Empark Grand Hotel Changsha

Explore Changsha

Situated in the river valley along the lower part of Xiang River, Changsha is the capital city of Hunan Province. The recorded history of Changsha can be traced back 3000 years. Tomb relics from the primitive periods witnessing the earliest human of activities have been discovered in this region. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C. - 476 B.C.), the area developed into an important town within the State of Chu, (one of the seven warring states that existed before China's unification by Emperor Qin). After Emperor Qin (the first feudal emperor in China's history) unified the country, the town was set up as a county and later became the capital city of a state in the early Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - 220). The tomb excavation site of Mawangdui found in the eastern suburb of the city is a family graveyard from that period. The most fantastic historical relic should be the well-preserved mummified remains of a Western Han Dynasty woman excavated from the tombs. Some of thousands of relics unearthed include silk products, paintings, lacquer works, potteries, bamboo slips used for writing, weapons and herbs, all of which are exhibited in Hunan Provincial Museum.
In the dynasties that followed, the city experienced several expansions and during China's Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it has developed into the political, economic and cultural center of Hunan Province.

Although not as ancient a capital city as Beijing, Nanjing or Xian, Changsha also has rich historical heritages including old wall remains, tomb sites, religious temples and buildings. What earns the city its reputation among tourists are two things. One is a great man in China's recent history, Chairman Mao Zedong and the other is Yuelu Academy, a time-honored academic school perched on the scenic Yuelu Mountain. Originally built in 976 during the Song Dynasty, the academy school survived through the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties and is considered to be the cradle of Huxiang Culture. (simply means the culture school in Hunan Province)
The village of Shaoshan, about 130 kilometers south-west of Changsha is the hometown of Chairman Mao Zedong. Today, the village has become a memorial place for Chinese people to remember this extraordinary man. People erected a statue of the Chairman and have preserved the houses he lived as a tourist site. A museum and other memorial spots in the scenic area create a kind of solemn atmosphere. Many Chinese come to pay respect and visit here during the memorial days.
In addition, the city was home to other revolutionary leaders including Liu Shaoqi, Huyaobang and former Chinese prime minister, Zhu Rongji. Therefore, it acts as a good place to learn more about China's recent history.
Changsha people boast to be the best gourmand of China and here people spend a lot of time eating. Xiang Cuisine is one of the Eight Cuisines in China and has a fine and delicate appearance and a hot & sour taste and the heavy and hot taste is an equal competitor to the spicy food of Sichuan. Street dining and restaurants in the city make every visitor's mouth hot. No matter the featured snacks - 'Stinky Tofu' and 'Sisters'Rice Balls' in Huogongdian (Fire Palace) or the famous spicy shrimps at Nanmenkou, the many types of delicious local food will not disappoint any guests.
Changsha people are also renowned for their acting and have created various traditional folk art performances of their own including the local operas, storytelling, drum opera, acrobatics and other dramatic styles. Everyone can feel their hospitalities and enthusiasm by their vigorous dances. Today, most of the entertainment houses in the city present dynamic and entertaining performances featuring a blend of the traditional essence and the modern flare. The neon lights of KTV squares, disco parlors, clubs and dancing squares illuminate the city at night. Dotted with all sorts of bars and pubs, Jiefang Xilu, although not as prosperous as Sanlitun Pub Street in Beijing, has its own styles. Romantic and quiet bars, dynamic show bars, teahouses, western style restaurants...People of all ages can find their ideal place to spend their leisure time.

Changsha Attraction
There are still some classic cultural sights to see in Changsha, although it is not a city that is all-encompassing when it comes to heritage and wonder. Some tourists choose Changsha as their transfer point when traveling on to Zhangjiajie, Yueyang, Hengyang or the famous Phoenix Town in the western part of Hunan, so here are some things to do and see whilst there.

Cultural Relics
The famous Yuelu Academy, located at the foot of the scenic Mt. Yuelu on the west bank of Xiangjiang River, is a 'must-see' attraction in the city. Originally built in 976, it has a history of more than one thousand years. Either for its glorious past as a reputed feudal academic school in ancient times, or for being the site of Hunan University today, Yuelu Academy is a place in the city that both tourists and students like to visit while appreciate the charming natural vista of the surrounding mountains.
A walk across the No. 1 Bridge over the Xiangjiang River, just opposite the Yuelu scenic area is the Long Island (Juzi Zhou). In midstream of the Xiangjiang River, it runs almost the entire length of the city and gets the name for its long and narrow sandbank. It was said that Chairman Mao Zedong studied in the No. 1 Normal School here when he was young, and often went swimming in the river or took a walk with friends around the island. Today, a scenic park has been built with a marble monument in the middle with Mao's inscriptions and it is a good place for people to escape the summer heat.
The village of Shaoshan, over 100 kilometers south-west of Changsha is a significant place for Chinese Communists for it was home to Chairman Mao Zedong. It is a good place to learn more about this great Chinese man. The old houses where he lived, a museum, a monument and other memorial spots are well preserved in the scenic area and create a kind of solemn atmosphere. Chinese come to pay their respects here during the memorial days.

Historical Sites
The most fantastic historical relic should be the well-preserved mummified remains of a Western Han Dynasty woman excavated from Mawangdui Han Tombs. The remains have lasted over more than 2000 years and the skins are still stretchy. Thousands of unearthed relics include silk products, paintings, lacquer works, potteries, bamboo slips used for writing, weapons, herbs, and so on. These are all exhibited in Hunan Provincial Museum.
Another history gift is the ancient porcelain kiln site of Tongguan from the late Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). Many pottery and porcelain works decorated with painting and inscription decorations are excavated. It is recorded that these porcelains and pottery products were exported to neighboring Korean, Japan, Indonesia, Iran and even Egypt.
At the very north end of the city near the No. 2 Xiangjiang Bridge is a Buddhist temple called Kaifu Temple. It was originally built in 927 and is featured in the typical Chinese Buddhist temple architectural style.
There are several parks in the city including Wangyue Park at Jiaxiang Lu, Southern Suburb Park, Xiaoyuan Park to the east of the city center near the railway station and a zoo near the provincial museum.

