On The Metro... China: Wuhan Metro, Line 4!

Line 4 of the Wuhan Metro will be the final of my Wuhan inspired 'On The Metro' blog theme. The network keeps on expanding, so who knows what the future might bring? Anyway, stretching from Wuhan Railway Station all the way to Huangjinkou, it's safe to say that Line 4 is a mighty big metro line from the original Wuhan four, being one of the first metro lines built.

Beginning from Line 4's northern terminus at Wuhan Railway Station in Wuhan's Qingshan District, I have used this line to reach one of the city's high speed rail stations many times. Connecting Wuhan with cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai and the capital, Beijing. Wuhan Zhan is a very important station along Wuhan Metro's Line 4 system. It was a god send when I arrived back into Wuhan Station from Shenyang because that twelve hour high speed service left me feeling drained. Yes, after interchanging with Line 2 at Zhong Nan Road Station it's a practical and sometimes cheaper option to reach that high speed rail connection from my Optics Valley Square location. I recently made the trip up to Wuhan Railway Station to collect my tickets for my upcoming trips to Hefei, Nanchang and Enshi to avoid any pesky queues or sights of pre-travel pandemonium on the day of travel. Take me to Shanghai's Hongqiao Station already! Line 4 always kept me on the right track, never missing a High Speed connection! 谢谢! 

I am yet to disembark at any other station within Line 4's Qingshan District stretch aside from Wuhan Railway Station. Of course, those Qingshan District housing developments will act as the perfect commuter stations soon enough. Wanting to rediscover the East Lake Scenic Area during my 2016 Summer break, I took a chance on Dong Ting Station as the station that will eventually serve Hubei Provincial Museum is still being constructed. Nevertheless, I took the wrong turn at first but getting it together I found East Lake and that museum without stress. Metro expansion around Wuhan's East Lake Area is slowly happening but I'll be long gone from Wuhan when Line 8 makes an appearance within that part of Hongshan District. More recently myself and Fiona walked for miles across the walkways at East Lake from our starting point at Mo Mountain to meet up with Tieji Road. Now, the lies come out now because during that day out I used a different Qingshan District Line 4 station! Will Wuhan forgive me? Sure, Wuhan knows me so! 

When I first got to Wuhan I found a diamond in the rough, that gem was Marks & Spencer's on Han Street! Literally, how those Percy Pigs tasted beyond amazing after being in China for a little while! Being a few stops down the line from Dong Ting, Chu He Han Jie Station can be found with all of those shimmering lights, from shopping to its own glittering theatre. Han Street is genuinely a great place to experience at the weekends and during the evenings for me. Rocking up to the clubs and bars along Han Street has to be done, I've been around that part of town off the Metro for a night out or three suitably inebriated to say the very least! With a change in schools during August 2015, I was enabled to spend more than just stolen evenings along the Chu River, Line 4's got a lot going for itself! Definitely, this Line 4 Wuhan Metro stop knows a few secrets of mine, it better keep them! Don't dare close M&S because I need some home comforts! Yes, I'll say that Chu River and Han Street is a Line 4 stop worth alighting at! 

Getting ever closer to the Wuchang side of the mighty Yangtze River, Line 4 makes the interchange with Line 2 at Zhong Nan Road and Hong Shan Square. Allow me to tell you some more about that Central South Road though! With those towering office blocks and many shopping opportunities, I seem to always be back at Zhong Nan Road with a purpose to my visit. My contracted agency has their office in one of those office blocks, that Line 4 stop had seen some shady business, I didn't cave in! Back in 2015 I stumbled out of this metro stop in hot pursuit of Wuchang's Changchun Taoist Temple, following Wu Luo Road was easy enough but I was new to China and I stupidly trusted a Google Map! Meeting with a huge intersection of traffic, a dear person who had my heart had me coming back to that Line 4 station with all of those feelings in tow! Now, who took my heart out of the deep freezer where it firmly belongs? Put it back! Crossing between Line 2 and Line 4, Zhong Nan Road Station crosses those tracks! 

Getting myself back on the Wuhan Metro, Line 4 led me to Shou Yi Road Station to find the Wuchang Uprising Memorial of 1911. An important site, that helped me take my mind to another place when things went sour professionally! Yes! The former headquarters kept those revolutionary plans a secret, Dr. Sun Yat-sen worked hard to bring those dynasties down and beckon a new era for China during the 1910's. Just one stop heading west from Wuchang Railway Station, I found my way out of the station to that rebellious piece of Wuhan history without a  problem. I was still learning what Baidu Maps were, I had a lot to learn! Line 4 hooked me up! As mentioned before Zhong Nan Road holds the key to Guanggu Square through that interchange station! I was able to reach the Wuchang Uprising Memorial of 1911 within thirty minutes from Line 2's Optics Valley Square Station. Wuhan's Line 4 also had me looking at an exceptionally clean Metro system, they could show London a tip or five! Absolutely, 武汉! 

Taking the shine away from Wuhan's focal point, I wanted to give Dr. Sun Yat-sen's former yard some attention rather than the next place mentioned. I was still knocking around the same 1911 area, the Yellow Crane Tower was easy enough to find but it wasn't served by its own Metro station. In turn, Line 4's Shou Yi Road Station keep me in right part of town for that Wuhan main attraction. Sticking within that area, I found myself at a familiar sight, the smells of Hubu Alley were present in the air. It didn't take long for me to find that corner of town. It's no secret that Wuhan Metro's Line 4 may stretch over the Yangtze River to Hanyang but I'm going to serve those sides of Hanyang in a different fashion at another time. From the supersonic China High Speed, Wuhan Railway Station to the pedestrian feel of Fu Xing Road, I have made my best efforts to use Line 4! Wuhan's Line 4 wasn't the first line and it most certainly won't be the last line opened in the network, bring on the new interchanges! Line 4 kept me seeing clearly. Sure! 

Yass, Qing Shan Qu!

Joseph Harrison