Area Attractions

One of four famous academies in China, Yuelu Academy was established by the Zhudong, magistrate of Tanzhou prefecture in 976 A.D., during the time of the Northern Song dynasty. The academy accepted disciples throughout the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. It was only in 1903 that the academy was transformed from a school of traditional Confucian learning into an institute of higher learning, being officially named Hunan University in 1926.

Founded in the early 1950s, the Hunan Provincial Museum is located in Changsha’s Kaifu District, adjacent to the martyr and the scenic park. The museum is home to collections of many cultural relics, including the most characteristic of the Mawangdui artifacts, bronzes of the Shang and Zhou Chu cultural relics, ancient ceramics, calligraphy, paintings and modern treasures. It is one of the largest comprehensive art history museums in Hunan Province.

The Changsha Museum is a history museum located in the Beichen Delta in the Kaifu District. Adjacent to the Changsha Concert Hall, the Changsha Planning Exhibition Hall and the Changsha Library, the museum has nearly 50,000 cultural relics, including Shang and Zhou bronzes, Chu Han relics and examples of Changsha kiln porcelain produced for domestic and foreign consumers.

This shopping plaza near Grand Hyatt Changsha is home to more than 500 shops and international brands that promise many shopping options.

Located at the intersection of Pozi Street and Huangxing Road Pedestrian Street, the Yuefang ID Mall is near Grand Hyatt Changsha. The mall is home to a cinema, an ice rink, a family recreation center, international retail brands, boutique supermarkets and several other shopping outlets and leisure-based shops.

This bustling and vibrant commercial street spans 838 m (2,749 ft) and is divided into a street and an inner street, with many shops and brands complementing the local characteristics of the food.

An example of modern cultural architecture, the Hunan Grand Theater is located at No. 139 Changsha Shaoshan Road, offering film screenings, theatrical performances, cultural elements and other entertainment. Located on the third floor, the performance hall is a Changsha landmark, namely for its cultural architecture and reputation as a national base for cultural demonstrations.

Located at the Riverside Cultural Park, the Changsha Concert Hall was built to resemble a standard concert hall, with a 1,400-seat symphony hall, a multifunctional hall with nearly 500 seats, and an indoor music hall with nearly 300 seats. Able to accommodate about 3,000 people, the concert hall serves many functions, including hosting music performances, offering dining and leisure events, providing art training and hosting VIP receptions and other functions, all for the enjoyment of music lovers and art students.

Located at No. 321 Renmin Middle Road, the Hunan Huagu Opera Theater was established in 1953. The theater’s main mission is to carry on and develop the tradition of Hunan Huagu Opera and to create a new type of drum code for the masses.

Orange Isle Park is a 5 km (3.1 mi) long island in the Xiangjiang River. It has been a famous scenic resort in Hunan since ancient times. Mao Zedong demonstrated a special preference for it, writing a line about it in the “Tune of Qinyuanchun”: “Alone I stand in the autumn cold on the tip of Orange Island.”

Yuelu Mountain lies on the west bank of the Xiangjiang River in Changsha. Its natural scenery and breathtaking landscapes are strange, quiet and beautiful. The area is home to several thousand different plants, including many that are famous and rare. Scenic spots near Yuelu Mountain include, the Qingfeng gorge, the Aiwan Pavilion, the Lushan Temple, Yunlu Palace, the White Crane Spring and the Flying Stone.

Located in the center of Changsha, Tianxin Pavilion is known historically as the “Ancient Pavilion of Xiaoxiang” from the Ming dynasty.

The main building of Dufu Pavilion was designed around Dufu and Changsha, the poems Dufu created in Hunan, and his influence on Hunan culture. At the same time, its focus on the overall environment was to create the best historical and cultural atmosphere. Therefore, it can suit people of different social levels and achieve the combined effect of being both intellectual and recreational.

Home to protected cultural relics of Changsha, the Baisha Ancient Well is located on Baisha Street in Tianxin District. Constructed during the Spring and Autumn period, it is one of the most famous wells in South China.