Mawangdui Han Tombs
Located in the eastern suburb of Changsha City, the world famous Mawangdui Han Tombs is one of the most fascinating attractions in Hunan Province. It is no exaggeration to say that the Mawangdui Han Tombs is an open book to the glorious West Han Dynasty (206BC-24). All three tombs were excavated between 1972 and 1974. According to the research this place was a family graveyard from at least two thousand years ago. The tombs are very grand and complicated as well. Number 1 and Number 3 tombs were in excellent condition when excavated and Number 1 tomb is the largest among the three. Number 1 and Number 2 tombs have been in filled. Number 3 tomb has been preserved and covered by a ceiling for the benefit of the visitors.

Mt. Yuelu
Mt. Yuelu, which means the foot of Mt. Hengshan (Southern Mountain), is located on the west bank of Xiangjiang River and lies in the west of Changsha City. It's a highly reputable scenic area in Hunan Province, an area that enables you to have a much clearer understanding of Changsha City once you have paid a visit to Mt. Yuelu.

Hunan Provincial Museum
Hunan Provincial Museum is located on No. 50, Dongfeng Lu, Changsha City, next to the Revolutionary Martyr's Park. It covers an area of 50,000 square meters (about 12.2 acres) with a construction area of 20,000 square meters (about 4.9 acres). First built in 1951, the museum was open to the public in July 1974. It has gathered together most curios unearthed in Hunan Province, unfolding the cultural development of Hunan Province throughout thousands of years.

Hunan Cuisine
Hunan Cuisine, also known as ' Xiang' Cuisine is renowned as one of the Eight Cuisines of China. It is features a fine and delicate appearance together with a hot and spicy flavor. The chefs cut the vegetables into fascinating shapes and patterns and use them to create a handsome assortment of cold dishes. Each dish tells its own story.
Quality restaurants in Changsha offer a range of special dishes from different parts of Hunan. These restaurants usually have a luxury environment with excellent service than you would expect to find in the more ordinary food shops and this is reflected in the prices one has to pay.

Shopping
Shopping Areas
Wuyi Square Shopping Circle– CentralThe most important shopping area in downtown is the Wuyi Square Shopping Circle which is located at the intersection of Wuyi Lu and Huangxing Lu.
Wuyi Lu, a main thoroughfare in the city central area including the West, the Middle and the East sections, is a popular shopping area in the city. All sorts of department stores, shopping malls and supermarkets, hotels, restaurants on the visitors' recommended list surround the bustling Wuyi Square. Vertically intersected with the western section of Wuyi Lu, is the north-south Huangxing Lu. The southern section of the street, known as Huangxing Nanlu Walking Street is a new shopping, leisure, dining and touring center expanded on the base of a century-old street in Changsha. It was planned to be consisted of three parts, a walking Street, indoor stores and an elaborately designed garden-like entertainment square. All kinds of theme activities of street hip-pop dances, magic, music performances and acrobatic shows will be held there in addition to hundreds of clothing stores and restaurants, which provide plenty of choices for tourists.
One block north to the Wuyi Lu, is Zhongshan Lu, which joined to the northern end of the Huangxing Lu. It is another shopping area in the city central area.

Dongtang Shopping Area–SouthIn the southern part of the city near Furong Nanlu, there is another shopping circle near Dongtang with a landmark shopping center called Golden Family World Classic. Clothes shopping buildings, friendship stores, Gome Electronic Appliances and other supermarkets dot with area.

Railway Station Area–EastThe eastern area close to the Railway Station is also a bustling shopping center due to the large stream of people including the famous Apollo Shopping Square and other stores.

Nightlife
The people of Changsha are renowned for their performing arts and they have created various traditional folk performances of their own, including Lion Dance, Dragon Dance, Drum Opera, Clam Dance, Xiang Opera (i.e. Hunan Opera), acrobatics and other dramatic presentations. At Spring Festival, these folk performances appear in the streets and lanes. Where the performers reach is where the atmosphere is the most alive.Traditional folk art was highly fashionable during a period of the city's history and many of today's theatres and opera halls in Changsha date from that time. Today, most of these places of entertainment present dynamic entertaining plays and performances that feature a blend of the traditional elements with more modern trends.The peak time for night life in the city is during the period from one to two o'clock. This is when you will find the streets jammed with cars, enthusiastic crowds and shrewd peddlers. Around twelve, it is very hard to find an available taxi near the main thoroughfares of Shaoshan Lu, Furong Lu and Bayi Lu as they are all kept very busy.Some people think that to enjoy the nightlife of Changsha, you may have four steps: the first is footbath; the second is passing time in pubs; the third is singing in the KTV; and the last one is trying midnight snack.In the downtown of Changsha, there are many footbath centers. After supper at around 19:00, you may go to a footbath center to have a foot massage. Put your feet in the wooden basin with warm milk or in the warm water with Chinese herbal medicines or flowers. The massage man cleans your feet and gives a massage to your legs, feet, arms and head.It will take you about one hour to finish the footbath. After that, you can go to pubs or bars. If you were accompanied by friends, it would be more pleasant. Then, if you'd love to, you may sing several songs in KTV. Now, most Chinese KTVs provide not only Chinese songs but also English, Japanese, Korean and French songs. When you leave the KTV for your accommodation, you can have some midnight snack if you feel a little hungry. Think about this four-step nightlife and how do you like it?