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Capital of Hunan, Central China
Photo: Nyx Ning, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Changsha (长沙 Chángshā) is the capital of Hunan in South-central China. It is famous in China due to the historical events, e.g. 4 times of battles in Changsha during Sino-Japanese War, Fire of Changsha in 1938, and place where Mao Zedong studied.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
长沙简牍博物馆 Changshu Jiandu Bowuguan
This museum contains ancient carved bamboo slips and a series of pottery artifacts. The building is architecturally interesting, as bamboo grows out of one side of it.
长沙博物馆, Changsha Municipal Museum
The main exhibition hall is a large modern building inside Binjiang Culture Park, which is a nice park for a stroll. The other main sight is the former site of the Hunan CCP committee, where the rooms where Mao lived are preserved.
湖南省地质博物馆
Foreign visitors should register at the enquiries desk before entering the exhibition halls.
湖南湘绣博物馆 Xiang Xiu Bowuguan
This museum is on the second floor of a store that sells high-quality embroidery. Visit and learn about the history of embroidery in Hunan. Special techniques have been locally-developed to achieve finer detail. At the end of the tour, you can visit the workshop where new items are being embroidered. The tour is free, and there is no pressure to buy.
湖南省博物馆
See the Han era tomb of Xin Zui, the Marquess of Dai, and her 2,100-year-old preserved body. Her body was still moist and flexible when they found her, with completely elastic skin, and looks more real than Ho Chi Minh. Also at the museum are many exhibits on all kinds of Han Dynasty artifacts, including pottery, lacquerware and an impressive collection of silk.
湖南省科技馆
The museum consists of two separate buildings: Buildings A & B. Building A hosts the main exhibition halls while Building B contains the children's wing.
隆平水稻博物馆
Museum founded in 2019 by the late Yuan Longping, a famous Chinese agronomist known as the 'Father of Hybrid Rice' for having developed the first hybrid rice varieties in the 1970s. The museum has exhibitions on the history, culture and science of rice cultivation, as well as an exhibition on Yuan Longping and his achievements.
谢子龙影像艺术馆
杜甫江阁
The pavilion houses a museum dedicated to the Chinese poet Dufu and contains pictures and information on other famous Chinese poets as well. There is a beautiful tea house on the top floor, and the balconies offer nice views over the river, city and Orange Island, if the weather allows. There is no English. All information is in Chinese.
湖南第一师范学院
Founded in 1903 and built on the former site of an old Song Dynasty academy. The institution's best-known student was Mao Zedong, who undertook his secondary studies here from 1913 to 1918 when it was known as the Hunan First Normal School. From 1921 to 1923, Mao was the principal of the school's affiliated primary school. Today, Hunan First Normal University has two campuses. The old campus in Tianxin District features a museum about Mao Zedong. The new campus is in Yuelu District.
湖南大学
One of China's oldest universities. You will find lots of great places to eat in and around the studious atmosphere of the various campus' south of Yuelu Mountain. There is a large statue of Mao Zedong on the campus grounds.
岳麓书院
The Thousand-Year-Old center of culture and learning of southern China. Established in 976, it is the spiritual predecessor to what is now Hunan University. Rich in history and beautiful period architecture, a visit to the academy will put you in touch with the ancient elites of southern China. You can find all the history on the website and then visit the academy yourself, wandering through its courtyards and open classrooms, admiring the curved eaves and bamboo gardens to get the real experience.
贾谊故居
This courtyard contains a number of carved slate tablets and is worth a quick visit. It is located off of Taiping Street, a pedestrian street which sells traditional crafts, clothes and refreshments.
马王堆汉墓遗址
While this may sound like a tourist attraction, it is simply the ditch in which the tombs were uncovered. There are no artifacts present as everything is now in the Hunan Provincial Museum.
天心阁
This pavilion is next to the ancient city wall. Cannons that have been used to defend the city are perched in the wall.
