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SCENES & SIGHTS
 Changsha
Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, is a famous historical and
cultural city whose tourist resources are predicated on its historical
heritage. Among the city's 20 or so major attractions are Yuelu
Academy, Han tombs at Mawangdui, King of Wu Sun Quan's government
archives on bamboo slips found at Zhoumalou, and Hunan Embroidery
Institute.
Yuelu Academy
Yuelu Academy at the foot of Yuelu Mountain in west Changsha, was
the most important of all the four academies of the Song as well
as China's earliest government-funded institution of higher learning.
The buildings extant on the premises are mostly a Qing legacy. Since
the Song many famous scholars had lectured and studied in this academy.
Han Tombs at Mawangdui
It seemed Manwangdui, a place in the eastern suburb of Changsha,
achieved world fame overnight in the 1970s with the discovery of
precious cultural relics from three large Han tombs. Most eye-catching
of these finds was a woman's corpse so well preserved that some
of its bone joints could still be flexed, and some of its soft tissues
were still elastic, despite the passage of 2,100 years. Among the
other invaluable finds were 3,000 exquisite pieces of lacquer ware
and paintings on silk. The corpse and the other artifacts are on
display in Hunan Museum.
 Archives
on Bamboo Slips
A total of 170,000 bamboo slips were excavated from Zhoumalou, Changsha,
in December 1996. Inscribed on these slips were official documents
of Changsha Prefecture during the reign of Sun Quan of the Kingdom
of Wu. These files have furnished valuable material for research
into the history of the Three Kingdoms Period (196-265).
Tianxin Pavilion
Poised atop Changsha's 30-metre-high ancient city wall, Tianxinge
Pavilion provides an overview of the entire city.
Mao's Residence in Shaoshan
Shaoshan, 104 km west of Changsha, was the birthplace of Mao Zedong,
founder of the People's Republic of China. Mao's former residence
is furnished the way it was during his childhood and teenage years.
Yueyang
Yueyang, situated where the Yangtze flows past Dongting Lake in
north Hunan, was known as Baling or Yuezhou in old times. Today,
it is a famous historical and cultural city and a key tourist center
whose major scenic spots include Yueyang Tower, Junshan Mountain,
Qu Yuan's Temple and Tuanhu Lake. Yueyang is also the venue of a
world-famous international dragon boat competition that takes place
during the Dragon Boat Festival every June.
Dongting Lake
Covering an area of 2,820 square km, Dongting is the second largest
freshwater lake which is connected with the mighty Yangtze. The
lake's Junshan Island, looking magnificent with 72 peaks, is known
for a kind of local tea.
Qu Yuan's Temple
The temple, situated on Yusi Mountain by Miluo River in Yueyang,
was dedicated to Qu Yuan, a celebrated patriotic poet of ancient
China.
 Tuanhu
Lake
The Tuanhu (Circular) Lake in Junshan District and some 20 km from
downtown Yueyang, covers an area of 200 hectares. In summer, lotus
flowers protruding from the midst of green leaves in a riot of colours,
and it is the best season for boating and picking lotus seeds.
Yueyang Tower
The Yueyang Tower, poised atop the western city gate of Yueyang,
is one of the three major towers in south China. Construction of
this tower began in 716, or the 4th year of Kaiyuan reign of the
Tang. The fame of this tower stems largely from the essay "On
Yueyang Tower" by Fan Zhongyan, a famed Song writer.
Hengyang
The south Hunan city of Hengyang is 45km south of Hengshan Mountain,
the southern holy mountain of China and a famed national tourist
resort. Most visitors choose to stop over at Hengyang before proceeding
to Hengshan Mountain.
Hengshan Mountain
The southern holy mountain in China, Hengshan looks at once old,
graceful, mysterious, breathtaking and exotic. Its 72 peaks form
a range that serpentines for as far as 400km. Atop Zhurong, the
major peak 1,290 metres above sea level, are Zhurong Hall, Southern
Heavenly Gate and Moon Gazing Terrace. Nanyue Temple on Zhenbei
Street at the entrance to the mountain is a giant 9,800-square-metre
complex laid out in roughly the same way as the Former Imperial
Palace of Beijing. Eight Taoist temples on the eastern side are
arranged symmetrically with eight Buddhist temples on the western
side to indicate equality between Buddhism and Taoism. This largest
group of ancient structures in south China is the site of a grand
temple fair every August.
 Emperor
Yan's Mausoleum
Fifteen km to the southwest of Yanling County is the mausoleum of
Emperor Yan, the legendary Divine Peasant who is regarded as a father
of China. The buildings at the mausoleum were reconstructed in 1988,
forming a five-part complex in the style of a majestic imperial
palace. A grand ceremony is held every October to pay tribute to
this legendary forefather.
Zhangjiajie
Zhangjiajie, a northwest Hunan city 400 km from Changsha, is the
site of the national Wulingyuan scenic resort, the first in China
to be endorsed by UNESCO as a world natural heritage. The resort
covers more than 500 square km and consists of Zhangjiajie National
Forest Park and two nature reserves-Suoxi Gully and Tianzi Mountain.
With an unmatched sandy quartzie and karst landform, the resort
is a sublime configuration of mountains, rivers, wood and caves.
Major sights: Yellowstone Village, Golden Whip Stream, Tianzhi Mountain,
Yellow Dragon Cave, Baofeng Lake and Maoyan River. Zhangjiajie International
Forest Protection Festival is an annual event which takes place
every September.
Jishou
Located on the eastern side of Wuling Mountain in northwest Hunan,
Jishou is the seat of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.
Visitors are attracted by the distinct folkways of ethnic Tujia
and Miao peoples.
Mengdong River
There is something serene and mystic about Mengdong River as it
twists and turns across the karst terrain of Yongshun County 90
km west of Zhangjiajie. Narrow and swift, and strewn with dangerous
shoals and rapids, the river is cut out for daredevils. Rubber dinghies
are provided for those who come to raft the river.
 Ancient
Phoenix City
Ming and Qing architecture remains large intact in the ancient city
of Fenghuang (Phoenix) 53 km to the south of Jishou City. The streets
are paved with slate, and most dwellings sit on stilts, looking
classically elegant with flying eaves and curving roof corners.
The former residence of Shen Congwen, a modern Chinese author, is
in the city.
Wangcun, an Ancient Town
For the most part of its 2,000-year history, Wangchun Town was the
capital of local ethnical tribal kings. Situated on the confluence
of Mengdong and Yuanshui rivers, the town features a bluestone-flagged
2.5-km-long main street, an ancient town wall also built of bluestone,
and ethnic Tujia residents' stilted dwellings.
Taohuayuan Tourist Zone
Taohuayuan, the Shangri-la described in the famous Jin writer Tao
Yuanming's "Accounts of Taohuayuan", is in Taoyuan County
under the jurisdiction of Changde. The place is actually a world
of peach orchards, which look unusually beautiful when peach flowers
are in full bloom. The peach flower=watching festival takes place
at Taohuayuan every March and April.
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