Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
Zhangjiajie
Among China’s crop of surreal landscapes, Zhangjiajie has got to be a contender for one of the most impressive. A forest of spectacularly weathered spires…
Must-see attractions in Hunan
Hunan
If you've made it all the way to Hongjiang, don't overlook nearby Qianyang, another historic river town with a completely different architectural style…
Hunan
The old town can be visited in half a day, and undulates in a delightful, higgledy-piggledy, often steep, maze of narrow stone-flagged alleys and lanes…
Hunan
Seventy-two peaks spanning 400km comprise the Heng Shan range, but most visitors focus on Zhurong Peak, rising 1290m above sea level.
Zhangjiajie
If you speak some Chinese and want to get well off the beaten track, this staggeringly beautiful mountain valley and its caves, natural arches and…
Former Residence of Mao Zedong
Hunan
Surrounded by lotus ponds and rice paddies, this modest mud-brick house is like millions of other country homes except that Mao was born here in 1893. By…
Zhangjiajie
On the canyon floor, the Golden Whip Stream area is a peaceful, flat trail meandering 5.7km east from the Forest Park entrance to the Bailong Elevator …
Zhangjiajie
This area is at the top of the plateau near the Wulingyuan entrance, and enjoys many of the park's more spectacular viewpoints. It can be reached directly…
Changsha
This large and active temple in the north of town dates originally to the Five Dynasties period, with many additions during later dynasties. The imposing…
Zhangjiajie
Visible from anywhere in Zhangjiajie City, this distinctive mountain range features Tiānmén Dòng (天门洞), a prominent keyhole cut through the mountainside…
Zhangjiajie
Located on the backside of the park is this unexpectedly fun hike, which descends into a valley (beneath a cable car) before climbing back up a series of…
Changsha
A colossal aluminium/magnesium alloy statue of Mao Zedong, cast in Heilongjiang, affably greets you at the entrance. This is the first clue that, despite…
Changsha
The most famous of the city’s parks is a 5km-long sliver of an island smack bang in the middle of the Xiang River. A reflective 32-year-old Mao…
Zhangjiajie
Located near the top of the Bailong Elevator (白龙天梯; Báilóng Tiāntī; one way ¥72), this scenic trail is a succession of one incredible panorama after…
Changsha
Students have been cramming for exams at the base of Yuelu Mountain west of the river since AD 976, when the academy was established as one of China’s…
Zhangjiajie
The Grand Canyon's primary attraction is the world's highest (300m) and longest (430m) glass bridge, which famously closed a mere two weeks after opening…
Hunan
This lovely waterfall – very thin, but very tall indeed – concludes a lovely walk beyond the village. You can climb up behind the curtain of water, which…
Old City Walls & Tianxin Pavilion
Changsha
The old city walls, which once stretched for 9km around ancient Changsha, were built of rammed earth in 202 BC, reinforced with stone in AD 1372 (during…
Changsha
This large park on the slopes of Yuelu Mountain makes a pleasant city break. You can climb to the top in less than an hour, or else go up on the chair…
Hunan
This magnificent old house is now lived in by several families (and guarded by a vicious poodle), but it used to belong to a wealthy merchant and is named…
Hunan
This huge Taoist and Buddhist temple dates from the Tang dynasty and was moved from Heng Shan summit to its foot in the Sui dynasty and then rebuilt many…
Hunan County No 1 Teachers’ Training School
Changsha
Between 1913 and 1918, Mao studied here and returned to teach classics from 1920 to 1922. It’s still a working college, and sometimes students keen to…
Hunan
This 2.6km-long hike follows a path along the Yùquán Stream, past terraced fields and delightful views. Cross the Jade Spring Gate (玉泉门; Yùquán Mén) to…
Zhangjiajie
A 48-hectare cave network that consists of a large number of chambers, subterranean pools, lakes and falls, all illuminated in fancy colours. It's a two…
Hunan
Mao secluded himself here for 11 days in June 1966, 3km outside of Shaoshan village, to contemplate the start of the Cultural Revolution. His retreat was…
Changsha
Changsha's main attraction is this modern museum. There's a special focus on the Mawangdui Tombs, which were excavated nearby in the early 1970s,…
Hunan
This cone-shaped mountain is visible from the village. On the lower slopes is the forest of stelae: stone tablets engraved with Mao’s poems. You can hike…
Zhangjiajie
From the Forest Park entrance, there is an early opportunity for a bird's-eye view of the towers from Huangshi Village, a 3km loop on a plateau 1048m up…
Hunan
A 10-minute walk east of Nanyue Temple, this Buddhist temple with an attractive stone-carved entrance dates as far back as the Tang dynasty. Outside, on…
Hunan
This museum includes everyday artefacts used by the Great Helmsman, clothing he wore and photos from his life; it benefits from good English captions.
Hunan
This museum celebrates Mao's life through paintings and old photos, assisted with decent English captions. However, it was closed on our last visit.
Changsha
Tree-shaded and dotted with lakes, leafy – and incredibly huge – Lieshi Park is very popular in the mornings for singing, dancing and taichi.
Hunan
Mao began his education in this simple country school, next door to his childhood home.
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