Wuhan, composed of the three towns of Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang, is the capital of Hubei Province. The three towns, separated by the Yangtze and Hanshui rivers,a re linked by bridges, and because these municipalities are so closely connected by waterways, Wuhan is also called the "city on rivers." It's the political and economic centre of the region as well as the staging post for sailing on the Yangtze either downstream to Shanghai or upstream through the Three Gorges to Chongqing.