Shaoshan, Xiangtan — Hometown of Chairman Mao
Basic Overview. Shaoshan is the hometown of the great leader Mao Zedong, a nationally renowned revolutionary memorial site and key national scenic area, and a county-level city under Hunan Province. Located at 112.5°E, 27.9°N, it had a total population of 100,000 in 2003 and covers 210.38 square kilometers. Shaoshan is situated in central Hunan, covering 210 square kilometers...
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Basic Overview
Shaoshan is the hometown of the great leader Mao Zedong, a nationally famous revolutionary memorial site and a national key scenic area. It is a county-level city under Hunan Province, located at east longitude 112.5 and north latitude 27.9. In 2003, the total population of the city was 100,000, with an area of 210.38 square kilometers.
Shaoshan is located in the central part of Hunan Province, with an area of 210 square kilometers. Legend has it that Emperor Shun toured south to this place, was delighted by the scenery, and thus played the Shao music, attracting phoenixes to come and pay homage—hence the name. Shaoshan has an excellent natural and ecological environment and belongs to a subtropical monsoon humid climate zone, with four distinct seasons. The average annual temperature is 16.7°C, with abundant rainfall and an average annual precipitation of 1,358 millimeters. The frost-free period lasts about 280 days, and the average annual sunshine reaches 1,717 hours. The forest coverage rate is 56 percent, the air is very fresh, and it enjoys the reputation of a "natural great oxygen bar."
At present, tourism has become the leading industry in Shaoshan. A comprehensive tourism area has basically taken shape, with cultural landscapes such as Mao Zedong's Former Residence, Mao Zedong Bronze Statue, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, Mao Zedong Poetry Stele Forest, and Mao Zedong Memorial Park as the main body, and natural landscapes such as Shaofeng, Dripping Water Cave, and Heishizhai as the foundation. It has 7 major scenic areas and 82 scenic spots, integrating tourism, pilgrimage, entertainment, and leisure, and is rich in historical culture, great man culture, and ecological culture, with very good development prospects. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Shaoshan has received more than 40 million Chinese and foreign visitors. In recent years, the number of tourists to Shaoshan has been about 1.8 million per year, and in 2002 total tourism revenue reached 300 million yuan. Shaoshan has formed a relatively complete industrial and agricultural system. Its agricultural foundation is good, with stable yields despite drought or flood, and it is an important commodity grain and live pig base in Hunan Province. Industry is mainly based on casting, electronics, meat processing, veterinary drugs, and textiles, and some products have become well-known brands sold domestically and abroad. Shaoshan currently has more than 30 foreign-invested enterprises, most of which have good economic returns.
Shaoshan is the place where Comrade Mao Zedong lived, studied, worked, and engaged in revolutionary activities during his youth. Since the founding of New China, this place has always received the care and attention of the Party and the state. Under the leadership of the Party, through more than half a century of arduous struggle by the people of Shaoshan, it has transformed from a remote and backward mountain village into a national-level scenic area with rapidly developing industry and agriculture, generally improved levels of education, science and technology, culture, and health, numerous memorial sites, and complete service facilities. Administrative body: the Hunan Provincial Shaoshan Administration Bureau, dispatched by the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, at the main department level, responsible for the publicity, reception, construction, protection, and management of Shaoshan's memorial sites and scenic area. Shaoshan City, a county-level government, was established in 1990 and administers an area of 210 square kilometers. Shaoshan receives more than 1 million domestic and overseas tourists each year. It is an outstanding civilized tourist city of China and a national patriotism education demonstration base; it is the first choice and must-visit destination for those visiting Hunan. The city flower of Shaoshan is the azalea, which represents revolution and happiness.
Historical Evolution
Comrade Mao Zedong's Former Residence
"Shao" was the name of music in the time of Yu Shun. The Book of Documents · Yi and Ji says: "When the Xiao Shao music was played nine times, the phoenixes came to pay homage." Historical records state: "Shaoshan—legend has it that when Shun toured south, he played the Shao music here, hence the name." (Hunan Provincial Gazetteer · Geography, citing Jiaqing Unified Gazetteer, Volume 354) The Cihai dictionary accordingly explains Shaoshan: "Legend has it that when the ancient Yu Shun toured south, he played the Shao music here, hence the name... The mountain has eight scenic spots and beautiful scenery."
Yu Shun was a tribal alliance leader in the late patrilineal clan society of remote antiquity. His surname was Yao, his title was Youyu Shi, his given name was Chongsheng, and he was known to the world as Yu Shun. He was another wise ruler and sage sovereign revered by the Chinese nation for generations after Yao. He was highly regarded by Yao, who not only abdicated the honored position of alliance leader to him but also betrothed his two beloved daughters, Ehuang and Nüying, to him.
After Shun ascended the throne, in order to benefit humanity and expand territory, he bade farewell to his beloved companions and braved hardships, crossing the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, penetrating deep into the wild lands of Jing and Chu, surveying the advantages and disadvantages of the mountains and rivers, and planning grand plans for reclamation. On the way south, Shun and his attendants camped at Shaoshan. The attendants sang and danced for Emperor Shun. With the beautiful music and dance, the cliffs resonated, the mountains and valleys echoed, and the sound shook the forests. The phoenixes, hearing the music, spread their wings and chirped in harmony. The scenic beauty among the mountains and this grand human gathering have been celebrated through the ages. Over time, people called the music that Emperor Shun enjoyed the Shao music, and the mountain ridge where he enjoyed the Shao music Shaoshan.
From the Qin to the Western Han, it belonged to Xiangnan County; from the Eastern Han to the Jin, it remained unchanged. In the Southern Qi, Xiangnan County was abolished, and it then belonged to Xiangxi County. In the ninth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui (589), it was incorporated into Hengshan County. In the eighth year of the Tianbao era of the Tang (749), Hengshan County was renamed Xiangtan County; from then until the Song, it belonged to Xiangtan County. In the Yuan dynasty, Xiangtan County was upgraded to Xiangtan Prefecture, and Shaoshan belonged to Xiangtan Prefecture. In the Ming dynasty, it belonged to Juyi Li of Yifeng Township, Xiangtan County; in the Qing dynasty, it was the seventh district of Xiangtan County.
On December 26, the nineteenth year of the Guangxu era (1893), Mao Zedong was born at Shangwuchang, Shaoshanchong, the seventh district of Xiangtan County.
During the Republic of China period, it successively belonged to the West Second District, the Ninth District, Qingxi Township, Yintian Township, and Qingtian Township of Xiangtan County.
By the late 1930s, the CPC Tan-Xiang District Committee (administering Xiangtan and Xiangxiang) decided, in order to meet the needs of the struggle against the enemy, to divide into two, establishing the Shaoshan and Baitian district committees. The Shaoshan District Committee administered Qingxi Township of Xiangtan County (present-day Shaoshan) and Xiangxi Township of Xiangxiang County. On August 15, 1949, Shaoshan was liberated. After the founding of New China, Shaoshan's administrative divisions underwent many changes.
First stage: October 1949–1968. Shaoshan was a district under Xiangtan County, serving as a dispatched agency of the county government. During this period, Shaoshan mainly developed its agricultural economy, while industry and tourism were still in their initial stages. The Shaoshan Railway, completed at the end of 1967, undoubtedly provided extremely convenient transportation conditions for Shaoshan's publicity, reception, and tourism.
