When I first step on the soil of Wuhan, the capital city of Central China's Hubei Province, a humid wind from the Yangtze River, noisy crowds and the Wuhan dialect immediately surround me.

The Yangtze River is one of Wuhan's most well-known hallmarks and has lured travelers for centuries. China's longest river, the Yangtze runs through the city, endlessly telling the legends of generations gone past. When looking through the windows of the bus, I spot the river's running waters darting past between buildings and hear its current rushing by, excited and antsy.

With the Yangtze River's mystique, visitors often imagine a picturesque and serene river flowing rapidly by, but they may be disappointed by the slow moving river as it walks slower to observe the busy city and hear the gossip of its citizens. Revered as the cradle of Chinese civilization, one can almost feel the mighty river's history as it meanders through the city just as it has for thousands of years.

Locals will tell you that there are two ways to experience the river's greatness, walking its banks or crossing its broad body by ferry. I chose the latter. Feeling the breeze through my hair, smelling the freshness of the waters, I looked toward the horizon where the sky and the waters seem to meet, dreaming of one day swimming in the river.

It seems impossible for visitors to understand Wuhan dialect, but I enjoy watching local people heaving the words in an up-and-down tone. Once I noticed a Wuhan local talking on the phone, his cadenced tone reminded me of Huangmei Opera, a local opera from Huangmei, Hubei Province. Learning local dialect is one of the joys of traveling, but, try as I might, I only learned a few words. Fortunately, Mandarin and English go along way in Wuhan's increasingly globalized streets.

Like a fashionable girl eager to put on her skirt, Wuhan skips spring and jumps directly to the embrace of sweltering summer. For the summertime visitor, the city's sweltering heat and sticky air inescapable, but fortunately the heat had yet to descend on the city in early April, allowing me to soak up Wuhan's variety in comfort.

One of ancient China's cultural centers, Wuhan's imperial heritage jumps out at visitors nearly everywhere. Visitors are sure to hear from proud locals of the legend of the Yellow Crane and the 1,700-year-old Yellow Crane Tower, which sits prominently atop the Snake Hill and is one of the most famous towers in South China. The tower, first built in AD 223 during the Three Kingdoms period AD 220-280, is renowned for inspiring the Tang Dynasty poet Cui Hao, who wrote in his famous poem Yellow Crane Tower.

Though the original tower collapsed in a fiery blaze and the current tower only dates to 1984, reading the inscription of Cui's poem, one can still feel the original tower's grandeur.

A central hub, Wuhan is always full of visitors, but I still felt overwhelmed as I watched as people thronged through the city's narrow alleyways, especially Hubu Xiang, an alley renowned for its street food and a must-see for every visitor. One particular treat is "tofu skin," a favorite Wuhan delicacy.

After a full belly and a voyage on the Yangtze, no trip to Wuhan is complete without a visit to scenic East Lake. While not as famous as the well-known West Lake in Hangzhou, the lake is still the perfect place to wile away an afternoon enjoying the breeze or boating. Unlike the bustling Yangtze River, East Lake's slowly lapping waves bring peace and tranquility, encouraging one to reflect on how much Wuhan has changed and how much it still remains the same.

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