Hi! Once again, this is Clara, a second-year Mass Communication student from the School of Film and Media Studies. After spending close to five weeks in Wuhan, Hubei China, I have a list of ten things that you (probably) didn’t know about Wuhan.
The list is a compilation of my personal observations, as well as interaction with the locals.
1. McDonalds does not deliver to all areas
In Singapore, we take it for granted that McDonalds will deliver to wherever we are at. In Wuhan, however, the place is so spread out that they do not deliver to all areas. I tried calling McDonalds once, but they told me that they did not deliver to my university. So if Ronald fails to deliver, try Kentucky instead.
2. Military training
All students (even the girls) have to go for military training, starting from as young as primary school level. The training lasts for about one or two weeks before school starts, but can vary according to the school's system. In our university, freshmen will be required to go for a month of military training before they head back to school.
3. Walmart and Carrefour
This trip is my first time to China, and I didn’t expect to find hypermarkets like Walmart and Carrefour. In fact, there are many of such hypermarkets sprinkled across Wuhan. During our first week here, we swamped these hypermarkets to get our snacks as well as housekeeping items, and whatever we forgot to bring from Singapore.
4. Cameras and Locals
Walking around with our chunky DSLR cameras, we certainly attracted a lot of attention. People knew immediately that we were not locals, that’s a given. But what intrigued me more was that they stopped to pose for our camera; moms with babies, pet owners and their pets, or just ordinary individuals on the street. Some even came next to us to look at our photos.
5. On the road
When we travelled on the road, impatient drivers would honk excessively, which can be very jarring to the ears (they even have areas marked with signs that restrict honking). However, going up the mountains for sightseeing, we learnt that they will honk around bends to warn incoming vehicles coming from the other direction, because there are no convex mirrors around the corner.
6. Dance
People would gather in groups and dance in public places. After talking to the locals, I found out that the people could be dancing for personal wellbeing, or to create hype for events.
7. Public Transport
In the middle of the road when we were stuck in a traffic jam, I saw people alighting from the public bus. Everyone. According to our taxi driver, this could be because the passengers were within walking distance to their destination and didn't want to wait, or because the air-conditioning of the bus was spoilt.
8. Toilets
In China, most public toilets have squat toilets. So while I was delighted to find a toilet with toilet bowls, I was shocked to hear a lady saying in Chinese, "Oh why is it all seat toilets?"
9. National Day
China's National Day falls on a Saturday, but most people get about a week of holiday in commemoration of the National Day. Our university thus became very quiet because most students went back to their hometowns.
10. Fireworks (no, not the song)
In Singapore, we only experience fireworks during events like National Day and New Year. But in Wuhan, fireworks can be set off during celebrations (even during the daytime…when you can’t see the fireworks) like a wedding, a newborn baby, or even to wish the elderly longevity.
This concludes the list of ten things you (probably) didn’t know about Wuhan. I hope that you’ve learnt more about Wuhan through this post. Next week, look out for my post on “Interesting People I met in Wuhan”, as well as many photos of the people I met on the streets.
Do you have any facts about Wuhan / China? Share it with us!
