Changsha Guide Hunan Province

Changsha 长沙

Changsha is the capital of Hunan Province and has been an important commercial and political center since before the Qin dynasty (221-207 BCE).

Located on the wide Xiang River, a branch of the Yangtze River, Changsha has a population in excess of 6 million people.

Wuyi Dadao is the 4 km main street that runs east-west from the station to the Xiangjiang Bridge to Juzi Dao and across the Xiang River.

Changsha is known for its connections with Mao Zedong, who was born in the village of Shaoshan 130 km away and attended school in Changsha from the age of 16.

It was while a student in Changsha that Mao was first exposed to revolutionary ideas and became a convert to socialism and later communism.

After a spell in Beijing, Mao returned to Changsha to take up a teaching post and edited a radical student newspaper.

Xiang River, Changsha, Hunan Province. — Xiang River, Changsha, Hunan Province

Hunan Provincial Museum

The Hunan Provincial Museum houses important cultural artifacts excavated from the Han-era tombs at Mawangdui, 5 km east of the city. On display are ancient manuscripts, bronzes, silk textiles and one of the earliest versions of the I Ching or (Book of Changes).

The centerpiece of the collection, however, is the preserved body of Xin Zui the Marquess of Dai on display in a liquid-filled tank. The museum is located in the north west corner of the pretty Martyrs' Park - complete with pagodas and ornamental lakes and bridges.

Traffic in modern-day Changsha, Hunan. — Traffic in modern-day Changsha, Hunan

Qingshui Tang

Qingshui Tang on Bayi Lu is Mao's former home in Changsha where Mao lived with his second wife Yang Kaihui after moving here from Beijing. There's a large white statue of the "Great Helmsman" at the gate and the walls of the garden are covered with stone tablets of Mao's poems and epigrams.

Other places on the Mao circuit are Hunan No 1 Teachers' Training College , where Mao attended classes from 1913-1918 and returned to teach between 1920-1922. Visitors can visit the still active college and see the well where Mao used to bathe in cold water to strengthen himself and the halls where he held political meetings.

Hunan University, west of the Xiang River, evolved from the Yuelu Academy which was a large college for scholars sitting the civil examinations established in 976 during the Song dynasty. Another Mao statue stands in the grounds. Take bus #202 to reach the academy. Yeulu Park is a pleasant place to walk and climb uphill to two pavilions: Aiwan Ting (Loving the Dusk Pavilion) and Wangxiang Ting - with views of the city below.

Old City Walls & Juzi Dao

The last remaining parts of the old city walls are in Tianxin Ge off Chengnan Xilu. Juzi Dao (Tangerine Island) sits in the middle of the Xiang River and was a place of refuge for the European inhabitants after the European quarter was sacked by rioters in 1910 after the British raised the price of rice. Mao swam to shore from the southern tip of the island on his 65th birthday!

Xiangjiang Bridge across the Xiang River. — Xiangjiang Bridge across the Xiang River, Changsha, Hunan Province

Changsha Essentials - Getting to Changsha

Transport
Changsha Huanghua International Airport is 20 km from downtown. The Changsha Maglev Express connects the airport with Changsha South Railway Station. Also buses from the airport run to Wuyi Dadao (the main east-west avenue) and the South Bus Station.
Changsha has three bus stations located in its suburbs: the South Bus Station, the East Bus Station and the West Bus Station.
Shaoshan is usually a day-trip from Changsha.
Train 5365 leaves Changsha daily at 6.40 am, arriving in Shaoshan at 9.30 am Train 5366 leaves Shaoshan at 5 pm and arrives at Changsha Station at 8.16 pm There are buses from Changsha South Bus Station to Shaoshan every 50 minutes or so from around 7 am to 5 pm. The last return bus to Changsha is at around 5.30 pm.
High speed bullet trains connect Changsha South Railway Station to Wuhan in 90 minutes and Guangzhou in 2 hours-2 hours, 30 minutes. From Beijing West Railway Station to Changsha South Railway Station bullet trains take between 5 and a half hours to 7 and a half hours.
From Shanghai South Railway Station high speed trains to Changsha Railway Station take about 4-7 hours. Normal trains are much longer at 10-16 hours.
Changsha has flights to Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tianjin, Xian and other cities. International flights include connections to Osaka, Seoul and Taipei. There is an overnight rail service to Shenzhen and trains to Wuhan (3-4 hours).
Minibuses and taxis ferry visitors between Shaoshan Station and the sights in Shaoshan village.

Changsha, Hunan Province, China. — Changsha, Hunan Province

Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business. — Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business

Changsha Railway Station metro entrance. — Metro entrance at Changsha Railway Station

Getting Around Changsha

Changsha Metro

The Changsha Metro (长沙地铁) in Changsha has five operational lines presently out of what will be a much larger network.

These are: Line 1 (color coded red) which runs north-south.

Line 2 (color coded sky blue) runs west-east. The intersecting station is Wuyi Square. Line 2 has stops at Changsha Railway Station and Changsha South Railway Station.

Line 3 (color coded yellow green) is 36.4 km long with 25 stations. The line connects Shantang and Guangsheng stations.

Line 4 (color coded purple) has 25 stations and is 33.5 km in length. The line connects Guanziling and Dujiaping stations.

Line 5 (color coded yellow) has 18 stations and is 22.5 km in length. The line connects Maozhutang and Shuiduhe stations.

The Changsha Maglev Express opened in 2016 and is the second maglev in China after Shanghai Maglev. The Changsha Maglev Express connects Changsha Huanghua International Airport with Changsha South Railway Station.