Second stage: 1968–1980. Shaoshan was upgraded to a prefecture-level administrative region directly under the Hunan Provincial Government, abbreviated as Shaoshan District. In December 1968, according to relevant documents of the Hunan Provincial Revolutionary Committee, the Zhuzan Brigade of Baitian Commune, originally under Xiangxiang County, was transferred to Daping Commune (the hometown of Mao Zedong's maternal grandparents), and merged with the original Shaoshan District of Xiangtan County to form the Shaoshan Special Administrative Region, directly under the leadership of Hunan Province. During this period, the state gave strong support to Shaoshan in terms of personnel, finances, and materials, enabling great development in various undertakings centered on publicity and reception. The Comrade Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, Shaoshan Railway Station, Shaoshan Hotel, restaurants, and many other service facilities were expanded and built, and some industrial and mining enterprises and farmland water conservancy facilities were also established. With Mao Zedong's Former Residence at the center, the basic pattern of tourism and reception from Qingxi Town to Shaoshanchong had taken initial shape by this time.
Third stage: 1981–1984. The province-administered Shaoshan District was abolished, and Shaoshan remained a district under Xiangtan County. Shaoshan's publicity and reception were handled exclusively by the Hunan Provincial Shaoshan Administration Bureau. From this time on, Shaoshan District began to shift the focus of its work to the track of socialist economic construction, and agriculture and township enterprises developed considerably.
Fourth stage: 1985–1990. In 1985, Shaoshan became independent from Xiangtan County again, becoming a county-level district under Xiangtan City. In order to do a good job in Shaoshan's publicity, reception, and tourism services, in August 1986 the Hunan Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government held an on-site working meeting in Shaoshan, deciding to further open up Shaoshan and clearly defining its nature: it is both a revolutionary memorial site and a scenic tourist area. They also decided to open the Dripping Water Cave to Chinese and foreign tourists. From then on, Shaoshan's publicity, reception, and tourism services took on a new look. The Shaoshan Administration Bureau replaced the previous purely publicity and education model with multi-functional services of publicity and education, memorial site management, tourism and sightseeing, and rest and vacation.
On December 26, 1990, with the approval of the State Council, Shaoshan District of Xiangtan City was abolished and county-level Shaoshan City was established, under the administration of Hunan Province and managed by Xiangtan City on its behalf. At that time it administered 6 townships and 2 towns: Qingxi Town, Yintian Town, Daping Township, Yongyi Township, Ruyi Township, Yanglin Township, Yintian Township, and Shaoshan Township.
In October 1997, with the approval of the Provincial People's Government, Ruyi Township was upgraded to a designated town, and the city administered 5 townships and 3 towns.
In 2000, Shaoshan City administered 3 towns and 5 townships.
At the end of 2001, Yintian Township and Yintian Town were merged to establish Yintian Town, and the city administered 4 townships and 3 towns.
In 2004, Shaoshan City administered 3 towns and 5 townships.
Geographical Location
Shaoshan City is located in the central-eastern part of Hunan Province, in the hilly region of central Hunan. Its geographical coordinates are east longitude 112°23′52″–112°38′13″ and north latitude 27°51′40″–28°1′53″.
Located at the junction of Xiangxiang, Ningxiang, and Xiangtan, 40 kilometers from Xiangtan City and 120 kilometers from Changsha City, with a population of 100,000. Legend has it that Emperor Shun toured south to this place, saw the beautiful scenery, and thus played the Shao music, attracting phoenixes to come and pay homage, with a hundred birds singing in harmony. Another legend says that "the three daughters of the Shao family attained the Dao here, and a phoenix brought a heavenly book, after which the women all ascended as immortals." Hence the name Shaoshan. It currently belongs to Xiangtan City. Hunan Province has established the Shaoshan Administration Bureau.
Shaoshan is surrounded by mountains, with towering peaks and magnificent momentum, green bamboo and dark pines, beautiful countryside, and charming mountains and rivers. Shaofeng Peak is one of the seventy-two peaks of Mount Heng, with magical colors; the Youth Reservoir blends the blue sky, reflects the green mountains, and has rippling blue waves; the Six Dynasties Pine of Ciyue Nunnery, the mysterious "Western Mountain Cave"—Dripping Water Cave, Huxieping, and the Eight Scenes Screen of Dripping Water Cave and other famous landscapes adorn the elegant mountains and rivers.
Mao Zedong's Former Residence, the Mao Family Ancestral Hall, the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, and the newly built Mao Zedong Bronze Statue, Mao Zedong Poetry Stele Forest, and Shaoshan Martyrs' Cemetery are revered by hundreds of millions of people and add luster to Shaoshan.
Population Situation
At the end of 2006, the city had a total of 31,257 households and a registered population of 102,975, of which 52,157 were male and 50,818 were female, with a male-to-female ratio of 103:100. Of the total population, 15,931 were non-agricultural and 87,044 were agricultural; 20,064 were under 18 years old, 26,784 were 18–35, 40,094 were 35–60, and 16,033 were over 60. In 2006, there were 759 births and 410 deaths in the city, with a natural population growth rate of 3‰.
Administrative Divisions
As of December 31, 2005, Shaoshan City administered 3 towns and 4 townships.
Qingxi Town
Under its jurisdiction: Shaoshan Railway Station Community Residents' Committee; 2 residents' committees, ZhuJi and Shaoshanchong; Qingxi Village Committee.
Yintian Town
Under its jurisdiction: 3 residents' committees, the Second, First, and Third; 11 village committees, Qingshi, Nancun, Chayuan, Aoshi, Fengjia, Changtian, Nanhu, Sanhua, Xifeng, Beituo, and Huaixing.
Ruyi Town
Under its jurisdiction: Ruyi Residents' Committee; 10 village committees, Ruyi, Zonghechang, Qiushan, Shihu, Houluo, Meihu, Hengxin, Yangyun, Yangjia, and Houxin.
Shaoshan Township
Under its jurisdiction: 10 village committees, Shaoshan, Shaoyuan, Shaobei, Tiepi, Shaoguang, Zhuji, Shizhong, Shishan, Huayuan, and Chaoyang.
Yongyi Township
Under its jurisdiction: 7 village committees, Baiyu, Fengmu, Changhu, Shaonan, Yongquan, Shishan, and Donghu.
Yanglin Township
Under its jurisdiction: 13 village committees, Shiping, Chunhe, Lianghe, Xinxi, Waping, Lianyi, Linye, Yanglin, Shanfu, Moshi, Baige, Fengxing, and Yunyuan.
Daping Township
Under its jurisdiction: 9 village committees, Xiangshao, Shaoxin, Shaofeng, Huangtian, Meihua, Linjiawan, Xinlian, Daping, and Zhuzan.
Economic Overview
In 2004, Shaoshan City's annual GDP reached 1,026.2 million yuan, up 13.5% year on year. Of this, the added value of the primary industry was 143.32 million yuan, up 8.6% year on year; the added value of the secondary industry was 374.85 million yuan, up 13.2% year on year; and the added value of the tertiary industry was 508.03 million yuan, up 14% year on year, exceeding the expected targets by 4.8, 1.2, and 2.5 percentage points respectively. The proportion of the secondary and tertiary industries continued to increase, with the ratio of the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries at 14:36:50. Fiscal revenue (excluding funds) reached 58.01 million yuan, up 24% over the previous year. The per capita disposable income of urban residents reached 8,416 yuan, and the per capita disposable income of farmers was 4,254 yuan. At the end of the year, the balance of urban and rural residents' savings deposits was 715.21 million yuan. The total retail sales of consumer goods reached 331.95 million yuan.
The city's total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery was 329.34 million yuan. The grain sown area was 144,400 mu, with total grain output reaching 72,700 tons and net income per mu of grain reaching 711 yuan. There were 670 scaled breeding households with an annual slaughter of more than 100 pigs, and contracted farmers exceeded 2,800 households, with 271,200 pigs slaughtered annually. The city's migrant workers totaled 29,700, an increase of 2,000 year on year, with labor income reaching 194.68 million yuan.
