Wuhan, China

One way or another, almost anyone travelling through central China has to pass through WUHAN, Hubei's sprawling capital. The name is a portmanteau label for the original settlements of Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang, separate across the junction of the Han and Yangzi rivers, but given some sense of unity by three massive interconnecting bridges. The city's sheer size, bustle and obvious regional economic importance lend atmosphere, even if Wuhan is more of an administrative and social centre than a tourist magnet. Nonetheless it's an upbeat, characterful metropolis, and Hankou's former role as a foreign concession has left a whole quarter of colonial European heritage in its wake, while the Provincial Museum in Wuchang is one of China's best. There are also a couple of temples and historical monuments to explore, some connected to the 1911 revolution that ended two thousand years of imperial rule. On the downside, Wuhan has a well-deserved reputation – along with Chongqing and Nanjing – as one of China's three summer "furnaces": between May and September you'll find the streets melting and the gasping population surviving on a diet of watermelon and iced treats.