- Wade-Giles romanization:
- Ch’ang-sha
Changsha
-
What is Changsha?
Changsha, the capital of Hunan province in China, sits on the Xiang River, south of Dongting Lake, with excellent water routes to southern and southwestern Hunan. Neolithic sites have been found there since 1955. The city was rebuilt after 1949 and became a major port for rice, cotton, timber, and livestock.
Changsha is a collection and distribution point on the railway from Hankou to Guangzhou. Rice milling, oil extraction, tea and tobacco curing, and meat-processing plants are among its industries. The city is also known for traditional handicrafts, including xiang embroidery, leather goods, umbrellas, and buttons. Changsha is home to Hunan Medical University and the Hunan Provincial Museum.
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Where is Changsha located in China?
Changsha is the capital city of Hunan province, China, situated on the Xiang River, approximately 30 miles (50 km) south of Dongting Lake. Its location provides excellent water transport to southern and southwestern Hunan. Changsha serves as a major port for commodities such as rice, cotton, timber, and livestock. It is also a key collection and distribution point on the railway connecting Hankou and Guangzhou. The city has a rich history, with Neolithic sites discovered in the district dating back to 1955.
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What is Changsha known for?
Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, China, is known for its rich history and economic importance. During the first millennium BCE, the area was the center of the Yangtze River valley state of Chu, and Chu graves excavated nearby have provided important evidence of Chu culture. Today, Changsha is a major port and distribution center for commodities like rice, cotton, timber, and livestock. The city has diverse industries, including rice milling, oil extraction, and textile production. Changsha is also home to educational institutions such as Hunan Medical University and cultural sites like the Hunan Provincial Museum and the Changsha Mawangdui Tomb.
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What is the history of Changsha?
Changsha's history stretches back to the first millennium BCE when it served as the center of the Yangtze River valley state of Chu. Known as Qingyang, it became a crucial staging post under the Qin dynasty. During the Han dynasty, it was renamed Linxiang county and became the seat of the Changsha commandery.
Renamed Changsha in 589, it briefly lost importance but later became the capital of the independent Chu state after the Tang dynasty's fall. Between 750 and 1100, Changsha grew into a commercial hub, experiencing a tenfold population increase. Under the Ming and Qing dynasties, it prospered as a major rice market and the capital of Hunan.
Opened to foreign trade in 1904, Changsha saw further development with the opening of the railway to Hankou in 1918. The city was the site of three major battles during the Sino-Japanese War and was virtually destroyed by fire in 1938–39. Rebuilt after 1949, Changsha is now a major port and industrial center.
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What are some important cultural or tourist sites in Changsha?
Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, is known for its rich cultural and historical significance. Some important sites include the Mawangdui tomb complex from the Western Han period, discovered in the 1970s, and Orange Isle (Juzi Zhou) in the Xiang River. The Hunan Provincial Museum houses artifacts from ancient tombs in the area. Changsha is also home to one of the tallest buildings in the world, the 94-story Changsha IFS (International Finance Square) Tower 1.
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How has Changsha grown or changed in recent years?
Since 1949, Changsha has undergone significant growth and changes. Its population nearly tripled between the late 1940s and the early 1980s and essentially doubled again in the succeeding two decades.
Today, Changsha is a major port for rice, cotton, timber, and livestock and a key distribution point on the railway from Hankou to Guangzhou. It is a center for rice milling, oil extraction, and the processing of tea, tobacco, and meat. The city’s textile industry produces cotton yarn and fabrics, and it is also involved in dyeing and printing. Agricultural chemicals, fertilizers, farm implements, and pumping machinery are also manufactured in Changsha.
Changsha is a center for light industry, including aluminum smelting and the manufacture of machine tools, bearings, and textiles. Traditional handicrafts such as xiang embroidery, leather goods, umbrellas, and buttons are also produced there. The city is part of an industrial complex with Zhuzhou and Xiangtan.