The city's total industrial output value was 1,319.67 million yuan, of which the total output value of industries above designated size was 506.30 million yuan. The contribution rate of industrial added value to GDP growth was 30%, driving the city's economic growth by 4 percentage points.
Agricultural Production
The annual grain sown area was 152,000 mu, with total output reaching 70.30 million kilograms; the cash crop area was 14,000 mu, generating an output value of 57.80 million yuan. In comprehensive agricultural development, 5 million yuan was secured for key industrialized operation projects. The annual total output value of agricultural product processing enterprises reached 540 million yuan, up 25.9%. Under the "Ten Thousand Villages and Thousand Townships Market Project," three chain stores including Wankaiyuan and Zhaofengnian were introduced. The total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery reached 397.04 million yuan, up 8.6% year on year; the per capita disposable income of farmers reached 5,802 yuan, up 12.7% year on year. The second agricultural census progressed smoothly.
Adhering to the policy of "giving more, taking less, and loosening control," we intensified practical technical training, improved the quality of migrant workers, and promoted increases in farmers' incomes. The total amount of direct subsidies, grain subsidies, and other policies benefiting farmers, as well as social donations, reached 14 million yuan for the year, reducing the burden on farmers by nearly 5 million yuan. For the year, rural labor transfer training, the Sunshine Project, and the new-type farmer science and technology training project held a total of 710 training sessions of various types, training 12,000 person-times, with more than 4,000 rural laborers newly transferred and exported.
Investment in agriculture, rural areas, and farmers was increased, further consolidating the foundation for moderate prosperity. County and township roads and village-access roads were upgraded by 41.6 kilometers and 110 kilometers respectively; 1,000 new biogas digesters were built; 60 million yuan and 32.21 million yuan were invested in water conservancy construction and land consolidation respectively, completing 960 water conservancy projects and consolidating 16,000 mu of land; rural water improvement solved drinking water safety for more than 3,200 people; the rural clean project and the cultivated land fertility improvement demonstration project, the third phase of rural power grid transformation, and the electrified village project were launched; mobile and Unicom communications construction was further accelerated, with 9 new transmission towers added, and telecommunications signal coverage reached 100%.
Industry and Construction
Adhering to the strategy of strengthening the city through industry, increasing investment, vigorously promoting park construction, and promoting the development of industrial enterprises above designated size, the momentum of the industrial economy was significantly enhanced. The annual industrial output value reached 1.59 billion yuan, up 30.1% year on year. Scaled industry achieved a total output value of 1.08 billion yuan, up 37.7% year on year. The industrial economy generated tax revenue of 25.52 million yuan, up 47.3%. Industrial fixed asset investment completed was 180 million yuan.
Enterprises' independent innovation capacity was enhanced, and core competitiveness improved. The restructuring of three enterprises—the TV Factory, the Knitting Mill, and the Materials Company—was successfully completed. The city completed 169 million yuan in technological transformation investment, up 16.6%. Global Casting achieved an output value of over 100 million yuan and tax revenue of nearly 10 million yuan; Sanxin Technology products obtained 10 patents, successively passed European and American certifications, obtained self-operated import and export rights, and entered the ranks of provincial-level high-tech enterprises; there are two provincial-level leading enterprises in agricultural industrialization—Gangyue and Sanwang. Sanwang Company's "Shaofeng Brand" cut meat became the city's first product to win the "Hunan Famous Brand" title; "Maofu" liquor won the Hunan Famous Trademark; Gangyue Food Factory is a meat food enterprise with Hong Kong joint venture; Changsheng Technology, in cooperation with Wuhan Engineering College, developed a new heparin sodium purification process that reached the leading level in the province and was included in the Ministry of Science and Technology's Spark Program.
The construction of Yongquan Science and Technology Park progressed smoothly. Infrastructure construction in the park completed a cumulative investment of more than 80 million yuan. Land acquisition and demolition for the Tanshao Expressway connector were completed; the roadbed works for Fuyuan Road and Xinyang Road in the park were completed, with supporting projects such as pipe networks advancing simultaneously; Lianhua Road, Qinyuan Road, and the resettlement area were under construction; 518 mu of enterprise land use was approved upon application; the main structure of the Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Service Center was completed; the nursery was relocated as a whole, expanding the park's development space. Enterprises such as Sanxin Technology and Yuandong Magnetic Electronics settled in the park.
Domestic Trade
Urban and rural markets developed in a coordinated manner, and the pace of upgrading the consumption structure accelerated. The rapid growth of urban and rural residents' incomes effectively drove the development and upgrading of consumption. In 2006, the city's total retail sales of consumer goods reached 432 million yuan, up 14.1% year on year. By region, the city-level retail sales of consumer goods were 234.302 million yuan, and those below the county level were 197.40 million yuan, up 15.6% and 12.4% year on year respectively. By industry, retail sales of the wholesale and retail trade were 357.358 million yuan, up 12.2% year on year; retail sales of the catering industry were 57.89 million yuan, up 24% year on year, ranking first in growth among all industries; other industries were 16.45 million yuan, up 25.9% year on year.
Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation
Investment attraction and foreign trade developed steadily. Fully advancing the process of new-type industrialization, according to the general requirements of "invigorating the city through industry and invigorating industry through parks," we continuously increased investment attraction efforts. For the year, 76 projects were introduced, with domestic investment of 270 million yuan and foreign investment in place of 6.79 million US dollars. Foreign trade grew steadily, with self-operated exports reaching 34.34 million US dollars.
