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Changsha is located in southern China on the Xiangjiang River, and is the capital of Hunan Province. The name Changsha means "long sandbank," because the city was built partially on an island in the river. It has been an important commercial and educational center since the time of the Qin dynasty (221-207 BC). It was the capital of the Chu kingdom (10 century AD) and a treaty port in the early 1900s. The city is the birthplace of many notable Chinese literary figures and statesmen, including Mao Zedong, founder of the People's Republic of China, Chia Yi, a Han dynasty essayist, and Tseng Kuo-fan, a 19th-century diplomat and general. The city was rebuilt after 1949 and has developed into a major port and a commercial and industrial centre.
Changsha Geography and Climate
Located at the fertile and beautiful central Xiangjiang River plain in the northeast of Hunan Province, Changsha covers a total area of 11,819.5 square km with a population of 6.13 million. It is surrounded by the Luoxiao Mountain to the east, Wuling Mountain to the west, Hengshan Mountain to the south and Dongting Lake to the north. There are four distinct seasons, with heavy rainfall in the late spring and early summer and relatively dry weather in the late summer and autumn. The annual temperature varies from 16.8°C to17.2°C.
Changsha is known as "a city of Mountains and Waters." It is endowed with a picturesque landscape and charming natural environment. The Xiangjiang River flows through the city from south to north and the Liuyang River winds its way from east to west, forming islands within the city. It is a place of clean waters and tranquil mountains. Scenic spots in the area include the Yuelu Mountain scenic spots, Orange Island, the Yuelu Academy, the Huitang hot spring, and Dawei Mountain National Forest Park. The Han tombs of Mawangdui, the wooden and bamboo slips of the Three States Period, the Yuelu Academy, the Tianxin Tower, and the Autumn-Admiring Pavilion are some of the points of interest around town.
