ABSTRACT
Wuhan is a metropolis in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. It included three towns, namely the ancient towns of Wuchang and Hanyang, as well as Hankou, a younger market town of 500 years. Opening in 1861, Hankou was quickly transformed into an international city of commerce. The exemplary effect of British Concession and a pro-westernization New Policy exercise promoted by Zhang Zhidong facilitated the modernization of Hankou. In the process, a Special Municipality was established in 1926, and regional planning was established in 1945 – key stages for Greater Wuhan to come. This chapter chronicles the growth of a modern industrial city in pre-1949 China.