Tourist Attractions
Main attractions in Shaoshan: Mao Zedong's Former Residence, the Mao Family Ancestral Hall, Dripping Water Cave, the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, and the newly built Mao Zedong Bronze Statue, Mao Zedong Poetry Stele Forest, and Shaoshan Martyrs' Cemetery, etc., are revered by hundreds of millions of people and add luster to Shaoshan. Mao Zedong's Former Residence: On December 26, 1893, Comrade Mao Zedong was born at the east end of this house. The thirteen and a half tiled rooms at the east end belonged to Mao Zedong's family, while the five and a half mud-brick thatched rooms at the west end belonged to the neighbors. This ordinary farmhouse has gone through many vicissitudes. Its repair and expansion embodied the painstaking efforts and sweat of Mao Zedong's grandparents, parents, and their brothers. From the five and a half thatched rooms when Mao Zedong's grandfather settled here in 1878, through the arduous efforts of three generations, patching and repairing, during which it suffered fire and robbery, it was not until 1918 that the thatch was replaced with tiles, a rear courtyard was added, and it was expanded into thirteen and a half tiled rooms (including miscellaneous rooms, of which the half room refers to the hall shared by two families). In April 1929, the reactionaries confiscated all of Mao Zedong's houses and property in Shaoshan. As a result, this house and the furniture inside were severely damaged again. After liberation, the people's government carried out many repairs, basically restoring its original appearance. In 1950, the former residence was opened as a revolutionary memorial site for domestic tourists. Two years later, it was officially opened to foreign guests. In March 1961, the State Council officially announced it as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. The seven gilded characters on a black background read "Comrade Mao Zedong's Former Residence." Dripping Water Cave: Dripping Water Cave is the chairman's villa, located in a corner on the west side of Shaoshanchong, 3 kilometers from the chairman's former residence. Dripping Water Cave Heaven is a famous scenic spot group in Shaoshan scenery, composed of natural scenery such as the Dripping Water secluded ravine, Huxieping, and Longtou Mountain, as well as buildings such as Dripping Water Cave No. 1. Dripping Water Cave is about 2.8 kilometers long, with a small stream inside winding along, and the mouth of the secluded ravine opens toward the northeast. Along the stream, trees are lush, with tall pine forests interspersed with dense bamboo, and hundreds of kinds of wildflowers grow all over the mountains. The precious trees here include more than 30 kinds such as ginkgo, privet, and sago; the flowers here include hundreds of kinds such as azalea, plum, hibiscus, Chinese rose, and chrysanthemum; the precious medicinal materials here include more than 20 kinds such as honeysuckle, licorice, agarwood, and ginkgo. The secluded and beautiful scenery is a major feature of the Dripping Water Cave ravine; people in the scenery feel as if they are in a fairyland. No matter which season you come here, there are scenes you cannot see elsewhere. Look: in spring this is a sea of flowers, with magnificent and colorful wildflowers blooming all over the mountains; in summer it is full of green shade, and the lush trees form a verdant world; in autumn the verdant green sets off the deep red leaves, making you unable to resist reciting Du Mu's line, "Frosted leaves are redder than February flowers"; in winter this is a pure white world, with white snow covering the green pines, and green flashing amid the silver, allowing you to enjoy yet another flavor. Mao Zedong Poetry Stele Forest: The Mao Zedong Poetry Stele Forest is located halfway up Shaofeng, about 3 kilometers from Mao Zedong's Former Residence. Construction began in 1991, and it officially opened to the public in 1993. It covers a total area of about 20,000 square meters. The garden is composed of 100 pieces of white marble, marble, granite, etc., and includes 50 of Mao Zedong's poems, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Chairman Mao's birth. The entire scenic garden is divided into 5 parts according to Mao Zedong's revolutionary career, and into 4 periods according to chronological order: the first area is poems written by Mao Zedong in his youth. The second area is the period of the Great Revolution and the Second Revolutionary Civil War. The third area is the period of the Red Army's Long March, the War of Resistance Against Japan, and the War of Liberation. The fourth area is Mao Zedong's poems after the founding of New China. The poetry steles in the garden have different shapes and endless variations. They highlight the simple and pure traditional characteristics while also pursuing novelty, distinctiveness, and bold variation, making the poetry steles and the natural beauty of Shaofeng blend into one, leaving viewers lingering and forgetting to return. Mao Family Ancestral Hall: The Mao Family Ancestral Hall is the general ancestral hall of the Mao clan of Shaoshan. It was first built in 1758 and completed in 1763. The building is of brick and wood structure, with blue bricks and blue tiles, and a building area of about 700 square meters. At the top of the main gate are the four characters "Mao Family Ancestral Hall." Outside the main gate, a stone drum stands on each side. The ancestral hall building is divided into three sections. The first section is the theater building. The middle of the pavilion is the stage, which can accommodate dozens of people to perform celebrations. On both sides of the building are dressing rooms. The middle of the lower floor is a small hall. On each side is a wing room; the left is the kitchen area, and the right is the wine and food room. The second section is the middle hall. A bell hangs in the right corridor and a drum in the left corridor. It is the place where the whole clan handles affairs, gives lectures and covenants, offers sacrifices, and holds banquets. The third section is Dunben Hall, where the ancestral tablets of past generations are placed. To the left of the hall is the accommodation area, and to the right is the storage area for money, grain, sacrificial vessels, and other items. Mao Zedong Memorial Park: Mao Zedong Memorial Park is located on the layered hills and ridges about 500 meters west of Mao Zedong's Former Residence. The memorial park was initially named "Mao Zedong Road Scenic Garden." The conception of the scenic garden was obviously inspired by the miniature landscapes of "Window of the World" in many large cities across the country. The entire scenic garden took only one year; by the end of 1995, covering about 200,000 square meters and with nearly 100 buildings large and small, a scenic garden integrating commemoration, education, sightseeing, and other functions was presented to the world. The greatest feature of Shaoshan Mao Zedong Memorial Park is that it combines commemorative significance with replicated physical objects, allowing people to feel the course of history while touring the garden. The scenic garden has two main entrances, namely the South Gate and the East Gate. The South Gate naturally extends from the passage in front of Mao Zedong's Former Residence, passes through Guanggong Bridge, crosses the Shaoshan River, and goes around Shaoshanzui. Between the bridge and the mouth, an antique archway is built to guide visitors northward, which is very consistent with Mao Zedong's journey from south to north in those years. Mao Zedong Bronze Statue: The Mao Zedong Bronze Statue weighs 3.7 tons, the statue is 6 meters high, the base is 4.1 meters high, and the total height is 10.1 meters, symbolizing "10.1" National Day and even more symbolizing that Mao Zedong was the founder of New China. The statue faces southeast, wears a Zhongshan suit, has a "Chairman" badge on the left chest, holds a manuscript in hand, has bright eyes, a smile on the face, looks straight ahead, and stands towering, successfully reproducing the demeanor of the people's leader Mao Zedong when attending the founding ceremony. On the front of the brown-red marble base of the bronze statue are engraved five gilded characters: "Comrade Mao Zedong." The bronze statue was designed by the famous sculpture master and director of the National Art Museum of China Liu Kaiqu and his outstanding student, national first-class artist Cheng Yunxian, and cast by Nanjing Chenguang Machinery Factory, a national first-class enterprise under the Ministry of Aerospace Industry.
Transportation and Communications
The city's transportation, postal, and telecommunications industries completed added value of 142.26 million yuan, up 11.4% year on year. A total of 140 kilometers of county, township, and village-access roads were built, of which 20 new socialist countryside demonstration villages completed 85 kilometers; 60 kilometers of rural road base pavement were reinforced and leveled.
The annual total postal and telecommunications business volume was 17.39 million yuan, of which the total postal business volume was 5.35 million yuan and the total telecommunications business volume was 12.04 million yuan. At the end of the year, fixed telephone users reached 20,236 households, a net increase of 1,146 households over the previous year, with a fixed telephone penetration rate of 19.7 households per hundred people; at the end of the year, mobile telephone users were 27,260 households, a net increase of 2,400 households. The mobile telephone penetration rate was 26.5 households per hundred people. At the end of the year, Internet broadband users reached 2,453 households, a net increase of 795 households.
Finance and Banking
Fiscal revenue and expenditure management was strengthened, and fiscal operations were stable. In 2006, facing the impact of many factors reducing revenue, the city's fiscal and tax work adhered to the principle of grasping the large while not letting go of the small, tried every possible means to tap tax sources, strengthened the management of non-tax revenue, and ensured that all due revenue was collected. The annual total fiscal revenue (excluding funds) reached 92.132 million yuan, up 30.3% year on year. Adhering to managing finances according to law, strictly managing budgets, compressing general expenditures, scientifically and rationally scheduling funds, and increasing investment in social undertakings, social security, and support for agriculture, the city ensured rigid expenditures and the normal operation of all work. Cumulative fiscal expenditure reached 190.724 million yuan, an increase of 61.03 million yuan over the same period last year, up 47.1% year on year.
Deposit and loan balances grew steadily. The reform of the rural credit system was deepened, bank-enterprise cooperation was actively promoted, enterprise financing channels were broadened, and pressure on enterprise funds was eased. At the end of the year, the balance of various deposits of financial institutions in the city was 1,255.30 million yuan, an increase of 248.56 million yuan from the beginning of the year, of which the balance of residents' savings deposits was 908.70 million yuan; the balance of various loans was 300.90 million yuan, an increase of 11.61 million yuan from the beginning of the year.
The insurance industry developed steadily. The annual premium income was 32.69 million yuan, of which property insurance premium income was 5.79 million yuan; accident injury insurance premium income was 720,000 yuan; and life insurance premium income was 26.18 million yuan. Various claims and benefit payments totaled 11.34 million yuan, of which life insurance payments were 7.09 million yuan, property insurance claims were 3.87 million yuan, and accident injury insurance claims were 380,000 yuan.
