The city of Wuhan, Hubei province, wants to establish itself as a major national city and improve its image and status, so it is scouting around for a suitable slogan and logo.

Yang Shiqiao, head of unicipal international communications office, explained at a news conference today that, "Wuhan is a major metropolis in central China and the soft power of its urban culture must keep pace with its rapidly developing economy."

Yang said, "The Yellow Crane Tower logo has often been used in our international promotional activities, but, Wuhan has actually never really come up with an official slogan or city logo to improve its image".

He went on to explain that the municipal committee and the government began the selection process this March, and the international communication office have been doing some research and have organized meetings and discussions to get the opinion of experts and relevant departments.

So far, eight slogans have been selected for public discussion. Of these, "Great River, Great Lake, Great Wuhan" was first on the list. Others include "River Capital of the East, Livable Wuhan", which emphasizes the "water" element, and "Wuhan: where two rivers leave their mark on the mainland", which reflects the convergence of the Yangze and Hanjiang river, leave their mark by forming a "人"，the Chinese character for "man".

As for the logo, it will be selected from designs submitted by the public. The designer of the logo that is chosen as the official Wuhan symbol will get a prize of 100,000 yuan ($15,820), while the next two will receive 10,000 yuan each.

People at in China and abroad can vote on the designs online, Sept 12 – 30, on either of two websites: http://www.cjn.cn/ and http://www.cnhan.com/. Votes can also be mailed in to the international communications office of Wuhan municipal committee at this address: 9th Fl, Tianyuan Business Bldg, 357 Development Ave, Hankou District, Wuhan, 430024.

By Sun wenji (chinadaily.com.cn)