Hankou, alternately romanized as Hankow (simplified Chinese: 汉口; traditional Chinese: 漢口; pinyin: Hànkǒu), was one of the three towns (the other two were Wuchang and Hanyang) merged to become modern-day Wuhan city, the capital of the Hubei province, China.

Other historical names for the city include Xiakou (夏口), Miankou (沔口), and Lukou (魯口).

[4] In 1926, Hankou was officially established as a city, where its municipal government was built in Jianghan district.

[2][3][5] But in 1927, when Nanjing succeeded in the fight to be the national capital, Wuhan was returned to its original form, with Hankou being again a city by itself.

[6] Hankou was the destination on the escape route of groups of missionaries fleeing the Boxers in the Northern provinces around 1900.

Although the revolution began in Wuchang with a revolt started by members of the New Army, revolutionaries quickly captured major strategic cities and towns throughout the province, including Hankou on October 12.

An important logistical center, the city was heavily bombed in December 1944 by the US aircraft based in the Chengdu area (part of Operation Matterhorn).

Wangjiadun served as a civil and military base until 2007 while Nanhu, on the other hand, shut down while Tianhe Airport opened in 1995.

"Hankou" remains a commonly used name for the part of Wuhan urban area north of the Yangtze and Han Rivers.

That contrasts with Wuchang and Hanyang, the names of which have been retained in the eponymous administrative districts within the City of Wuhan.