Science and Education
In 2006, the city focused on comprehensive and coordinated development of economy and society, urban and rural areas, and humanity and nature. It accelerated scientific and technological innovation and progress, with the output value of high-tech industries reaching 288 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 360%; the three science and technology funds reached 4.979 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 274.4%, accounting for 2.7% of the city's fiscal expenditure; 1,000 new rural biogas digesters were built; education continued to progress, with 33 primary and secondary schools in the city, 848 in-service teachers, and 11,841 students; the popularization rate of compulsory education reached 100%, and the gross enrollment rate at the high school stage was 80.6%; the "two exemptions and one subsidy" for rural compulsory education reduced or exempted more than 2,800 students each term, and subsidized more than 1,000 person-times of children from urban and rural low-income families and extremely poor students. Throughout the year, 64 science and technology projects were organized and implemented, and 45 patent authorizations were completed.
Culture, Sports, and Health
Cultural and sports undertakings flourished increasingly. By the end of 2006, the city had 45 mass amateur cultural groups of various forms; the Mao Zedong Literature and Art Hall had begun construction; the photographic work "Shaoshan Scenery" won the Excellent Work Award at the Hunan Provincial Art Festival and the Gold Award of Xiangtan City; it successfully hosted mass competitions such as the Shaoshan Waist Drum Competition, the Children's Music and Dance Competition, and the "12·26" College Student Fitness Long-Distance Running Competition celebrating the 113th anniversary of Chairman Mao's birth; there were 11,905 cable television subscribers, an increase of 1,516, and the cable television coverage rate reached 48.23%.
Health undertakings developed further. By the end of the year, the city had 10 various medical and health institutions, including 6 hospitals and health centers, 1 disease prevention and control institution, 1 maternal and child health institution, and 1 other health institution; by the end of the year, the city had 480 health technical personnel. The city had 138 licensed physicians and licensed assistant physicians, and 100 registered nurses. There were 280 beds in hospitals and health centers, and the coverage rate of the new rural cooperative medical system reached 89%. It passed the provincial-level acceptance inspection as an advanced city in rodent eradication.
Environmental Protection
The city's per capita water resources were 1,230 cubic meters; the average annual precipitation was 813.1 millimeters; by the end of the year, the total water storage of various reservoirs in the city was 31.1 million cubic meters. The total urban sewage treatment volume was 1.662 million tons, the actual sewage treatment capacity reached 91.1% of the designed capacity, and the urban sewage treatment rate reached 46.2%. The city's forest coverage rate was 44.29%, and the total afforestation area completed in the year was 628 mu. Closed hillsides for forest cultivation covered 5,000 mu, 100,000 seedlings were replanted on returned farmland, and 210,000 trees were planted voluntarily. Comprehensive environmental governance was carried out in depth, 3 construction projects that did not meet environmental protection industry requirements were rejected, and the annual pollutant discharge compliance rate was 90%.
Social Security
The number of people participating in basic old-age insurance in the city was 8,564, the number participating in unemployment insurance was 7,075, the number receiving unemployment insurance benefits was 365, and 1,184 urban residents were included in the government's minimum living guarantee; throughout the year, 1,180 new urban jobs were created; 315 laid-off and unemployed persons were arranged for reemployment, including 120 persons aged 40-50, and the payment rate of enterprise old-age insurance pensions reached 100%. The registered urban unemployment rate was within 4.2%.
Transportation Conditions
Provincial Highway 1823 and the Xiangning Highway pass through the territory, meeting at the Zhuji section and the fork road in Shaoshan. Highway 1823 connects with National Highways 107, 320, and 319, going east to Xiangtan City and Zhuzhou City; northeast to Changsha City; south to Hengyang and then to Guangdong and Guangxi; northwest to Ningxiang County, Yiyang City, Changde City, and Zhangjiajie, entering Guizhou, Sichuan, and Hubei; and southwest through Xiangxiang City to Loudi and Shaoyang. Shaoshan City is located in the triangular zone where several national highway lines intersect among the three counties of Xiang, Xiang, and Ning; the Shangrui (Shanghai to Ruili) Expressway passes through Shaoshan, making transportation convenient. Shaoshan City currently has 180 kilometers of roads. Qingxi Town, the city center, has one originating bus station, with more than 50 pairs of scheduled buses departing daily to Xiangtan, Changsha, Xiangxiang, Ningxiang, Yiyang, Loudi, Changde, and other places. Starting from 5:00 in the morning, there is one bus to Xiangtan every 15 minutes; from 7:00 in the morning to 5:30 in the afternoon, there is one bus to Changsha City every 30 minutes.
Within Shaoshan City, a ring road connects the various scenic spots. From the bus station and railway station to Mao Zedong's Former Residence and Dripping Water Cave in Shaoshanchong, from 6:00 in the morning to 7:30 in the evening, both public buses and minibuses run back and forth, with a ride of about 10 minutes, passing along the way Shaoshan Youth Reservoir, Mao Zedong Memorial Park, the Former Residence, Nan'an, Shaoshan Hotel, Mao Zedong Bronze Statue Square, Comrade Mao Zedong Memorial Hall in Shaoshan, Shaoshan Mao Zedong Library, Mao Family Ancestral Hall, Dripping Water Cave, Mao Zhen Ancestral Hall, and Shaofeng Scenic Area. In June 2000, Shaoshan City established Huada Taxi Company to serve tourists and residents.
The Shaoshan Railway connects with the Xiangqian Line at Xiangshao Station within Xiangxiang City, Hunan Province, with a total length of 21.4 kilometers, of which 12.75 kilometers are within the territory, and connects with the Beijing-Guangzhou Line in Zhuzhou City, Hunan. It can transfer through Xiangtan, Zhuzhou, and Changsha, leading west to Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, south to Guangdong and Guangxi, north to Hubei, and east to Jiangxi, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and other provinces. Shaoshan Railway Station is the terminal station, located adjacent to the Shaoshan Bus Station in Qingxi Town and facing Mao Zedong Statue Park. From the provincial capital Changsha to Shaoshan, trains Shao 1 and Shao 2 run daily. Train Shao 1 departs from Changsha at 7:05 in the morning and arrives in Shaoshan at 9:35 in the morning. Train Shao 2 departs from Shaoshan at 5:00 in the afternoon and arrives at 8:00 in the evening.
Huanghua Airport, located in the provincial capital Changsha, is 100 kilometers (road distance) from the Shaoshan Scenic and Historic Area, and via the Shangrui and Beijing-Zhuhai Expressways, it takes only one and a half hours.
Physical Geography
Shaoshan belongs to the low mountain and hilly area of central Hunan. The strata within the city are relatively complete, and the geological structure is complex. Mountains rise and fall, streams murmur, and upland sections are connected. The strata within the territory include the Banxi Group, Sinian System, Cambrian System, Lower Ordovician System, Devonian System, Carboniferous System, Permian System, Lower Triassic System, Lower Jurassic System, and Lower Tertiary System; in the west there are Indosinian granite intrusions, and the geological structural features form a vortex shape, known as the Shaoshan-Yintian Temple rotational shear structure.
