Discover China

Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers. With 3,500 years of history, Wuhan is older than Beijing, Xi’an and Nanjing and there are many historical sites in the city. Find out more in the Shenzhen Daily article Wuhan: An ancient river town.

The China Daily article Hefei well worth a visit introduces the capital of eastern China’s Anhui province. Hefei is at the junction of Dongfei and Nanfei rivers, and is known as a garden city because of its many parks, which include Belt Park, a “green necklace” that circles the old town.

Hefei has many historical and cultural sites, such as the Memorial Temple of Lord Bao (999-1062) and the former residence of Li Hongzhang (1823-1901), a leading statesman during the late Qing Dynasty. It is also a great base for exploring the many other attractions of Anhui Province such as the beautiful Huangshan (Yellow Mountain), the ancient villages of Hongcun and Xidi, and the Yangtze River city of Wuhu.

I was fortunate to be able to visit Hefei and other Anhui attractions during my trip to Henan, Anhui and Zhejiang Provinces in 2009.

113 million people have been affected by severe flooding across China over the past few months, especially those living along the Yangtze River. The State Flood Control authorities say 27 provinces and municipalities have been affected. 8 million people have been forced to leave their homes. Floods have inundated 7 million hectares of farmland. Direct economic losses total more than 140 billion yuan. Since the beginning of April, when the flood season started, more than 230 rivers have passed warning levels. Read more in this CCTV9 Special Feature.

Some areas along the Yangtze River have experienced the worst flooding in 30 years, where the Three Gorges Dam, the country’s largest, is offering a buffer as it blocks more than 40 percent of upstream water. “Compared to 1998, the biggest difference is the Three Gorges Dam. Without it, thousands of soldiers and rescuers would have been needed to fight the floods,” said Yuan Jie, director of the Three Gorges Cascade Dispatching Center of China Three Gorges Cooperation. To find out how the Three Gorges Dam helps to alleviate the devastating Yangtze River floods read the summary article or watch the full video of the State Council press conference on floods.

Hopefully the rains can ease soon and bring relief to the many people who have been affected.