Wuhan City (hereinafter referred to as "Wuhan"), also known as the "City of Rivers", is located in the central region of China, eastern region of Hubei Province at the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Han River. It is the capital of Hubei Province, also a famous national historic and cultural city, a central city and the only sub-provincial city in Central China, as well as an important industrial base, a science and education base and an integrated transportation hub in China.

Wuhan has abundant water resources and enjoys a long-standing history that can be traced back to the early and middle Neolithic period (about 6,000 to 8,000 years ago) when early human ancestors lived, multiplied and developed an ancient civilization with stone implements on this land. Panlongcheng beside the Panlong Lake of Huangpi District dates back to the Shang Dynasty about 3,500 years ago. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the former Wuhan was divided into two prefectures, Jiangbei which was also known as Quyang County, Zhuanyang County and Hanyang County (A.D. 606) and Jiangnan which was also referred to as Runan County and Jiangxia County (A.D. 589). After that, Wuhan developed further in the Northern Dynasties, Southern Dynasties, Yuan Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, gradually evolving into a hub of land and water transportation which gathered many powerful merchants. During the reign of the Chenghua Emperor of the middle Ming Dynasty, the confluence of the Han River and Yangtze River was diverted from the south to the north of Guishan Mountain, contributing to the formation of Hankou Town. It also facilitated the geographical development of the three towns of Wuhan. In the early Qing Dynasty, Hankou Town stood out as a large commercial town in Central China, and was included in the list of "Four Commercial Centers" of China together with Beijing, Suzhou and Fozhou and the list of "Top Four Towns" in China along with Zhuxian Town, Jingde Town and Foshan Town. It was also recognized as the "Most Prosperous Town" in Hubei Province. In the 4th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1665), the "Native Customs" levying taxes against domestic merchandises was established at the foot of Baishan Temple, Hanyang Gate. In the 7th year of the reign of Xianfeng, Emperor of the Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1857), Guan Wen, Governor-General of Huguang established 10 customs offices including Zong Customs (now known as Shangcha’an in Hankou), and Han Customs (currently known as Xiacha’an in Hankou). Hankou was designated as a treaty port after the Treaty of Tientsin was signed in 1858. In March, 1861, Hankou was officially opened to foreign trade as a treaty port. After the opening of Hankou, as proposed in the memorials submitted by Guan Wen, Governor-General of Huguang to the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Jianghan Customs was established on January 1, 1862 and officially put into service in the following year. In the 25th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu (A.D. 1899), the region to the north of the Han River was included in Xiakou Subprefecture of which the local government was located in Hankou. From then on, Hankou, Hanyang and Wuchang were named as the Three Towns of Wuhan.