The basic geomorphological pattern was established during the Yanshan Movement at the end of the Jurassic Period. Later, with the intermittent slow uplift of crustal movement and fluvial downcutting, the Shaoshan River valley and terraces were formed, as well as the towering Shaofeng mountain range and the denudational surfaces of hills and mounds. The overall geomorphological outline takes the Shaofeng mountain range and the two waters of the Shao River and Shishi River as its framework, forming a terrain that rises in the west and inclines toward the east and southeast, with mountains, hills, mounds, and plains all present. The highest point in the city is Shaofeng, with an elevation of 518.5 meters, and the lowest point is Liumuzhou at 48 meters; the elevation difference is 470.5 meters. The proportions by type are: valley plains 31.77%, mound land 31.88%, hills 22.35%, and mountains 14%.
The shape of Shaoshan City's territory closely resembles the map of China rotated 180° clockwise, and some people say Shaoshan can be regarded as a miniature of greater China.
The Shaoshan mountain range extends from south to north with winding turns, and within Shaoshanchong it coils like a tiger and crouches like a dragon, thus forming numerous valleys, caves, ravines, and gorges that have become scenic spots of tourism value.
Shaofeng
Shaofeng, as the name implies, is the highest peak of Shaoshan, with an elevation of 518.9 meters. Shaofeng is located at the southwestern corner of Shaoshan, about 5 kilometers from Mao Zedong's Former Residence. Shaofeng is the 71st peak of Mount Heng, the Southern Sacred Mountain, and is more than 200 meters higher than Yuelu Mountain in Changsha, the 72nd peak. The Southern Sacred Mountain range stretches across the land of central Hunan, and from Hengshan northward for about 100 kilometers, at the junction of Xiangtan and Xiangxiang, it suddenly rises toweringly, holding up heaven and standing on earth, pulling up a perilous peak like a cold gleaming sword, and also like a column spouted by a giant whale swimming in the sea.
Lion Mountain
Stretching across the central part of Shaoshan City, 10 li from Shaoshanchong, many people who come to Shaoshan, before enjoying the natural beauty of Shaoshanchong, first see the majestic posture of the lion swallowing the sun.
"Eating Xiangxiang, lying in Xiangtan, excreting Ningxiang" is a vivid folk description of its mountain configuration. The lion's head faces southwest, and its tail drags northeast. The mountain body winds for ten li, cutting the Shao River valley into two halves. Under the shadow of the male lion there is also a female lion, and beside the two lions is Ball Mountain, thus forming the spectacle of lions playing with an embroidered ball. The lion's head is jagged with interlocking teeth-like rocks and layered dangerous cliffs, with stone walls three zhang high; the lion's back has uneven trees, just like the mane erected when angry, and the lion's eyes, nose, and lips are all very lifelike. Lion Mountain has four scenes, known as the Four Wonders, namely, the smiling lion head facing upward, the golden basin storing water, Swallow Cave, and the Four Immortals Carrying Treasure.
Shaoshan does not have many rivers; they belong to the Xiang River system and all flow into the Xiang River through the Lian River. There are 9 small rivers of more than 5 kilometers, with a total length of 103 kilometers, among which the Shao River, originating from the Shaoshan mountain range, is the largest.
The Shao River was originally named Yunhu River and once had nine bends and eighteen turns. It emerges as clear springs from Dripping Water Cave, gradually swelling larger, crossing mountains and ravines, leaping and tumbling, with various streams joining in, and also gathering from underground hidden rivers, so the water volume increases sharply and boats can then travel on it.
Shaoshan is located in a subtropical humid climate zone, with four distinct seasons, cold winters and hot summers, a long hot summer period, and a short severe cold period. Shaoshan is suitable for tourism throughout the year, and the best season is from March to October. In spring, you can enjoy Shaoshan's green mountains and trees, as well as the red azaleas all over the mountains! In summer, Dripping Water Cave is a good place to escape the heat and cool off; in autumn, Shaoshan's harvest scenery will intoxicate you!
The average annual temperature is 16.7°C, slightly lower than the surrounding counties and cities. The annual extreme maximum temperature was 39.5°C (September 1, 1963). The average January temperature is 4.4°C, and severe cold periods lasting 5 days or more occur in that month in 78% of years. July is the hottest, with an average monthly temperature of 28.9°C. Shaoshan's average annual precipitation is 1,358 millimeters, with the highest year reaching 1,719.9 millimeters. The rainy season begins around April 15 and ends around July 10; spring and summer are rainy, while autumn and winter are dry.
Shaoshan has relatively abundant sunshine, with annual sunshine reaching 1,717 hours and an average annual sunshine percentage of 39%. The distribution trend is basically consistent with temperature changes, that is, sunshine is relatively scarce from January to March; starting in April, spring warms and flowers bloom, with bright sun shining everywhere; in July the sun is strongest, pouring straight down from overhead, and the green mountains and trees are shone so brightly they glisten. After September, there is a period of continuous autumn rain, but there is also the crisp autumn season for enjoying chrysanthemums, walking in moonlight, and climbing high. In winter, because of the barrier of the mountains, it feels warm, and when the first auspicious snow falls, the jade-like trees and jewel-like flowers are truly beautiful.
Forest Land
What is closest to the soil is plants. When you come to Shaoshan, you see a green sea in the wind, waves of pine trees, swaying bamboo shadows, graceful camphor trees, fiery red azaleas, and towering plane trees. The natural vegetation in the territory belongs to subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest, with floristic composition including Fagaceae, Lauraceae, Aquifoliaceae, Theaceae, Rosaceae, Rutaceae, and others, totaling more than 280 species in 65 families. The beauty of the mountain forests was praised by predecessors as "peaks so high they block the eye, trees so distant their green confuses the sky."
In 1949, Shaoshan's forest coverage rate reached 40%, later dropping to 19%, and in recent years rising again to 43.7%. According to a 1982 survey, there were 230 species of trees and shrubs in 25 families, including 176 species of trees, 54 species of shrubs and vines, 180 native tree species, and 50 introduced tree species; there were more than 130,000 mu of grassland.
The forest land resource area is 91.61 square kilometers, accounting for 43.6% of the total land area. Among them: forest land 76.94 square kilometers, newly planted but not yet forested land 4.77 square kilometers, shrub land 6.74 square kilometers, sparse forest land 2.98 square kilometers, cut-over land 0.09 square kilometers, and nursery land 0.09 square kilometers.
Soil
Billions of years ago, the great creator created the prototype of Shaoshan's landforms, and billions of years later, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, along with plants and animals, weathered and eroded them to form soil. Apart from the fertile brown soil of the river valley plains, Shaoshan's soil is mostly red soil, spread throughout the hills and mountain foothills; in addition, there are purple soil and limestone soil developed from purple sandstone and shale and limestone.
Garden Land
The garden land area is 7.08 square kilometers, accounting for 3.4% of the total land area. Among them: orchards 1.04 square kilometers, tea gardens 2.38 square kilometers, and other garden land 3.66 square kilometers.
Water Area
The water area is 14.22 square kilometers, accounting for 6.8% of the total land area. Among them: river water surface about 0.99 square kilometers, reservoir water surface 1.61 square kilometers, pond water surface 8.85 square kilometers, ditches and canals 2.31 square kilometers, and hydraulic structures 0.46 square kilometers.
Animal Resources
Shaoshan was once also a place where tigers and leopards roamed and dragons and snakes appeared. Dripping Water Cave, Huxieping, Huayou Pond, and Shiqi Chong have always been places where dragons hide and tigers crouch. Around 1949 there were still about 10 South China tigers and many leopards; after 1957 tigers gradually disappeared, and after 1963 leopards left no trace. Wild boars, badgers, foxes, barking deer, masked palm civets, goats, and others move stealthily through the forests, while giant salamanders, turtles, soft-shelled turtles, sparrows, magpies, thrushes, eagles, and others together form wonders beneath the water and in the sky.
