Hanyang is the smallest and quietest of the three Wuhan towns, sitting between the Han and Yangtze rivers on the western bank. Historically it was the industrial side of the city: the Hanyang Arsenal, founded in 1894, was the first modern weapons factory in China, and produced the Hanyang 88 rifle that armed Chinese soldiers from the Boxer Rebellion through the Korean War.
Today Hanyang is largely residential, with two major attractions for visitors: the Guiyuan Temple, one of the great Chan Buddhist monasteries of central China, and the Qingchuan Pavilion, looking across the mouth of the Han to Snake Hill and the Yellow Crane Tower. The area has a small-town quality that contrasts with the bustle of Hankou.