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China Information » Places in China » Hunan Province
Places in China: Hunan Province
With over sixty-four million inhabitants, Hunan Province is multiethnic. Of course, most of the people are Han Chinese, but Maio, Dong, and Yao are among the largest of minority groups. This diverse cultural setting is one of the attractions for tourism in the province. Xiang, one of the sub dialects of the official Chinese language, is from Hunan.
Eighty-one thousand square miles (210,000 square kilometres) is Hunan's area, which includes a great abundance of natural resources. The mixture of mountains and water makes this province a natural tourist attraction. Chinese agriculture, which includes growing rice, tea and oranges, owes a lot to Hunan Province.
Hunan's climate is largely subtropical with high humidity. With monsoon rains falling in April, May and June and the very humid conditions in July and August, the opportune time to visit Hunan is in the fall of the year. Winter temperatures are usually above freezing so people who enjoy cool weather may also like Hunan's winter months. Actually, northern Hunan has greater weather extremes than the southern areas of the province. North Hunan usually has cooler winters and warmer summers. The rainfall in this province is usually between 1250 mm and 1750 mm per year.
The south central area of China is the location of Hunan Province. It is near the centre regions of the Yangtze River, south of Lake Dongting. Sometimes the province carries the nickname of Xiang since the Xiang River runs through it. Bordering provinces are Hubei, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou and Chongqing. The capital city of Hunan is Changsha.
Hunan became a part of China around 350 BC as part of the state of Chu. It was first settled by ancestors of the Maio, Dong, Yao and Tujia people, but the growing presence of the Han people began the agricultural activities in the area. The history of the region is spotted with various uprisings and disturbances. During the Cultural Revolution, Hunan found itself on the side of the Revolution, especially since Mao Zedong was from this province.
As far as attractions with Hunan Province is concerned, natural beauty is one of the highlights. The first national forest park in China, Zhangjaijie National Forest Park, is in this province. Majestic mountains such as Mt Hengshan and Lake Dongting, which is the second largest lake in China, are among the natural beauties of Hunan.
The food of Hunan seems to favour chillies and peppery cuisine. Embroidery is one of the local products which tourists find worth taking home with them. Firecrackers are made and sold to all parts of the country and are largely made in Hunan. Liuyang has their chrysanthemum stone carvings which are highly prized.
The Dragon Boat Festival began in Hunan to commemorate the suicide of the famous Chinese poet, Quyuan, since the boats were used to search for his body. One of China's important leaders, Zhu Rongji, is also from this province. Of course, Chairman Mao Zedong was born in Shaoshan Chong in this province.
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