Land Resources
The total land area of Shaoshan City is 210.11 square kilometers, among which: cultivated land: the actual cultivated land area at the end of the year was 60.28 square kilometers, accounting for 28.6% of the total land area. The cultivated land area increased that year by 0.07 square kilometers, among which: newly opened wasteland area 0.07 square kilometers. The cultivated land area decreased that year by 0.17 square kilometers, among which: state capital construction occupied 0.06 square kilometers; rural capital construction 0.002 square kilometers. Per capita cultivated land was 0.89 mu.
Unutilized Land
The unutilized land area is 9.80 square kilometers, accounting for 4.7% of the total land area. Of this: 1.99 square kilometers of wasteland and grassland, 0.14 square kilometers of bare land, 0.10 square kilometers of bare rock and gravel land, 7.39 square kilometers of field ridges, and 0.18 square kilometers of other types.
Mineral Resources
By the end of 2002, eight types of minerals with proven reserves had been identified in Shaoshan City.
Iron and Manganese: Distributed in Huayuan Village of Shaoshan Township, near Yongyiting of Yongyi Township, and in Yanglin Township and Yongyi Township. The iron ore bodies outcrop in 3 layers, with geological reserves of 1,181,880 tons, classified as small-scale and of medium grade. The iron-manganese deposit at Tanjiachong in Yanglin Township is an igneous leaching-type brown iron-manganese ore, with geological reserves of 362,300 tons; the quantity is small and not concentrated, but the ore quality is high, with associated zinc, lead, and other elements. Manganese ore is distributed in Yanglin Township, Shaoshanchong, and other areas.
Coal: Distributed in Xifeng, Fengjia, Chayuan, and other villages of Yintian Town, bordering Xiangtan County. It contains 2-3 minable coal seams, with geological reserves of 13 million tons and relatively abundant groundwater. The eastern end of the mining area yields gas-fat coal with low ash content and a calorific value of 7,642 kcal/kg. The coal mine in the Shihu Village area of the eastern part of Ruyi Township contains 3-4 coal seams, of which 2 are minable.
Silica Sand: Found in Yanghu Village of Ruyi Township and Huayuan Village of Shaoshan Township. The Xiaotianshi Mountain mining area in Huayuan Village is 200 meters long and 40 meters thick. At a depth of 25 meters below the surface, reserves are 520,000 tons (220,000 tons already extracted). The ore contains 90.85% silicon dioxide.
Limestone: Distributed in Chaoyang Village of Shaoshan Township, Ruyi Village and Xin Village of Ruyi Township, Yujiachong of Yintian Town, and Zoujiachong of Daping Township. The limestone at Yujiachong in Xifeng Village of Yintian Town has geological reserves of 2.34 million tons (400,000 tons already extracted), with a minable thickness of 30 meters; the limestone at Zoujiachong in Daping Township has geological reserves of 840,000 tons (200,000 tons already extracted), with an ore thickness of 35 meters and an oxygen content of 52%; the ore deposit is 300 meters long, 38 meters thick, and 25 meters deep, with a bulk density of 3.2 g/mL.
Mineral Water: Distributed in Daping Township Village of Shaoshan, small-scale, with an annual production capacity of approximately 30,000 cubic meters.
Sepiolite: Distributed in Yintian Town.
Brick and Tile Clay: Found in Chayuan Village and Qingshi Village of Yintian Town, small-scale, with reserves of 320,000 tons.
Cement Limestone: Found in Yujiachong of Yintian Town and Shaoxin Village of Daping, with reserves of 1.2 million tons, small-scale.
Residential Areas and Industrial and Mining Land
The area is 23.62 square kilometers, accounting for 11.2% of the total land area. Of this: 1.12 square kilometers for towns, 2.60 square kilometers for independent industrial and mining land, 19.35 square kilometers for rural residential areas, and 0.55 square kilometers for special-purpose land.
Transportation Land
The area is 3.50 square kilometers, accounting for 1.7% of the total land area. Of this: 0.44 square kilometers for railways, 1.44 square kilometers for highways, and 1.62 square kilometers for rural roads.
Local Customs and Traditions
Living Customs — Curing and Smoking Bacon at the Winter Solstice. This custom is popular throughout the province. Hunan people love cured meat. Starting from the Winter Solstice, families slaughter their year-end pigs; aside from keeping some for fresh consumption, most is made into cured meat to be eaten throughout the year. The preparation method is as follows: first, pork (preferably with skin) or beef, chicken, duck, goose, fish, rabbit meat, etc., is salted or mixed with five-spice and star anise powder and marinated for four to five days. After air-drying, it is smoked and roasted over the smoke of burning sawdust, rice husks, peanut shells, orange peel, pomelo peel, etc., or hung over a firewood stove to be smoked by the cold smoke. This is called 'winter cured meat.' It has a bright red color and a fragrant, delicious taste, and can be kept until the dog days of the following year without spoiling. It is an excellent dish for family meals, entertaining guests, and for restaurants and hotels.
Living Customs — Eating Ginger During the Dog Days. This custom is popular in Changsha, Xiangtan, Zhuzhou, and other places. In the hot summer with dry climate, people tend to indulge in coolness, which easily leads to the accumulation of internal cold. There is a folk custom of eating old ginger stir-fried with young rooster (a rooster that has just begun to crow) during the dog days. A generous amount of ginger is used — typically half a catty of ginger per chicken — to dispel cold. Changsha people close their doors and windows while eating, sweating profusely, intending to release the accumulated cold within the body and prevent cold-related illnesses in autumn. As the folk saying goes: 'Eat radish in winter and ginger in summer, and you need not trouble the doctor for a prescription.' It is best to eat ginger stir-fried with young chicken on all three dog days; if conditions do not permit, one should at least eat it on one dog day. In rural areas, people also use the herbal medicine Lujing (a type of herb) boiled in water to cook old ginger stir-fried chicken, in order to dispel cold, remove dampness, strengthen the legs, and improve health. This custom continues to this day.
Living Customs — Eating Eggs at the Start of Summer. This custom is popular in most areas of Hunan, especially in Hengyang, Chenzhou, Yongzhou in southern Hunan, and western Hunan. On the day of Lixia (Start of Summer), whole eggs are boiled, shelled, and cooked in soup with red dates — this is called 'eating Start-of-Summer eggs.' In southern Hunan, especially in Jiahe, Linwu, Lanshan, and Guiyang, people get up early on the morning of Lixia, boil whole chicken or duck eggs, dye the shells red with red paper or red dye, place them in a small mesh bag, and hang it on the chest of children, where it stays until noon or afternoon when the shell is peeled off and the egg eaten. Folk belief holds that eating eggs at Lixia strengthens the body and stomach and gives one vigor in walking. As the saying goes: 'Eat eggs at Lixia, and you can stomp stone slabs to pieces.'
Living Customs — Drinking Herbal Cool Tea, also known as drinking liangcha. This custom is popular in urban and rural areas throughout the province. Hunan's summers are hot and the climate dry, making people prone to heatstroke, rashes, or boils and prickly heat. People often use heat-clearing and summer-heat-dispelling, diuretic and detoxifying herbs such as honeysuckle, lophatherum, prunella vulgaris, plantain, mosla, and mint, combined with mineral medicines like gypsum, boiled in water or steeped in boiling water, and drunk as a substitute for tea to prevent heatstroke, relieve fever, dispel dampness, detoxify, and strengthen the body. This is called 'herbal cool tea' or 'liangcha.' The herbs used are mostly gathered from the mountains in rural areas, while in towns and cities, traditional Chinese medicine shops prepare and sell special blends. This custom has flourished without decline.
