Deserted roads. Barricaded residential areas. Ambulances with their sirens blaring.
Splashed all over the news and our social media feeds, these dramatic scenes of a virus-hit city introduced Wuhan to the world a year ago.
Overnight, the epicentre of a then little-known virus – COVID-19 – became a household name.
Sadly, those images are, for many of us, our only reference to a city so important in China that it’s regarded as the nation’s “thoroughfare”.
On 23 January 2020, the capital of central Hubei province was the first city in the world to go into lockdown when people barely grasped the meaning of the word.
Restrictions were put in place to stem the spread of the virus, which in Wuhan alone infected more than 50,000 people and claimed some 3,800 lives.
As the number of infections rose, the demand for medical supplies, including personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks and gloves for front liners.
AirAsia, which began operating flights to Wuhan from Kuala Lumpur in 2017, was among the first airlines to step in and offer assistance, flying in critical supplies and operating repatriation flights.
After enduring 76 days of lockdown, Wuhan emerged on 8 April 2020 like a butterfly shedding its cocoon.
A year on, virus-free Wuhan is setting an example for the rest of the world to follow.
Like many of Wuhan’s 11 million residents, Liu Jie’s priority when restrictions were lifted was to fill his lungs with fresh air.
“I can’t forget the feeling of stepping outdoors and breathing fresh air after two-and-a-half months in lockdown.”
The sculptor, a master of the ancient art of dough modelling, believes the city should be on everyone’s travel radar for its wealth of history and culture.
“It feels as if the city has been resurrected,” he said.
Though only time will help shake off Wuhan’s association with the pandemic, it’s hard to deny Liu’s optimism.
Wuhan, a central transport hub and industrial centre home to burgeoning automotive and steel industries, have a proud history that stretches back millennia.
Located at the confluence of the Han and Yangtze rivers, Wuhan is made up of Hankou, Hanyang and Wuchang, which were merged when the People’s Republic of China was formed in 1949.
Of the three, Hankou, an important trade centre between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries, and Wuchang – site of the 1911 Wuchang Uprising, an armed rebellion that ultimately led to overthrowing China’s last imperial dynasty a year later – were the more illustrious.
Wuhan’s lush landscapes and historical sites, coupled with its strategic location equidistant from the Chinese capital of Beijing and the economic powerhouses of Guangzhou, Shanghai and Chongqing – have long charmed visitors.
No sooner than Wuhan had stepped out of the shadows of lockdown, it topped the wishlists of Chinese travellers, who were eager to contribute to the city’s post-crisis renewal.
Unsurprisingly, Wuhan welcomed some 18.8 million visitors during Golden Week in early October last year, making it the most-visited Chinese city during the national holiday.
While glossy promos like Let’s Meet in Wuhan – a video posted on the local tourism body’s Discover Wuhan Facebook page – did their part to reignite interest in the city, one of the main reasons Wuhan is back on top is thanks to local government efforts.
Additional health and safety protocols, including mass testing following May’s second outbreak, have also helped Wuhan stay coronavirus-free.
Thanks to these measures and enhanced health and safety practices at all local attractions, Wuhan is now considered among the safest cities in China.
Popular attractions such as the Happy Valley theme park are once again experiencing a surge in tourists, despite capping capacity.
Here, all employees are tested for COVID-19, and to ensure visitors feel comfortable and safe at all times; amusement ride seats are disinfected after every turn.
The theme park, dubbed “mini Disneyland” by locals, consists of several dedicated areas, each showcasing exhilarating rides and entertaining attractions of their own.
Highlights include the family-friendly Wind Surfer, which allows visitors to experience the thrills and spills of riding the waves without going to the beach, and Darling Dragon, a wooden roller coaster famed for its “high five” section.
Wuhan’s origins can be traced to Panlongcheng, a Shang dynasty (1600-1046 BCE) settlement north of the Yangtze.
At the Panlong City Museum, which houses relics unearthed at the archaeological site, visitors can step back in time and experience the city’s Bronze Age heritage through displays of artefacts, art, architecture and folk customs.
But perhaps no other landmark in Wuhan is more symbolic now than the 51.4-metre high Yellow Crane Tower, built as a watchtower in 223.
Torn down multiple times through the centuries and reduced to ashes in an 1884 fire, the monument symbolises the resilience and strength of the people of Wuhan.
One of the Four Great Towers of Ancient China, the tower’s magnificence has also inspired Chinese poets and artists for centuries.
Resurrected in the early 1980s based on a Qing dynasty (1644-1912) model, the Yellow Crane Tower features a roof covered in 100,000 glazed yellow tiles and upturned eaves resembling fluttering cranes.
Overlooking the city from its perch on Snake Mountain, the five-storey tower offers breathtaking views of the city, and when dusk falls, the twinkling lights of cruise ships on the Yangtze.
Though Wuhan is known as a centre of industry, its natural beauty rivals that of the country’s more well-known scenic spots.
An example is the city’s stunning East Lake, a body of water spanning 30 square kilometres and among the most significant urban lakes in China.
East Lake, home to lush forests and landscaped gardens, draws visitors throughout the year, particularly during cherry blossom season in spring and when the lake’s lotuses are in full bloom in summer.
Via the East Lake Greenway, a 102-kilometre path for pedestrians and cyclists, this urban green lung connects city dwellers to other scenic areas, including Tsingtao, Moshan Hill and Luohong.
A little farther afield in Xinzhou district, about 70 kilometres northeast of Wuhan, lies the otherworldly “floating forest” of Zhangdu Lake Wetland, featured in many tourism videos.
Here, visitors can drift leisurely on boats through a surreal wetland forest dotted with tens of thousands of Chinese sequoias, their roots submerged in 1-metre deep water.
Wuhan has also become a lot greener since the early days of the pandemic.
The city’s once-vacant plots of land have now been transformed into lush urban parks replete with flower beds, footpaths and pavilions, offering locals a place to rest and relax when they’re not indulging. In another Wuhan passion – street food!
If there’s one thing that gets the people of Wuhan out of bed at the crack of dawn, it’s their passion for reganmian or hot, dry noodles.
As early as 6 am, queues snake around holes-in-the-wall serving these delicious, hearty noodles.
Deceptively simple in appearance, the dish showcases a depth of flavour achieved through the expert layering of umami, sweet, sour and spicy notes.
To make this Wuhan delicacy, springy alkaline noodles are tossed with lush – a beefy, spiced master stock – black sesame paste and dark soya sauce, and topped with chilli sauce or oil, crushed peanuts, sliced scallions, minced garlic and spicy pickled radish.
Reganmian is so popular that local craft beer pub Devil’s Brewery, which pours American-style brews with a Chinese twist, launched its very own golden stout inspired by the noodles a couple of years ago in homage to Wuhan’s favourite slurp.
If the crowds of people savouring their reganmian breakfast on the streets are any indication, Wuhan is back in business.
The previously bleak pictures of Wuhan under lockdown have been replaced with hopeful ones, like a crowd of mask-free partygoers at an underground music concert and people enjoying the sun shoulder-to-shoulder in an outdoor pool.
Liu puts this renewed zest for life down to the experience of having lived through the unknown, if even for a short time.
“During the lockdown, Wuhan was like a strong man with broken wrists. Now that the bandages are off, Wuhan is raring to go. Every moment is to be cherished,” he said.
His sentiments offer a ray of light to communities worldwide that are still recording new infections and casualties every day.
The Wuhan experience proves there is hope and life after COVID-19.
The pandemic may have turned the world’s attention to Wuhan, but now that it has recovered from the worst, it’s time for people to rediscover all this resilient city has to offer.