Hua Men Lou
The main attractions of the scenic area include Liu Shaoqi's Former Residence, Memorial Hall, Bronze Statue Square, etc. Among them, Liu Shaoqi's former residence is located in Tanzi Village, Huaminglou Town, facing west and east, with a pond in front and a green mountain behind; The main body of the memorial hall is a freely dispersed group style garden building with ethnic style, showcasing the life and achievements of great people. Huaming Tower has become a national key tourist attraction.
Founded in the 57th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1792), it was founded by Luo Dian, the head of the Yuelu Academy in the Qing Dynasty. Originally named Hongye Pavilion, it was later renamed Aiwan Pavilion by Bi Yuan, the governor of Huguang, according to the poem "Stop and sit in the evening of the maple forest, and the frost leaves are red than the flowers in February".
开福寺
This temple only charges ¥10 and you get a package of incense. It is really quite beautiful and is one of the few functioning temples in Changsha. Inside there is a fairly good vegetarian restaurant, don't be fooled by the menu, all the meat is fake!
麓山寺, 古麓山寺 Old Lushan Temple
One of the oldest temples in Hunan Province, It was founded in 267 AD, but has been destroyed six times, the most recent time being during World War II when the temple was bombed by the Japanese airforce. The current buildings largely date from the 1980s. The only surviving structure from the previous rebuild is the Guanyin Pavilion, which lies at the tail end of the complex.
白沙古井公园，白沙井 Baisha Well
This is a local park that contains a well. Although the well is nearly dry, you can still see people filling up containers with the little water that is left.
长沙生态动物园
Covering an area of around 100 hectares, the Changsha Ecological Zoo is one of the largest zoos in Hunan Province. It is said to contain around 200 different species of animals from various parts of the world, including zebras, lions, tigers, monkeys, giraffes, pandas and other popular animals.
长沙海底世界
Features Changsha's biggest aquarium. There is a water park here as well, but the water park is closed and will not reopen until some time in 2020.
湖南省森林植物园
A large botanical garden in the city's south. Here you will find azaleas, magnolias, cherry trees, bamboo and various other plant species. There is also a zoo, a golf club, an amusement park, a water park and a hotel. See here for the official map.
橘子洲 / Júzizhōu
This beautifully landscaped park contains a large number of rose bushes, orange trees, a bamboo garden, and a gigantic sculpture of the head of Mao in his youth. Tickets for sightseeing busses that stop at five spots can be purchased for ¥20, and small cruise ships circle the island. Walking from the metro station to the Mao head is 3.3 km and takes about 35 min.
岳麓山
West of Hunan University, is the national renowned scenic spot, located on the west bank of Xiang River. Many foreigners and locals alike frequently climb this 300-m-tall mountain. At the foot of Yuelu Mountain is Yuelu Academy. You can also get up/down by shuttle bus (¥20) or cable car (¥30 up, ¥25 down, ¥50 both directions).
Changsha Concert Hall
A modern architectural landmark on the banks of the Xiang River. It hosts a variety of high-quality domestic and international musical performances. Even if you don't attend a show, its striking design is worth seeing from the outside.
长沙世界之窗
Changsha's largest and most popular amusement park.
Xiang Embroidery Experience Workshop
Participate in a hands-on workshop to learn about Xiang embroidery, one of China's four renowned embroidery styles. Under master guidance, you can try basic stitches and create a small souvenir.
梅溪湖国际文化艺术中心大剧院
田汉大剧院
湘江剧场，湘江剧院
Owned and operated by the Hunan Xiang Opera Theatre Company (湖南省湘剧院), this theatre is mainly devoted to Xiang Opera. However, other theatre companies sometimes lease the theatre for their own shows. Hence it is sometimes possible to see Peking Opera and other traditional arts here too.
岳麓山
Check See section for more details
湘江
Enjoy the nicely illuminated Dufu pavilion and Orange Island bridge during a stroll along the Xiang river promenade. Elderly locals come here to perform various group dances on the sidewalk, with music ranging from traditional Chinese over tango to pop!
(Every Saturday evening at 08:30). The city stages fireworks on Juzizhou Island (Orange Island) every week, which can be seen from Wuyi Dadao bridge, for example.