Living Customs — Rice Noodles (Mifen). This is a specialty food and snack in Hunan Province, especially in Changde City, western Hunan, and southern Hunan. Depending on the processing method, there are 'changfen' (rolled rice noodles), 'qiefen' (cut rice noodles), 'lüfen' (filtered rice noodles), and 'zhafen' (pressed rice noodles), collectively known as 'mifen' (rice noodles). When eaten, they are called by various names according to the cooking method. Rice noodles mixed with various ingredients and seasonings (vinegar is essential) and eaten cold are called 'cold-tossed noodles'; rice noodles blanched in boiling water, drained, served without soup but with ingredients and seasonings are called 'hot-scalded noodles'; with soup added, 'soup noodles'; stir-fried in oil, 'fried noodles'; and cooked together with ingredients in a small pot, 'boiled noodles.' According to different ingredients, there are 'lean meat noodles,' 'beef noodles,' 'chicken giblet noodles,' and 'snail noodles.' Those without meat or vegetables are called 'plain noodles.' Hunan people love rice noodles. Whether going to a market fair or into town, they often choose to eat rice noodles. Restaurants, hotels, and guesthouses serve rice noodles for breakfast. When entertaining guests at home, or even when unmarried men and women meet at a market town, if both parties are satisfied, the man treats the woman to rice noodles.
Living Customs — Clothing. Clothing depends on economic conditions, technological level, and cultural quality. During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China period, Hunan people wore Cantonese-style unlined garments or short shirts made of ramie-woven summer cloth in summer, and large-front garments made of home-woven native cloth in winter. Men's and women's long trousers generally had white waistbands, wide crotches, and loose legs, worn without distinguishing front from back, with cotton cord used as a belt. Women commonly wore short-collared side-fastening garments. Adult men from wealthier families wore silk or Shilin cloth short shirts in summer, while young women wore qipao, short skirts, or other high-end fashion; in winter, they wore silk long gowns over cotton-padded robes. After 1949, Hunan people's clothing changed greatly and rapidly. In the 1950s, state cadres wore gray Zhongshan suits, young women favored floral clothes, and farmers wore front-fastening Han-style garments. In the early 1960s, Liberation suits were popular among men, while women preferred Lenin suits. During the Cultural Revolution, green Red Guard uniforms similar to those of the PLA were prevalent. In the 1980s, with the improvement of family economic conditions, men's and women's clothing underwent a major transformation, with new styles and higher quality sought after. Suits, qipao, down jackets, wool coats, leather jackets, embroidered clothes, denim, ski jackets, and bat-wing shirts became quite popular, with a great variety of types and constantly renewed styles. The quality of fabrics for making clothes continuously improved, with synthetic fiber, wool, silk, and satin all available, in bright colors. By then, there was little difference in the clothing of urban and rural young people, though some middle-aged and elderly people still wore traditional clothing.
Living Customs — Hairstyles. In the Qing Dynasty, men wore queues. In the early Republic of China period, the government ordered men to cut their queues; initially they were shaved bald, then wore crew cuts and round-top styles, and later the three-seven side-parted Western-style haircut became common. Young women wore long hair or braids, while elderly women wore a bun called 'baba tou.' In the early 1950s, men preferred shaved heads or crew cuts, young students wore side-parted Western-style hair, and boys customarily kept a square patch of short hair on the forehead called 'koushui mao' (drool hair). Girls liked sheep-horn braids or a large single braid. Unmarried rural women wore braids, and after marriage cut their hair to shoulder length; women over middle age wore hair buns. Urban women mostly wore 'yidaoqi' (straight-cut) short hair, and girls mostly wore double or single braids with silk butterfly bows at the ends, hanging in front of the chest or behind the back. In the 1980s, perming became popular among young and middle-aged women, spreading from cities to the countryside, with a great variety of hairstyles. A small number of young men also wore long hair or permed their hair.
Living Customs — Shoes and Socks. During the Qing Dynasty, women bound their feet. Among Hunan people, both men and women commonly wore homemade cloth shoes, while young women with better economic conditions who liked to dress up wore embroidered shoes with flowers and patterns on both the upper and sides. These shoes were densely stitched with fine thread, beautiful in style, comfortable to wear, and balanced and light to walk in. In summer, men wore cloth sandals, straw sandals, or went barefoot. On rainy days, they mostly wore clogs or cowhide nailed shoes. Most rural men did not wear socks, and adult women mostly used foot bindings instead of socks. During the Republic of China period, the practice of foot binding among women gradually died out. Young women wore round-toe floral shoes and buckle shoes. Adult women, aside from wearing socks sewn from home-woven cloth, still had a few who used cloth foot bindings instead of socks. In summer, men wore economical, practical, and simply made straw sandals. Straw sandals fell into roughly three categories: first, the coarser type, with soles and straps entirely woven from glutinous rice straw and fine straw rope used as laces; second, the finer type, with only the sole woven from glutinous rice straw, while the straps, toe, and heel were woven from hemp, with cotton yarn used as laces; third, the finely crafted, lightweight type, with soles and straps entirely woven from ramie, looking elegant and generous when worn. In summer and autumn, farmers in mountain villages mostly went barefoot, and in winter wore homemade round-toe cloth shoes or purchased Lishi shoes. Socks were mostly homemade from cloth; even when machine-made yarn socks were purchased, people would add their own cloth soles and heel reinforcements for durability. After 1949, shoes and socks gradually became widespread. Since the 1980s, with the improvement of economic life, no one in the province, prefecture, city, or county towns wore straw sandals, and even in the countryside, few people wore them. Various styles of rubber shoes, semi-rubber shoes, plastic shoes, cloth shoes, and leather shoes were available in both urban and rural areas, all in novel styles. The shoes worn by county residents showed distinct phases: in the 1950s, cloth shoes, semi-rubber shoes, and wooden clogs were popular; in the 1960s, semi-rubber shoes and leather shoes; after the 1970s, leather shoes, plastic shoes, and semi-rubber shoes. In spring and autumn, people wore cloth shoes and leather shoes; in summer, leather or plastic sandals; in winter, cotton shoes and fur-lined leather shoes; on rainy days, full rubber shoes; indoors, slippers. In the late 1980s, long boots, athletic shoes, anti-slip shoes, and fitness shoes became popular in towns and cities. Young women favored high heels, and young men favored semi-high heels. All were purchased items, rarely homemade. In the 1960s, clogs and cowhide nailed shoes were eliminated. As for socks, thread socks, silk socks, nylon socks, acrylic socks, and elastic socks are now in fashion, and each person has not just one or two pairs but dozens, very plentiful.
Living Customs — Jewelry. The abundance of jewelry greatly enhanced women's adornment. In the late Qing Dynasty and Republic of China period, unmarried women mostly wore melon-seed-shaped earrings and silver bracelets; middle-aged women wore jade bangles; women from wealthy families wore gold, silver, and rattan bracelets, rings, and beaded bracelets, with gold and silver necklaces; ordinary women often wore brass thimbles for sewing, which also served a decorative purpose; some children wore 'longevity' earrings and silver neck rings or 'longevity locks' inscribed with 'Long Life and Prosperity' and 'Easy to Raise to Adulthood.' Rural unmarried women combed long braids tied with red string, and married women wore buns adorned with fresh flowers, commonly called plain adornment. From the 1950s to the 1970s, urban and rural women took pride in hard work and simplicity, did not emphasize jewelry, and few wore various ornaments. In the 1980s, with reform and opening up and improved economic conditions, urban women took to jewelry, commonly wearing various rings, earrings, hairpins, bracelets, and necklaces, made of gold, silver, copper, jade, and other materials. A certain number of rural women also wore them. In the market, women's jewelry and other adornments were available in great variety, dazzling and colorful, with everything one could wish for.