Why Wuhan Is at the Center of the Viral Outbreak
The city has been pouring resources into science and research, while public-health spending has stagnated.
Word isn’t the only thing that travels fast.
Photographer: Xiaolu Chu/Getty Images AsiaPacChina’s happiest city isn’t so happy these days. Wuhan, which branded itself as a Chinese version of Phoenix, is now the epicenter of a SARS-like virus that has sickened hundreds. It’s worth asking why this disease came out of an inland technology hub that boasts a young — and presumably healthier — workforce, rather than the mega-cities of Beijing or Shanghai.
Wuhan is an immigrants’ town. It’s home to one of China’s most prestigious engineering schools, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Roughly 9% of the population is university students, well above the 3% level for Beijing and Shanghai. As of 2018, more than 11 million lived there — making it 25% bigger than New York — but only 8.8 million are permanent residents.