4.5Phoenix Ancient Town(2.045 reviews) - One of the most beautiful ancient towns in China Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Architectural Buildings
We took the flight from Beijing to Tongren airport for a vacation during the last Christmas holiday, we booked a hotel along the river with a fantastic view, since it was low season for the covid, it was very peaceful for the whole city. With a lot of well-preserved wood houses and stone streets, Fenghuang ancient city is very charming, there’s a lot of snacks you can try such as dry kiwi, ginger candy and so on. Don’t miss the night lights scenery when you are in Fenghuang, a lot of music bars & beer bar were closed when we were there. This ancient city is not very big, 2 hours will be enough for a visiting.See more..
4.5Yuelu Academy(232 reviews) - Nice Academy at the Base of the Mountain Historic Sites
This academy is at the base of Yuelu Mountain and is 40 RMB to enter. There are a few signs to explain the buildings significance in English but most parts are only Chinese. I spent about an hour here after doing the Yuelu Mountain hike. There's an exit to Yuelu Mountain from here too if you want to go to the mountain. The Yuelu Academy is near Hunan University and a snacking street. I was also pleasantly surprised with warm water in the faucets by the toilets! Closest metro is Hunan University Station and the area is pleasant to walk around in. It was a bit overcast and rainy when I went but I still enjoyed it. The temple was closed when I went for the CNY break but you could still walk around the courtyards and hallways.See more..
This was the highlights of our visit to Shaoshan. It goes without saying that Mao Zedong was one of the major figures of the 20th Century. To see the home in which he was born in rural Hunan Province was impressive. From old photographs it remains as it was during his childhood. The surrounding area is gorgeous with farmers growing food in close proximity to the residence. The line to see the home is quite long, so be prepared to wait, however the attraction is free. Beyond the residence being Mao's former home, it is a well-preserved example of a Hunan Chinese farm from the late 19th Century. Highly recommended.See more..
4.0Tianxin Tower(60 reviews) - Nice people, nice place. Saturday: 6:00 AM - 12:00 AM Historic Sites • Architectural Buildings
The Tianxin Tower is a symbol of Changsha. It is a building complex sitting in the Tianxin Park. The old city wall was originally built in the West Han Dynasty (around 200 B.C.). The current wall was built in the late 1300’s of Ming Dynasty. The tower/ pavilion might be built in some year near 1700. Then the whole park was renovated in 1984. Tianxin Tower is an important historical spot in Changsha. It is related to many historic events, including cultural, administrative and military ones. I visited the park in the morning. Many citizens were playing Tijiquan or performing sword dance there. Nice people, nice place.See more..
The street on both sides of the river are awesomely beautiful, but very commercialized as would be expected of a high tourist area. Of the tourists, less than 1% were westerners. The vast majority wore masks.See more..
The rooms are likely as they were 300 or more years ago. There are a few pieces of furniture in most rooms. As a tourist attraction, I would at best rate it as average, Mow a must see.See more..
Very small place to visit. Nothing much to see. It is included in the ticket package that we bought so we came. Visited on Dec 2018.See more..
4.5Xiangxi Hibiscus Town(35 reviews) - Charming Furong Old Town Saturday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Historic Sites • Beach & Pool Clubs
My Chinese colleagues call this Furong Old Town, and formerly officially known by the name Wangcun Village. A 2,000 year old town with a 60-metre in height waterfall, and named after the Hibiscus flower.See more..
4.0Jia Yi Former Residence(34 reviews) - Brilliant place Saturday: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM Historic Sites
The building is beautiful. We didn't go inside the residence but the area is alive with so many locals dancing, singing and playing cards. It is right on the river overlooking Orange Island. The entrance fee was 11RMB. Across the road is the old streets of Changsha where you will find more locals going about their daily lives. See more..
If you are tired of over-commercialization in China's old towns (Fenghuang, Pingyao, Zhouzhuang...) then this is the place for you. It has no entrance fee, there's plenty of traditional architecture and the village shops serve locals rather than tourists (excluding a couple of cafes and guesthouses). Old Mao posters add to the atmosphere. However, there are signs of change: there are now signs providing explanations in front of key buildings, and I encountered a couple of tour groups. I'm not sure how this place will look in another few years.. It's well worth spending the night here, I found a clean and inexpensive guesthouse soon after arriving.See more..
An amazing attraction for me. We joined day trip to come here. Not sure whether get any public transportation to come this place. Visited on Dec 2018.See more..
This memorial arch is located at the junction between 2 main roads, i.e. Zhurong Road and Hengshan Road. There is a bus stop just outside Dicos which provides free bus ride within the town. For info, take bus no. 1 or 3 to go to base of Hengshan, 5 mins ride.See more..
