Changsha travel guide

As a provincial capital, Changsha is very well connected. It has flights to 41 major and mid-sized cities across China. It also sits on the Beijing–Guangzhou railway line, so trains travelling north and south pass through here. Changsha's long-distance bus services are also very busy, making it one of the main transport hubs linking East and South China. It also has passenger links to some cities in the province and in East China.

Changsha Huanghua Airport has direct flights to more than 40 major and mid-sized cities in China and abroad, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Seoul and Tokyo.

Maoyan River rafting: manpowered rubber raft ¥114 per person, 3–4 hours to the finish; motorised rubber raft ¥124 per person, about 2 hours to the finish.

Changsha is an important transport hub in Central China, with several railway lines converging here. These include the Beijing–Guangzhou Railway running north to south, the Shanghai–Kunming Railway running east to west, the Shimen–Changsha Railway linking Changsha with Shimen in Changde, and the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan Intercity Railway. At present, Changsha's main passenger stations are Changsha Railway Station and Changsha South Railway Station.

Three national highways, 14 provincial highways and 106 county roads form a connected network. The three national highways are National Highways 106, 107 and 319. Expressways include the Beijing–Hong Kong–Macau Expressway and the Shanghai–Kunming Expressway. Changsha has several large long-distance bus stations: South, East and West.

Changsha operates many bus routes, sightseeing shuttle lines and more than a thousand minibuses within the city. Around 6,000 taxis travel along the city's roads, and they can be hailed on the street, which is very convenient. Changsha has opened the Maglev Express and several metro lines.

Daytime flag fall: ¥8 for the first 2 km; ¥2 for each additional kilometre beyond 2 km.

In 2014, Changsha's first metro line, Line 2 Phase 1, began trial operations. Today, eight lines are in service: Lines 1 through 6, the West Loop Line and the Maglev Line. The network covers the entire urban core of Changsha.

Hunan cuisine is one of China's Eight Great Cuisines. Its main features are fragrant, fresh, spicy and sour flavours, and it strives to preserve the natural taste of its ingredients. Although Hunan food is equally bold in flavour to Sichuan food, it differs in that it avoids sugar and makes use of fresh chopped chillies and fermented black beans.

Dong'an chicken, 'one duck, four ways', steamed cured meats, and huagu mushrooms with egg white are all traditional Hunan dishes. In addition, because Mao Zedong loved red-braised pork, Changsha's 'Mao-style red-braised pork' is also very famous. These days it is fashionable to eat “yellow duck calls” and “white duck calls” on the pump boats along the Xiang River.

Hunan's snacks are equally famous, with Changsha at the centre of them. The most renowned is deep-fried stinky tofu: it smells pungent but tastes delicious, and it can be found almost everywhere on Changsha's streets and alleys. The most authentic version is from Granny Wu's (五娭毑) stall around Nanmen Kou. Other tasty snacks include salt-and-pepper sanzi (fried dough twists), sisters' tuanzi (glutinous rice dumplings), glutinous rice zongzi, pearl shaomai, crinkle-skin wonton, Yang Yuxing noodles and dumplings, De Yuan baozi, and He Ji rice noodles. Locals say, “Yang Yuxing's noodles, Xu Changxing's duck and De Yuan's baozi are truly delicious.” In fact, countless delicacies are still hidden in Changsha's streets and alleys, waiting for food lovers to discover them. For example, the “flavoured prawns” and “flavoured crabs” around Nanmen Kou are superb and not to be missed.

Accommodation in Changsha is very convenient, from luxury star-rated hotels to basic guesthouses, so travellers can choose a place that suits their budget. Universities usually have their own guesthouses, which are reasonably equipped and reasonably priced, making them a good option for independent travellers.

Xiang embroidery, Xiang tea and Xiang porcelain are Hunan's three major specialities.

Xiang embroidery is one of China's Four Great Embroideries, renowned for its beautiful composition and exquisite craftsmanship. Xiang tea is known for its mellow flavour and is a famous fine variety both in China and abroad. Xiang porcelain cannot rival Jingdezhen porcelain, but it has its own distinctive character and a far-reaching reputation. Beyond these, Yiyang's songhua preserved eggs, duck-down products, bamboo carvings, Baisha liquor, Liuyang fermented black beans, Xiang-style pastries, Liuyang sweet cakes, bottled chopped chilli sauce in various flavours, and Xiang lotus seeds are all local specialities that make suitable gifts for friends and family.

In the evening, besides wandering around in search of tasty snacks, you might enjoy listening to Hunan local opera. You can also visit the Chinese Southern Ancient Music Palace inside the Changsha Museum to hear ancient bianzhong bell music. The weekend fireworks show on Orange Isle is also worth seeing, and drinking tea in a teahouse is another side of Changsha's nightlife.