{"id":12120,"date":"2016-04-14T14:00:07","date_gmt":"2016-04-14T18:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=12120"},"modified":"2016-04-14T08:01:15","modified_gmt":"2016-04-14T12:01:15","slug":"an-introduction-to-changsha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/an-introduction-to-changsha\/","title":{"rendered":"An Introduction to Changsha"},"content":{"rendered":"

Changsha<\/strong> (\u957f\u6c99 – ch\u00e1ng sh\u0101) is the provincial capital of Hunan<\/a> and an important city in Chinese history. Let’s take a quick look at the storied history of this Chinese city and then see what you can do with a short visit there:<\/p>\n

A Brief History<\/h2>\n

There was a settlement in the area now known as Changsha as far back as the Neolithic era. It grew further during the Han Dynasty, when the famous Mawangdui<\/strong> Tombs<\/strong> (\u9a6c\u738b\u5806 – m\u01ce w\u00e1ng du\u012b) were constructed. Containing the remnants of the Marquis of Dai, his wife, and a second male believed to have been their son, the tombs were full of important artifacts such as silk funeral banners and lacquerware. Many of these are now proudly on display at the Hunan Provincial Museum in the city. Later, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms\u00a0Period (907-951), Changsha was a capital in the southern state of Chu<\/strong> (\u695a – Ch\u01d4).<\/p>\n

\"Mao

The most famous Hunanese person.<\/p><\/div>\n

Much later, the city flourished as a center of rice production during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In 1664, it became the capital of Hunan province and has remained so ever since.\u00a0It was in Changsha that Chairman Mao – who was born in nearby Shaoshan – began his political career. Changsha was also the site of many major battles during the Sino-Japanese War. It took four tries for the Japanese to finally conquer the city, but it was reclaimed a year later in a counter attack. Learn more in this clip from CCTV:<\/p>\n