Choices and a sampling of regional foods of the country. Long established and well-regarded, this cozy and rustic eatery stays bustling through the wee morning hours as food enthusiasts, businessmen, and families with their children flock to this fun food court styled eatery. Do not be fooled by the fast-food style of ordering (prepared food is displayed at various stations, your orders are placed by a hole punched on your menu card and then served freshly prepared within minutes of ordering), the food here is superb. A large selection of good food, including sweet taro dessert topped with gingko biloba nuts and steamed pork chops dusted with a layer of sticky rice powder.
火宫殿; lit: The Fire Palace
Local Hunan cuisine. Chairman Mao ate here. They come around with trolleys containing soup, dim sum, and so forth. You might enjoy Choudoufu (stinky tofu), Changsha Doupi, Pineapple bread (contains chunks and similar to some Indian breads), Yangrou Chuar (lamb kebabs), Niurou (beef in baskets, relatively fat-free), corn soup and vegetables which are cooked in front of you.
太平老街
This historic street is packed with small stores selling food and drink. Here you'll find everything from traditional sausages, stinky tofu, bubble tea, and ice cream, to seafood noodles. The old houses and narrow side alleys offer photo opportunities, and there are a few shops for souvenirs (packaged snacks, porcellain, etc.) There's also a workshop where you can try pottery.
长沙步行街
Tons of street food. See Do section for details.
小二面店
Noodles with tomato, green pepper or mushroom, with or without egg. Very simple and very delicious. Small and crowded (for a reason).
Huli Ba
A meeting place for expats.They have two floors, the second floor is indoors and the third is a rooftop garden. They have a kitchen serving western food and snacks. Professional foosball table, western music, extensive selection of imported beers, wines and liquors. They celebrate all western and Chinese holidays and they can accommodate large private parties.
Billed as Changsha's main expat hangout. Home to more than 40 beers from around the world and features Asahi, Heineken and San Miguel on tap. The cocktail menu includes many classic western cocktails with 'Crave' pours. Appetizers include gourmet burgers, flatbread pizza, or loaded sandwiches. Don't miss the weekly specials: Taco Tuesday, Wing Wednesday, and crazy all-you-can-drink Saturday night parties.
A hidden cafe focusing on single-origin beans from Yunnan, roasted in-house. A quiet escape from the city's bustle, popular with local students and artists.
长沙南湖路店
After each bath the room steams up for hours because the flooring was made of an unidentifiable material. It is a bit of a way out. The staff are nice enough.
岳麓山国际青年旅舍
Comfortable, well kept and friendly staff. Conveniently located for climbing Yuelu Shan.
长沙海富丽景酒店
Modern and clean hotel very close to the walking street and other attractions in the city.
A small, design-focused guesthouse with rooms themed around Hunan's art scene. Offers a peaceful, creative atmosphere just steps away from the Xiang River.
The most important shopping area downtown, tons of shopping malls and stores.
长沙步行街
Lively walking street with tons of fashion shops, snack stores and lined by shopping malls. Here you can find everything from shoes over smartphones to bubble tea and stinky tofu. Becomes very crowded in the afternoon and at night, and sometimes there are live performances, cultural shows and advertising events.
长沙IFS
. It is an ultra-high-rise large-scale urban complex integrating large shopping malls, office buildings and five-star hotels and other facilities.
万达广场
It is shopping mall with famous fashion brands such as Coach, Gome, as well as large office buildings with many branch companies such as Logoson. Besides, many people who goes to Changsha will go there at nights of some traditional Chinese festivals, for it is one of the best places to watch fireworks show on Orange Island.
By train
From nearby cities Zhuzhou and Xiangtan, you can take the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan Intercity Railway. But for other nearby cities, the intercity railway is still under construction.
By bus
By car
G0422 (Wuhan-Shenzhen Hwy.) or G4 (Beijing-Hongkong-Macau) connect Changsha to other cities of China from north and south. For east or west, cars may drive on G6021 (Hangzhou-Changsha).
Ubiquitous taxicabs flood the city streets, willing to transport you just up the street or to the other side of town. Meters start at ¥8 in daylight, ¥10 at night.
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Changsha (Changsha) · International · CSX
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