A timeless journey through Wuhan

Bridges,庆阳市庆城县今日新闻网 towers, lakes and the echoes of revolution — a green train looping through Wuhan, Hubei province, doesn't just carry passengers across a city. It pulls them through the chapters of modern China itself.

Since mid-March, the journey taking in Wuhan's major landmarks — which costs just 6 yuan (88 US cents) — has turned the train into an online sensation. After the loop began daily operation, videos of riverside sunsets, retro train cars and passengers playing traditional instruments flooded social media platforms.

Tickets began vanishing the moment they appeared on the 12306 booking platform. More than 260,000 passenger visits have been recorded, and the train has been lengthened to 16 cars to meet demand, up from just seven.

Covering more than 8,500 square kilometers — an area nearly seven times the size of New York City — Wuhan is carved by the Yangtze River and its largest tributary, the Hanjiang River, into three distinct districts: Wuchang, the heart of education and culture; Hankou, the historic commercial and financial hub; and Hanyang, the cradle of modern Chinese industry.

Children pose for photos by the green train looping through Wuhan, Hubei province, on April 5. LI HUI / FOR CHINA DAILY

For locals, crossing these waters is woven into the rhythm of daily life. And on this circular railway, the crossings become a moving portrait of the city.

As it rolls onto the famous Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, the mighty river claims the view.

"Traveling on the bridge felt better than looking at it from below. It's incredible," said Liu Wen, a visitor from Tianjin.

When the bridge opened in 1957 — linking Wuchang and Hanyang districts — it was the very first road-and-rail crossing over the river, a source of immense pride that still resonates. Today, Wuhan has 12 bridges that span the waterway.

When the train passes by the Yellow Crane Tower, the grand ancient structure looms overhead, drawing one's gaze upward. The tower has been immortalized by poets for over a millennium. The Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Cui Hao once wrote: "The yellow crane has gone, never to return; white clouds drift idly for a thousand years."

Then the frame shifts to brightly painted trains lined up in neat rows, along with the cooling towers of a thermal power plant and timeworn residential compounds.

Arriving in Hanyang — once the city's bustling industrial heart — 75-year-old Ma Yingchun, a visitor from Anhui province, expresses a deep affection for rifles manufactured at the Hanyang Arsenal. It was with one of these guns that the first shot of the 1911 Revolution was fired, ending more than 2,000 years of feudal rule.

The arsenal remains a powerful symbol of China's modern military industry. "I can feel this city had a solid industrial foundation early on," Ma said, adding that now, the towering skyscrapers everywhere give the area a more modern look.

Nearby, in Wuchang, the 1911 Revolution Museum stands as another testament to that transformative moment.

As the train curves toward Hankou, the skyline shifts again — the Jianghan pedestrian street comes into view. It is a place where 19th-century treaty-port commerce gave rise to a mercantile energy that made Hankou one of the country's most important financial centers. The train doesn't stop there, but passengers can glimpse the commercial buzz that has driven the river city for more than a century.

The past and future are never far apart. As the loop sweeps past historical landmarks, it also brushes the edges of Optics Valley — the high-tech zone that embodies Wuhan's cutting-edge ambition. Some on social media called the route a "time tunnel" linking the city's past, present and future — from the majesty of the Yangtze River Bridge and the industrial glory of Hanyang to the technological surge of modern Wuhan.

"Compared with today's high-speed rail, this retro train takes us back to our younger days," said Liu, the visitor from Tianjin. "Modern transportation is more convenient, but this nostalgic feeling is something very special."