At the confluence of the Yangtze and the Han rivers lies Wuhan, central China’s largest metropolis and the region’s most important industrial, educational and economic hub. Also popularly known as the ‘thoroughfare of nine provinces’, in which the number nine also has a symbolic connotation of multiple directions in Chinese culture, it is a major transportation pivot of China with railways, roads and expressways emanating out from its core to other parts of the vast Chinese land. Aside being at the middle of it all geographically, Wuhan is also one of the oldest cities in China strewn with more than 3,500 years of heritage and is beautifully endowed with plenty of cultural treasures and scenic sites for the inquisitive traveller to explore and marvel at. To experience China at its very heartland, plan a customised Wuhan tour package with Chan Brothers Travel Private Tours and dive straight into the middle of the Chinese heartland of central China.

Disney brought the heroic story alive with its blockbuster movie “Mulan” but few are aware that the legendary figure of the female warrior that inspired the script lives on forever in the hilly and mysterious cliffs of the Mulan Mountain Scenic Area. The hometown of this Chinese heroine of the times is shrouded with religious holiness and cloaked in folkloric tales. With a multitude of seven palaces, eight Taoist temples, and thousands of Buddhist relics, it is one of the few places in China where Taoism and Buddhism are venerated together in equal regards. Spend a day in the pleasant hilly climate and while away your time visiting its four themed spots that showcase a plethora of fabled religious and celestial sites, mysterious stone structures and a wondrous scene of waterfalls and blooming flora everywhere you turn.

Not far away from the hilly Mulan Mountain lies the equally stunning Mulan Tianchi (Heaven Lake) scenic area offering 4,800 acres of gargantuan canyons, swift waterfalls, crystal-clear rivers and pristine mountain lakes. Fans of the scenic spot claim that the area delivers constant visual surprises to its visitors in every 10 steps that they take. The main draw is the fairyland-like namesake of Heaven Lake which sits firmly on top of the mountain, 506 metres above sea level. Clear, clean and relishing in an elegant jade-coloured hue, the pool is an unmissable highlight for a photo opportunity. For adrenaline junkies or travellers simply looking to inject some fun amid the scenic tour, take on “grass skating” where you slide down fast, from a height of 100 metres, on slide ways carved into the grassy slope and feel the fresh mountain air blowing past your cheeks.