Food
Landlocked Hunan's chili-rich cuisine is similar to that of western China's
Sichuan province. Chili, garlic and the unusual so-called "strange sauce"
enliven many dishes. Chairman Mao, who was Hunanese, once claimed that the more
chilies one eats the more revolutionary one becomes. It was meant as a joke
(most probably) but the statement is in accordance to the Chinese belief that
diet makes a great difference to the well being of a person.
Changsha specialties include dongan chicken, stinking tofu, chili smoked meat
and cold rice noodles in a hot and spicy sauce. Honey sauces are favoured for
desserts, which include favourites such as water chestnuts or cassia-flower
cakes. For those of the non-spicy palate, the city still has an array of cooler
dishes, including tasty dumplings (Jiao zi), eggs and pickles.
Among the best places to sample typical Hunanese cuisine are the Changsha Restaurant
(Changsha fandian, 116 Wuyi donglu), the Fire Palace (Huogong fandian, Shaoshan
lu north of the intersection with Laodong lu) and the Kaiyunlou Restaurant (Kaiyunlou,
Wuyi lu near the intersection with Chaoyang lu). For fast food try George's
Fast Food, at the corner of Shaoshan lu and Wuyi zhonglu, or Oasis on Jiefang
donglu. For the best western food you should head to the hotels, among which
the Cygnet Hotel's John's Cafe and the Huatian Hotel's Coffee Shop are recommended.
Shopping
Changsha has had a long commercial history, and local craftwork and specialty
products are some of the best in the country. The Xiang Embroidery (Xiang xiu)
is the highlight, regarded in China as one of the four best embroidery types
along with the Suzhou & Sichuan embroidery and the Yue embroidery from Guangdong.Other
specialties include the Xiang Tea (Xiang cha), porcelain & pottery, chrysanthemum
stones, fans, firecrackers, lacquer reproductions, smoky quartz, bloodstone
carvings, duck-down clothing and bamboo carvings, all of which can be bought
in many stores around the city.The main shopping streets in Changsha are Huangxin
lu, Zhongshan lu and Cai'e lu. For department stores, the Apollo Plaza (Apolou
shangye jituan), is the best stocked. For the above mentioned products, most
can be found in the Antiques Shop in the Provincial Museum, in the Embroidery
Research Institute (Xiangxiu yanjiusuo) at 70 Bayi lu, or in the Friendship
Store (Youyi shangdian), on Shaoshan lu, just off Bayi lu.
Pinghetang Commercial Building 88, Huangxing Middle Road
Changsha Friendship Shop 69, Huangxing Middle Road
Children Products Shop Huangxing Middle Road
Hunan Commercial Building Wuyi Middle Road
Hunan Cultural Remains Shop 15, Wuyi Middle Road
Changsha Building 7, Wuyi East Road
Apollo Commercial Building 89, Shaoshan North Road, Yuanjialing
Changsha Friendship Shop 20, Laodong East Road, Yuanjialing
Apollo Commercial Square 1,Bayi West Road, Railway Station
Zhongshan Road Department Store Zhongshan Middle Road
Changsha Friendship Commercial City 2, Laodong East Road
Dongtan Department Store 2, Laodong West Road
West City Department Store 24, Fenglin Road, Hexi
Changsha Taiyang Commercial City 2, Lichen Road
Plough Commercial Building Lichen Square, Wujialing
Zhaoyang Electronics City Chezhang Road
Guochu Computer City Chezhang Road
Hefeng Computer City Jiehuan East Road
For nightclubbers the most creditable place in town is the Hot Rock Pub (Gushi deba), at the corner of Jiefang donglu and Shaoshan beilu, that plays mainly disco and pop tunes into the night, paid for by expensive drinks. Before this entree however, you may wish to warm up in the less trendy, but still rockin', JJ's (Taikong shijie yule zhongxin), near the Exhibition Hall (Zhanlanguan) on Zhanlanguan lu.Popular in the city is also karaoke, and almost every main street in the city has some form of this weepingly good/bad/good entertainment. One of the best, although expensive, in town is the Micheng Night Metropolis (Micheng yeduhui), at 67 Shaoshan lu, near to Dongtang Square (Dongtang guangchang).Traditional specialties include local opera (Geju) and acrobatics (Zaji), although the most famously Hunanese entertainment is the Shadow Puppet Shows (Piying xi), that are less common nowadays, but still performing. For information on location and performances, ask at China International Travel Service (Zhongguo guoji luxingshe, Tel: 0731-2280184), at 46 Wuyi donglu, or in your local hotel.