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Changsha, city and capital of Hunan sheng (province), China. It is on the Xiang River 30 miles (50 km) south of Dongting Lake and has excellent water communications to southern and southwestern Hunan. The area has long been inhabited, and Neolithic sites have been discovered in the district since 1955. Pop. (2020) city, 5,630,256; urban agglom., 10,047,914.
History
During the 1st millennium bce the area was the center of the southern part of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) valley state of Chu. In 1935–36 some Chu graves excavated nearby produced important evidence of Chu culture. The city’s most ancient name was Qingyang. Under the Qin dynasty (221–207 bce) it became a staging post for Qin expeditions into Guangdong province. From Han times (206 bce–220 ce) it was named Linxiang county and was the seat of the Changsha commandery. The county was renamed Changsha in 589, when it became the administrative seat of Tan prefecture. It lost some importance at that time, however, because traffic from Guangdong was mostly diverted up the Gan River valley in Jiangxi. After the fall of the Tang dynasty (618–907), it became the capital of the independent Chu state (927–951) that subsequently fell to other regional powers until being incorporated into the Song dynasty (960–1279). Between 750 and 1100, as Changsha became an important commercial city, the population of the area increased tenfold.
Under the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911/12) dynasties it was made a superior prefecture, and from 1664 onward it was the capital of Hunan and prospered as one of China’s chief rice markets. During the Taiping Rebellion the city was besieged by the rebels (1854) but never fell; it then became the principal base for the suppression of the rebellion. Changsha was opened to foreign trade in 1904. It also became the seat of some Western schools, including a missionary medical college. Further development followed the opening of the railway to Hankou in Hubei province in 1918, which was extended to Guangzhou (Canton) in Guangdong province in 1936. Although Changsha’s population grew, the city remained primarily commercial in character and before 1937 had little industry, apart from some small cotton-textile, glass, and nonferrous-metal plants and handicraft enterprises.
During the Sino-Japanese War (1937–45) Changsha was the site of three major battles. The city itself was virtually destroyed by fire in 1938–39, and it was captured by the Japanese in 1944.
The contemporary city
Changsha was rebuilt after 1949, and its population nearly tripled between the late 1940s and the early 1980s and essentially doubled again in the succeeding two decades. The city is now a major port, handling rice, cotton, timber, and livestock, and is also a collection and distribution point on the railway from Hankou to Guangzhou. It is a center of rice milling and has oil-extraction, tea- and tobacco-curing, and meat-processing plants. Its textile industry produces cotton yarn and fabrics and engages in dyeing and printing. Agricultural chemicals and fertilizers, farm implements, and pumping machinery are also produced.
Changsha has a large thermal generating station linked by a power grid with the nearby industrial centres of Zhuzhou and Xiangtan; the three cities were designated in the 1970s as the nucleus of a major industrial complex. In the 1960s there was some development of heavy industry. The manufacture of machinery, especially machine tools and precision tools, became important, and Changsha emerged as a centre of China’s aluminum industry. The city also has cement, rubber, ceramic, and papermaking plants and is known for many types of traditional handicrafts, producing xiang embroidery, leather goods, umbrellas, and buttons. Coal is mined in the vicinity.
Changsha was the seat of many ancient schools and academies. It is the site of Hunan Medical University (1914) and has several colleges and institutes of higher learning. The Hunan Provincial Museum houses artifacts from the many ancient tombs in the vicinity, including the well-known Changsha Mawangdui Tomb of the Hsi (Western) Han period (206 bce–25 ce), discovered in the 1970s. Among the many renowned scenic spots in the vicinity are Orange Isle (Juzi Zhou) in the Xiang River and the Yuele Hills on the river’s western bank. Among the many renowned scenic spots in the vicinity are Orange Isle (Juzi Zhou) in the Xiang River and the Yuele Hills on the river’s western bank. Changsha is also home to one of the tallest buildings in the world, the 94-story Changsha IFS (International Finance Square) Tower 1.
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