Cheryl Marie Cordeiro

Wuchang District, Wuhan, China.
Text & Photo © CM Cordeiro, E. Sindhøj 2025

Wuchang District in Wuhan, China, is a vibrant blend of history and modernity, where sprawling urban landscapes meet charming cultural pockets. Renowned for its bustling markets, contemporary architecture, and rich heritage, Wuhan offers an immersive urban experience filled with culinary delights. On this particular day, we decided to take an afternoon off work to explore Wuchang, soaking in its energy and flavors.

Afternoon Strolls: Exploring the Streets

We began our day by wandering through some of Wuchang’s most popular spots for both tourists and locals. The streets were lined with numerous small shops, offering a variety of goods and services. Food vendors were plentiful, proudly presenting their freshly prepared specialties, from steaming buns to skewers sizzling over open flames. These streets felt alive, not only with the enticing aroma of food but also with the chatter of families, couples, and friends enjoying their meals.

The district’s architecture complemented the vibrancy of its streets. Emerging from large intersections, we found ourselves in narrower lanes near Hubu Alley, where the energy was electric with food vendors and shoppers. The thoughtful urban planning, with its wide roads and inviting public spaces, made exploring these areas an absolute pleasure.

Continue reading “A Day in Wuchang: Street Food, Coffee, and Culture” →

V7 Coffee, serving fantastic specialty coffee in Haidian district, Beijing, China.
Text & Photo © CM Cordeiro, JE Nilsson & E Sindhöj 2023

Having had the privilege of visiting Beijing on numerous occasions, I remain drawn to the Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, despite the staggering modernization that has transformed this great city. The Palace’s imposing gates and striking red pavilions situated at the heart of Beijing never fail to impress me. Equally fascinating to me is the network of narrow streets and low houses surrounding the Forbidden City, known as “Hutongs.” Once the living quarters of those who worked in the palace, some Hutongs have been converted into commercial areas, while others remain residential neighborhoods.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties these quarters served as a mental relief to the even the highest ranked individuals inside the Forbidden City. Some eunuchs played a role in facilitating visits by imperial court members even to pleasure houses outside of the Forbidden City. These illicit visits were seen as a way for court members to escape the rigid protocols and constraints of palace life.

Even the Emperor Guangxu (1875-1908) sought help for his medical problems from those among the Hutongs that practiced traditional Chinese medicine towards the end of the Qing dynasty. It is said that his great-aunt, the Empress Dowager Cixi, repeatedly tried to poison him due to irrevocable differences in their ideas about the future of China. In 1908 they eventually both died. The Guangxu emperor one day before Cixi, poisoned by arsenic.

With this in mind I set out to visit this maze of winding small roads and gray buildings in the area around the Forbidden City in late February 2023.

Continue reading “Specialty coffee and Beijing’s hutongs: A cultural fusion of East and West in China, 2023” →