What to See in Changsha - Top Sights and Attractions

Tourist attraction in Changsha, China. The Young Mao Zedong statue is located on Orange Isle in Changsha, Hunan. The monument stands 32 metres tall and depicts Mao Zedong's head. The Hunan People's Government began building it in 2007 and it was completed two years later, in 2009. It took more than 800 tons of granite mined from Fujian to complete.

It is 83 metres long, symbolising Mao's age at his death, 41m wide, symbolising the number of years he led the Chinese Communist Party from the Zunyi Conference to his death, and 32m high, representing Mao's age when he wrote his poem dedicated to Changsha city.^[1]

Museum in Changsha, China. The Hunan Museum is the provincial museum of Hunan, China. It was built in 1951 and opened to the public in July 1956. It is located in the provincial capital Changsha at No. 50, Dongfeng Lu next to the Revolutionary Martyr's Park.

It spans a total area of about 50,000 square metres (12 acres), with a constructed area of 20,000 square metres (4.9 acres).

The museum has a collection of more than 180,000 objects, including items found in the tombs of the Marquis of Dai and his wife in Mawangdui.

The museum was closed on 18 June 2012 for renovation and expansion works and reopened on 29 November 2017.^[2]

Temple in Changsha, China. Kaifu Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Kaifu District of Changsha City, Hunan province in the People's Republic of China. It includes Entrance, Hall of the Great Heroes, Assisted dnyana, Dining Room, etc. Kaifu Temple belongs to the Yangqi sect and Linji school of Buddhism. The temple is built within a 16,000 square metres area of land. For the reason that it was first built earlier than Changsha city, so there is a saying that "there comes first the Kaifu Temple, then the Changsha city".^[3]

Hunan Botanical Garden, formerly known as Hunan Forest Botanical Garden, is a botanical garden and arboretum located in Yuhua District of Changsha, Hunan, China. Covering an area of 1.4-square-kilometre, the garden was established in 1985 and opened to the public in 1985. It serves multiple functions, including botanical research, scientific education, exsitu conservation, exhibition, and tourism. It is also the only integrated organization for botanical research, conservation and utilization in Hunan.^[4]

Peak in China. Yuelu Mountain is located on the west bank of the Xiang River in Changsha, Hunan. Its main peak and the highest point, Yunlu Peak, is about 300.8-metre above the sea level.^[5]

Changsha Ecological Zoo is a zoo in Muyun, Changsha, Hunan, China.

Covering an area of 100 hectares (250 acres), the zoo includes a walking zone, driving zone, education zone, ecological scenic zone, leisure zone and a service zone. It hosts over 300 animal species, and more than 5,000 animals.^[6]

Scenic spot in Changsha, China. Mawangdui is an archaeological site located in Changsha, China. The site consists of two saddle-shaped hills and contained the tombs of three people from the Changsha Kingdom during the western Han dynasty : the Chancellor Li Cang, his wife and a male believed to have been their son. The site was excavated from 1972 to 1974. Most of the artifacts from Mawangdui are displayed at the Hunan Provincial Museum. It was called "King Ma's Mound" possibly because it was thought to be the tomb of Ma Yin, a ruler of the Chu kingdom during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The original name might have been the similarly-sounding "saddle-shaped mound".^[7]

Museum in Changsha, China. Hunan Science and Technology Museum is a museum located in Tianxin District, Changsha, Hunan, China. It is adjacent to the Hunan Youth Activity Center, Hunan Mass Art Museum, and Hunan Museum of Geology.^[8]

Tourist attraction in Changsha, China. Autumn-Admiring Pavilion or Aiwan Pavilion is a Chinese pavilion on Mount Yuelu, in Yuelu District, Changsha, Hunan. Alongside the Zuiweng Pavilion, Taoran Pavilion and Huxin Pavilion, it is one of the Four Great Pavilions of Jiangnan.^[9]

Yunlu Palace is a Taoist temple located on the south side of Yuelu Mountain, in Yuelu District of Changsha, Hunan, China. It was originally built in 1478, but because of war has been rebuilt numerous times since then, with the last major one done in 1976.^[10]

Museum in Changsha, China. The Changsha Bamboo Slips Museum is a history museum located at No. 92 of Baisha Road in Tianxin District, Changsha, Hunan, China. It is adjacent to Baisha Well in the south and Tianxin Pavilion in the west. Changsha Jiandu Museum is currently a large-scale modern themed museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, arrangement, study and exhibition of bamboo script. It is also an important spot of cultural and scenic interest and a window to showcase Changsha to the world. It covers an area of 14,100-square-metre.^[11]

Place of worship in Changsha, China. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is a 20th-century English Gothic revival church that serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Changsha. It is located in the Xiangchun Street, Kaifu District of Changsha, Hunan, China.^[12]

Church in Changsha, China. The Beizhengjie Christian Church, formerly known as Trinity Church, is a neo-Gothic Protestant church located on Huangxing North Road of Changsha, Hunan province, China, formerly belonging to the Episcopal Church of the United States.^[13]

College in Changsha, China. The Yuelu Academy is on the east side of Yuelu Mountain in Changsha, Hunan province, on the west bank of the Xiang River. As one of the four most prestigious academies over the last 1000 years in China, Yuelu Academy has been a famous institution of higher learning as well as a centre of academic activities and cultures since it was formally set up during the Northern Song dynasty. The academy was converted into Hunan Institute of Higher Learning in 1903. It was later renamed Hunan Normal College, Hunan Public Polytechnic School, and finally Hunan University in 1926. Yuelu Academy was once a center of Confucian learning in China.^[14]

Park in Changsha, China. Hunan Martyr's Park is an urban park and the largest park in Changsha, Hunan, China. Covering an area of 343.3-acre, the park was constructed and opened to the public in 1953. It is a renowned scenic spot integrating memory, leisure and tourism. Hunan Martyr's Park has been designated as a "Provincial Key Cultural Protection Unit" by the Hunan government and a "National Patriotic Education Base" by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China. In 2009 it was categorized as a "National Key Park" by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.^[15]

Temple. Lushan Temple, is a Buddhist temple at Yuelu Mountain, Changsha, Hunan, China. It includes the Entrance, Hall of Great Heroes, Zazen room, and dining room, etc.^[16]

Mosque. Changsha Mosque is a mosque located on Mount Huilong in Tianxin District of Changsha, Hunan, China. Changsha Mosque is the site of Changsha Islamic Association.^[17]

Attraction in Changsha, China. The Former Residence of Jia Yi or Jia Yi's Former Residence was built during the Qing dynasty. It is located in Tianxin District of Changsha, Hunan, China. It has an area of about 2,490 m2 and a building area of about 350 m2. It contains buildings such as the gate, the Grand Preceptor Hall, the Grand Preceptor Temple, the Xunqiu Cottage, the Old Tablet Pavilion, the Stone Tablets, the Grand Preceptor Well.^[18]

University in Changsha, China. Hunan First Normal University, founded in 1903, is a university located in Yuelu District, Changsha, Hunan Province, China.

Hunan First Normal University covers a total area of 1346 mu, with more than 420,000 square meters of floor space. The university is divided into 10 colleges.

As of 2021, the Best Chinese Universities Ranking, also known as the "Shanghai Ranking", placed Hunan First Normal University at 394th in China.^[19]

Church in Changsha, China. The Changsha Church Christianity is a 20th-century Chinese traditional architecture church. It is located in the Xiangchun Street, Kaifu District of Changsha, Hunan, China.^[20]