Hidden Hunan

Hunan is a geographically and culturally diverse province in China’s south. Its name is derived from Dongting Lake, which is located in the Northeast corner of the province: Hunan literally means, “South of the Lake.” Mao Zedong is of course, the province’s most famous son. The Great Helmsman’s home village of Shaoshan attracts over three million pilgrims per year and in 2008 the provincial capital Changsha unveiled a giant 30-metre statue of the youthful chairman-to-be. 

 

However, if communist kitsch isn’t your thing, you’ll find there’s tons more than Mao to this ancient and populous place. The Wu–Guang High-speed Railway line, which began commercial operation in late 2009, now connects the Pearl River Delta with Changsha in a little over three hours. With travel time condensed, Hunan is luring more and more visitors to enjoy its hot and spicy delights. Here’s Macau CLOSER’s pick of Hunan’s hidden highlights.

 

 

 

 

There are numerous flights and routes from Macau to Changsha, however be prepared for long stopovers in many cases. One of the quickest options is with Xiamen Airlines with one stopover in Xiamen. Travel time about five and half hours.

 

 

First take the fast train from Zhuhai to Guangzhou South Railway Station (about 90 minutes), and then another fast train trip to Changsha, which takes just two and a half hours. A superior class seat costs around MOP800.  

Remember to apply for a Chinese visa in advance, should you require one. 

 

 

 

A fire raised the provincial capital during the Sino-Japanese War in 1938, and this gives the city the rather unremarkable appearance of any typical second-tier Chinese city. The fascinating Hunan Provincial Museum, with its exhibition of two thousand year-old Western Han tombs of the Mawangdui, is currently closed for three-year renovation program and the Changsha City Museum is more or less a colossal homage to Mao Zedong. So you really need to cross the Xiang River and enter the university district to truly discover Changsha’s hidden wonder. 

 

The Yuelu Academy, established in 976AD, was one of the four primary centres of learning in ancient China. Set to the east of popular hiking spot Yuelu Mountain, Yuelu Academy can be found tucked away in the grounds of Hunan University. A 50 yuan entrance ticket buys entrance to this majestic centre of Confucian higher-learning. Essentially a labyrinth of courtyards, pavilions, classical gardens, lecture halls and memorial halls commemorating great scholars of their day, Yuelu Academy provides rich insights into the scholarly pursuits that made the classical Chinese Empire the envy of the civilized world. Though closed to public viewing, the Yushu Library, constructed in 999AD, is the must-take photo at Yuelu. Set facing two symmetrical goldfish ponds, shadowed by aligned trees, it is an exquisite example of a classical Chinese garden.

 

You can visit Changsha without sampling some of the peppery gastronomic wonders of Xiang cuisine. San Wang Jie (literally Three Kings Street) has several choice local eateries to burn your lips at. Nearby Taiping Street is something of a faux-historic street, with bars, cafes and shops selling local produce like silk and porcelain. It is also home to a number of bars boasting international beer brands, should you need to cool your mouth after dinner.

 

 

 

The most northerly stop on the high-speed train, Yueyang is a third-tier city on the banks of the Dongting Lake. Most tourists visit Yueyang Tower, which was originally constructed during the Three Kingdoms Period when forces of the Wu wanted an inspection tower to overlook the Yangze and Dongting Lake. Today, the refurbished tower is a hefty 80 yuan to view and offers little more than a photo opportunity.

 

Yueyang’s real treasure lies a ferry boat away. Out on the lake, hidden by mist, is the former Taoist retreat of Junshan Island. Today open for tourism, this 2.23km2 island (if one includes the surrounding wetlands) exhibits a remarkable amount of biodiversity including 185 species of birds. Between the bamboo groves, locals harvest Yellow Tea, which due to the islands protected environment affords drinkers a uniquely refreshing brew.

 

 

 

Another great place to get some fresh air in smoggy China is Mount Heng, which is considered one of the five sacred mountains of China. Also known as Nanyue, Hengshan has been a place of imperial pilgrimage for centuries. The mountain range is considered sacred to both Buddhists and Taoists and is dotted with temples and shrines, notably the Grande Temple of Mount Heng, which dates back to the Tang dynasty. The mountain range extends 150km north all the way to Yuelu Mountain on the edge of Changsha. The must-climb peak is Zhurong. At over 1,290 meters it is no easy climb as Mount Heng is subject to changeable weather. But the hike, through majestic bamboo forests, past sequestered farmhouses and isolated shrines evokes a China of the imagination. Some peasant homes have established Nong Jia Le, humble guesthouses that permit you to stay in the national park itself.

 

 

 

Choose your time carefully if you don’t want to spend all day negotiating crowds. But if you can get there during the low season (weekdays and non-national holidays) Fenghuang is still worth a visit. Shen Congwen’s seminal novel ‘Border Town’ first brought the ancient town of Fenghuang, or Phoenix to the attention of the world. The book, first published in 1934 was band until 1979 right when China started reforming its economy. The re-publication has been a mixed blessing for the local Miao and Tujia indigenous peoples. 

 

On  one hand, the river town’s rickety houses on stilts, city walls and gate towers still offer sightseers a marvellously well-preserved example of an ancient Chinese town. On the other, the spread of karaoke bars, pizza cafés and tourist tat shops kindle a sense that mass tourism is undermining the very charm that brought people to Fenghuang, or provoked Shen to write about it, in the first place. It’s very much a place to see “before it’s too late.”