lute in grief and never again played music. Later people built this terrace in memory of the friends.

The original terrace was built in the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), experiencing several
destroys and rebuilds, the present one was the result of construction in 1957. The whole complex, although small in size, is elegant in layout and demarcated in arrangement. The main structure is a wide hall. A platform by the waterside in front of the hall is said to be the place where Yu Boya played heptachord. A two-meter-high stele was set in the center of the courtyard, with image of Boya engraved on one side and epigraphy about this story the other.

Heptachord Terrace now is a notable scenic spot in Wuhan.

Guiyuan Temple, situated on Cuiwei Street, is one of the four largest Buddhist meditation temples in Hubei as well as an important Buddhist temple in China.

The temple was first built in the early Qing dynasty (1644-1911) by two monks named Baiguang and Zhufeng on the base of Sunflower Garden which was owned by a poet. The temple got its name from the Buddhist chant: "When guided by purity, one can go anywhere." Guiyuan Temple has survived through more than 300 hundred years of repeated cycles of prosperity and decline. Above all others, it has always led the other temples in Wuhan with prosperous public worship, flourishing Buddhist ceremony, and welcoming many pilgrims.

The temple was destroyed and rebuilt several times in its history and the present temple dates from the early Republic of China (1912-1949). Covering an area of 46,900 square meters with a floor space of 20,000 square meters, the temple mainly consists of Daxiongbaodian Hall, Arhat Hall, and the Sutra Collection Pavilion.

Daxiongbaodian Hall

It is the main hall of the temple. A statue of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism who preached for 45 years, is enshrined in this hall. On his right is a statue of Mahakasyapa, one of the ten disciples of Sakyamuni. It is said that he was of eminent virtue and is believed to be the first patriarch. After Sakyamuni died, Mahakasyapa carried on his career. On the left is a statue of Ananda. Also one of the ten disciples of Sakyamuni, Ananda was the master of hearing and memory and is believed to be the second patriarch. He followed Sakyamuni for more than 20 years and is attributed with compiling the Buddhist sutras.