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China Travel Guide » Places in China » Hunan Province
Places in China: Hunan Province
The province of Hunan contains twelve cities at the prefectural level, eleven administrative offices and one autonomous prefecture. This inland province does not boast of saltwater beaches, but it has the second largest freshwater lake in China, Dongting Lake. In fact, the name Hunan means 'south of the lake'.
Over 211,000 square kilometres are home to residents numbering more than sixty-six million. Many of those are minority ethnic groups although the largest number is Han Chinese.
Several rivers help to feed the mighty Yangtze River which goes through the province. Thus, there is no water shortage in Hunan. The atmosphere even contains significant amounts of humidity since the climate is in a continental sub-tropical monsoon humid climate zone. The average yearly temperature is 16 to 18 degrees C. The four seasons are distinct so one can enjoy spring, summer, autumn and winter. The fall is the most pleasant time for visitors to come to the province.
There are twenty-five tourism areas at the state or provincial area plus the twenty-two nature reserves in Hunan Province. Many memorial buildings and ancient tombs bring visitors to Hunan. The province has been home to several important people including Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi and Hu Yaoban.
Sometimes known as the 'land of rice and fish', Hunan has good eating available. At the many festivals in the province, the Hunan cooking is quite available for visitors. The local fruits are quite good, too. Local embroidery fashion is on sale and is very popular as are the ammonite stone carvings.
The province is strongly encouraging tourism as a source of extra income. Various methods have been tried, one of which was a recent voucher system to encourage local tourism. If the local Chinese people see Hunan as a good tourist attraction, they will spread the news to foreign tourists as well.
From small towns within the province to the several large cities, the welcome mat is being put out for visitors to come and see what this province is all about.
Major cities in Hunan:
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