Wuhan/Jiangxia

Longquanshan Scenic Area, Mount Longquan Scenic Area), Longquan Township, Jiangxia District bus 909 from Fozuling Metro Station (Line 2) to the Chutian Mingshan bus stop, or a 16-km drive or bike ride across the city's new business area and rural suburbs), ☏ +86 27 81620543. 08:00-17:00. The resting place of 9 members of the local branch of the Ming Dynasty (starting with one of the sons of the first Ming Emperor, decorated with temples, pavilions, and 3 stele-bearing turtles (bixi, set in the countryside a few miles to the southeast of Wuhan, proudly described as Wuhan's answer to the Ming Tombs of Beijing. A trail leads to a hilltop tower, from which great views of the area could be seen if the visibility were better.¥36. Some areas don't require payment.

• Qinglongshan National Forest Park, Mount Qinglong National Forest Park, Zhifang Street, Jiangxia District take a metro train to Qinglongshan Ditiexiaozhen, the terminus of Line 7; the park is a short walk from the station, ☏ +86 27 81810234. Open all day. A large and fairly quiet nature park that doesn't get many tourists. Be prepared for long walks and bring your own food and water, especially if you're planning on hiking up the mountain. Free.
• Wuhan Flower Expo Park, (Liangzihu Avenue, Wulijie Subdistrict, Jiangxia District) at the intersection of Liangzihu Avenue and Huashen Avenue; the nearest bus stop is the Liangzihu Avenue & Flower Expo Park, which is served by bus no. 920; you would probably have to catch two buses. One option would be to catch bus no. 915 from the Minzu Avenue & Optics Valley Square bus stop just south of the Optics Valley Square Metro Station on Line 2, then change to bus no. 920 when you get to Zhongzhou Road & Zhongzhou Village, ☏ +86 27 89967528, +86 13607101927, whhhbly@163.com. Open all day. Features a massive flower plantation covering an area of around 3500 mu (about 233 hectares). The park may be visited at any time of the year, but is probably best visited during the annual Wuhan Spring Festival Flower Fair. Entry to the park is free.

Zhongshan Warship Museum, 1 Zhongshan Jian Road, Jinkou Subdistrict bus routes 910 and 919; you can catch bus no. 919 from the bus stop outside Tanxinpei Park Station on Metro Line 7), ☏ +86 27 81561913. Tu-Su and public holidays 09:00-17:00; entrance closes at 16:00. This museum, near the right bank of the Yangtze in the far southwestern suburbs of Wuhan, commemorates a naval battle that happened here, hundreds of miles from the sea, in October 1938. Sunk by the Japanese aviation - just three years before the Pearl Harbor attack on the US fleet - the Chinese warship Zhongshan was raised from the bottom of the Yangzte in 1997, restored, and is now displayed in this museum's main hall. Adjacent are exhibits on the history of the ship, as well as the process of its lifting from the river bottom and its restoration. On the top of a hill across the small lake from the museum is a memorial to the 25 sailors, including the ship's captain, who found their watery grave in the Yangtze, far from their hometowns on Fujian's northern coast "Northern Coast (Fujian. The lake is surrounded by sculptures commemorating various aspects of the Battle of Wuhan in 1938, as well as of the city's eventual liberation after the surrender of Japan in 1945. Various other exhibits of military and patriotic nature, such as a sampling of People's Liberation Army's older weaponry, can be seen here as well. Free.