Changsha

About Changsha

Fiery food, a two-thousand-year-old silk-wrapped princess and a riverside mountain crowned by one of China's oldest academies: Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, packs more history and appetite into its streets than most visitors expect. The city sits on the Xiang River, and its story runs from the Chu state and the Han-dynasty Kingdom of Changsha to the devastating fire of 1938, after which much of the centre was rebuilt.

The Hunan Museum is the essential first stop for the treasures of the Mawangdui tombs. Across the river, Yuelu Mountain and Yuelu Academy reward a slow morning, while Orange Isle stretches down the middle of the Xiang. Back in the centre, Taiping Street, Pozi Street and the Huangxing Road pedestrian zone fill up every night with shoppers and snack hunters.

Changsha is famous across China for its nightlife and spicy cooking: stinky tofu, rice noodles and crayfish are local obsessions. For a change of pace, head north to the Tang-dynasty Tongguan kiln site, or west to the striking lakeside arts centre at Meixi Lake.