5.0Xiangtan Confucious' Temple(5 reviews) - Go somewhere old and interesting Saturday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Historic Sites • Religious Sites
This place, we can go in May or June，The weather is good then。There are many ancient scenes in the temple for taking photo.There are many beautiful hanfu belle， delicious snacks.In a word, it is a place worth to go.See more..
4.0Liu Shaoqi Memorial Hall(5 reviews) - TheSouthAfrican review Saturday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Historic Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks
An absolute marvel set in a grand park that overlooks a lake. The bronze statue starts the historical tour and introduced me to the first vice chairperson and the second chairperson of the Communist Party. At the end of a walk way you'll find a small museum introducing his life in the communist party. A further brisk walk took me to Lui Shaoqi's house and I was amazed at the historical prowess of the dwelling. This park is excellent for the family. There are clean ammenities and trash cans dotted along the park.See more..
4.5Shigu Academy(5 reviews) - A nice place to visit! Historic Sites
Translation "the Stone Drum Academy",it became an academy during the Song Dynasty. The original buildings were destroyed in 1944 due to Jap bombings.Now it has been rebuiltSee more..
I have been there-Dong Minority Hamlets, such as Huangdu, and I feel this place is very amazing with it‘s minority house style, truth be told, I have never seen architectures like that before I came here. And the people here are also very hospitable, I highly recommend you come here to have a visit, careful visit.See more..
this place is nice not more. it's free and if i had to pay for it i would have been very desapointed.See more..
4.0Changsha Tongguan Kiln Ancient Town(3 reviews) - Transport back in time via the archeological sites and natural kilns Saturday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Points of Interest & Landmarks
The kiln has different excavations and is an archeological site. There are areas were ruined pots and ceramics were thrown out and buried under the dirt. These areas have been excavated and tell a tale of how frequently the kiln was used. The museum also indicates what each section of the overall kiln and area is used for. It has English which is great, and there is A/C inside. You also have the opportunity to see some finished items that would dry/fire in piles. The firing process is very different from what I've typically seen, as the items are fired using the heat of the sun and various inclines in the hills. The ceramics style is also one of the oldest ever. The items from a shipwreck were found off an Asian island, and made there way back to Europe, feeling their ceramics/China industry. There's also a gift shop in the kiln, but the items may be a bit more expensive than the nearby village.See more..
4.0Jinjing Jiuxi Temple(2 reviews) - Another temple to be expanded in rural China Spent 1-2 hours Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Religious Sites
It is under construction at this stage. The temple's history is more interesting than its present actually as it reflects the history of China, and this historical town.See more..
4.0Yishe Village of Yongzhou(2 reviews) - 鸡皮疙瘩都起来了 Saturday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Historic Sites • Farms
3.5Jinggang Ancient Town(2 reviews) - Ancient riverside town for Chinese tourists Historic Sites • Historic Walking Areas
This river town, restored with an ancient feel, is moderately interesting. Paved with old stones and showing some of the building styles dating back to the Qing Dynasty, it is now a local tourist attraction on the outskirts of Changsha, Hunan. One of the more unique features is a building that was a former brothel with paintings of the courtesans. Vendors sell snack foods on the street and there are several restaurants. My recent visit was during the Chinese New Year and the streets were attractively decorated with lanterns and banners.See more..
4.0Dufu Ancestral House(1 review) - beautiful gardens Saturday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Historic Sites • Religious Sites
The Dufu space is very nice, with lots of areas to walk and enjoy nature. Many original books that Dufu wrote to look at, and other ancestral mementos to look at, surprisingly most have English translations. Really nice gardens within the city.See more..
4.0Zuo Zongtang Tomb(1 review) - The final resting place of Gen. Tso Saturday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Historic Sites • Cemeteries
The namesake for the famous American-Chinese food dish "General Tso's Chicken," General Zuo Zongtang's tomb is simple. The original one, perhaps listed in the photo for this entry, was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. It as rebuilt in the 1980s and is very simple. There is no English signage so you need to read Chinese or bring someone with you to translate. The tomb was locked when we arrived but the caretaker next door happily unlocked it and even invited me to sign the guest book. It is located about 15 minutes from Changsha's South Railway Station. There is not obvious public transit so plan on having a taxi bring you and wait.See more..
4.0Tan Sitong Ancestral Hall(1 review) - To worship a great man Saturday: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Historic Sites
Built in 1913, in memory of Mr. Tan Sitong, a Chinese great thinker and reformist in the late Qing Dynasty. He was executed at the age of 33 after a national cultural and political reform movement failed. It is different from another 2 historical spots related to Tan: “Tan Sitong Tomb” at Xiaoshui Village, and “Tan Sitong's Former Residence” at Zheng-Bei street”. (This Ancestral Hall is located about 300 meters from Tan’s Former Residence.) the same as the former residence, there is a sculpture of Tan Sitong, and some exhibitions showing the life of Tan. I visited the hall for the memories of the great thinker.See more..
