Former Site of Wuchang Uprising Military Government

At No. 1 Wuluo Road, the red-brick facade of the former Hubei Provincial Advisory Council stands against the southern slope of Snake Mountain. Built between 1908 and 1910, this Western neoclassical structure, shaped like the Chinese character for mountain, rests on a heavy granite foundation. Semicircular arches frame the front corridor, while relief carvings of grain stalks, lotus blossoms, and decorative tassels soften the brickwork. Above, a red-tiled roof supports a central, church-style watchtower, rebuilt after a Qing artillery shell shattered the original dome on December 1, 1911.

On October 11, 1911, a day after the Wuchang Uprising erupted, mutinous soldiers and revolutionaries gathered inside these walls. They established the Hubei Military Governor's Office, choosing Li Yuanhong as their leader. For three months, this building functioned as the central government of revolutionary China. Inside, the air carried the scent of wet ink as Song Jiaoren drafted the Ezhou Provisional Constitution. In the rear assembly hall, ninety-six leather-and-wood seats rise in a fan shape toward the back, where debates over a new republic echoed. Upstairs, Li Yuanhong occupied a suite of quiet living quarters, while downstairs, staff officers mapped out the defense of the city during the Yangxia Campaign.

In April 1912, Sun Yat-sen walked through the iron gates, delivered a speech in the assembly hall, and stood for a photograph in the backyard. Today, his 1931 bronze statue stands in the front square, holding a hat and cane, facing south. Behind the main building, the Assemblymen’s Residence, destroyed by Japanese air raids in World War II and rebuilt in 2011, now houses historical exhibitions. Visitors can touch the cool granite, look up at the red walls, and trace the transition from imperial rule to a republic.