A local guide told us very seriously that even the stones and walls sweat in summer in Wuhan. I certainly felt lucky to find myself there in the mild weather of spring.
Although the 9 million locals may curse their terrible summers, they can hardly complain about the choice of food and entertainment available in the streets. On my first night there, I couldn't wait to get a taste of these famed offerings.
Over the past decade, many Western-style pubs and cafes have sprung up along the banks of the Yangtze. But I preferred to check out the original flavors of Wuhan in the Dapaidang, or street restaurants serving local snacks.
Jiqing Street lies in the central part of the old city in Hankou and is Wuhan's most famous street for evening dining and entertainment.
This narrow street packs all the local flavors you can think of, such as spicy shrimp balls and snails, tasty beef soups, fish and dumplings. Of course, it has the must-have delicious spicy duck necks too. The relaxed ambience perfectly complemented these mouth-tickling flavors, making for a very laid-back experience.
But walking through the 170m-long street wasn't easy. Waiters and waitresses kept trying to pull us into their restaurants. Finally, a slim young girl managed to talk us into her restaurant.
Just as we got ready to tuck into our spicy duck necks, we found our table surrounded by dozens of artists and vendors.
Singers, artists, flower sellers, comedians and others kept coming at us. I could not help visualizing a patch of sugar water surrounded by an army of ants. But our uninvited guests were nowhere near as quiet as ants. They were determined to entertain us.
"Sir, please allow me to sing an opera for you, only 15 yuan per song!" said a middle-aged woman in a red opera costume.
"We were reported on by a newspaper! We are good! Sir! Let us play for you!" pleaded a couple of men holding musical instruments.
"Hi, gentlemen, you should buy some flowers for your beautiful girls," said the flower-seller.
I thought it was quite fun. But my friends looked annoyed. They just wanted to have their delicious dinner.
