Wuhan is the cradle of the regional Chu culture created by the people of Chu Kingdom (1066B.C-223B.C.). It comprises bronze smelting technology, weaving craft, embroidery, literature, fine arts and dancing.

Chu Opera

Folk customs of Wuhan-Chu Opera

Chu Opera is a local drama in Hubei province. Its plays are mainly on folk stories and family lives and are performed in a simple and humorous approach. The classic works are Ge Ma, Hit Bean Curd and One Hundred Day Destiny.

The Song of Chu

The Song of Chu is a unique form of poetry created by Qu Yuan, a Chu poet. Lyrical and romantic, it often applies Xi, a modal particle, to convey intricate thoughts and feelings. The masterpieces of Qu Yuan are Li Sao, Request to God, Nine Odes and Nine Chapters.

Chime Music Dance

Folk customs of Wuhan-Chime Music Dance

Nine Odes and Chu Songs are song and dance dramas adapted from the poems of the Songs of Chu, with features of ancient Chu Kingdom. It integrates poetry, song, music and dance and is accompanied by traditional Chinese instruments, including chimes, Sheng (a reed pipe wind instrument), and Gu Zheng (a 21-or 25-stringed plucked instrument). It reproduces the fantastic imagination and romance of Chu Kingdom art.

Wuhan Foreign Cultural Exchange Association, and Wuhan Audio and Video Press have jointly published CDs of Chu Songs and Chime Music Dance.

Storytelling in the Hubei dialect is performed by one actor who speaks rather than sings. When it comes to critical moments in the plot, the storyteller uses a block of wood (known as Xingmu) to slap the table, enhancing the atmosphere. Hubei big drum tale is different from storytelling and focuses on singing with some spoken parts. The actor sings the story to the accompaniment of the drum and hardwood clapper. It is humorous, popular and easy to understand.

Swim across the Yangtze River

Swimming across the Yangtze River dates back to the 1930s in Wuhan. In 1956, Chairman Mao Zedong wrote the famous Ci-poem Prelude to Water Melody Swimming, after he had a good swim across the Yangtze River in Wuhan.

Wuhan has sponsored 29 competitions since 1991 when the city held the first International Festival to Swim across the Yangtze River. Hosting a series of trade and commercial exchanges and large-scale cultural performances, Wuhan has invited guests from across the world to gather in the city to swim across the Yangtze River. Guests can also tour the city, appreciate ancient Chu culture, and experience its cultural progress.