72 hours in Hunan

Day Three: Changsha cityscape

The cityscape is recommended as the last day of your stay as Changsha. The city is known as the Culture City of East Asia, the City of Media Arts and an International Gourmet City. The Xiangjiang River Scenic Belt is the best place for you to take in a bird's-eye view of the city.

Located at the Xiangjiang Avenue of Changsha city, the Xiangjiang River Scenic Belt stretches from south Heishipu Bridge to the north of the Moon Island. Built in 1995, it comprises many exercise squares, greenbelts and historic landscapes with integrated functions like flood protection, sightseeing, tourism, relaxation and fitness.

The scenic belt mainly features recreational corridors and sculptures, supplemented by such supporting facilities as small squares, landscape sketches, and lighting in different forms. Various kinds of trees and shrubs are found in the belt, presenting a harmonious landscape alongside the Xiangjiang River.

Taking a long walk along the river you will come to Tianxin Pavilion Park, one of the most well-preserved ancient cities. It presents landmarks such as the Tianxin Ancient Pavilion and ancient wall. The park is ranked as one of Changsha’s Four Great Ancient Historic Sites, a China famous historic culture pavilion and a national AAAA tourist attraction. Tianxin Pavilion Park was built in 1924 for the protection of the Ancient Tianxin Pavilion. It has over 400 years of history while the Ancient Wall has existed for more than 2,200 years.

Depart from Tianxin Pavilion, walking towards to the center stretch of the Xiangjiang River, and you will reach the historic Orange Island Park. It was a favorite leisure site of Chairman Mao Zedong. As a young man he enjoyed spending summer afternoons with friends swimming in the river, a spirit of youth that is captured wonderfully in his well-known poem Qin Yuan Chun-Changsha. The island has a large granite bust of the young Mao.

After those explorations you can take a taxi or Metro Line 2 to have a good meal in Pozi Street.