5 Reasons Why Hunan Should Be On Your Travel Radar
Situated in central China, Hunan has long been a popular domestic destination, but it’s also an increasingly sought-after destination for international travellers, especially being only a five hour flight from Singapore.
Hunan takes its name from its "south of the lake” geographical location, referring to Lake Dongting. The province is perhaps most famous in history for being the birthplace of Chairman Mao Zedong, founder of the People's Republic of China; but the province is also affectionately called ‘Xiang’ thanks to the Xiangjiang River, one of China’s largest waterways, that flows through the province. Hunan is also home to ancient monuments and architecture, natural wonders, ancient tilted houses, lush lands and of course, its famous cuisine.
The next time you’re planning a long weekend away, put Hunan on your radar for these awesome reasons:
The Food
Let’s start with the most important thing first - the food!
Stinky tofu and fermented black beans, anyone?
Also called Xiang cuisine, Hunan’s food is officially one of the ‘Eight Cuisines in China’, known for its hot and sour flavours, bold spicy notes, as well as the heavy use of garlic and chilies.
The Hunanese are experts at pickling food and cooking with vinegar (which is not only considered to be healthier but also aids digestion), but they are also masters of fermentation, with a wide range of fermented foods available in Hunan.
Fermented chillies are the way of life in Hunan, and fermented soya beans are one of Hunan’s most popular condiments (despite their bitter taste). The fermented soya beans produced in Liuyang is a not-to-be-missed famous local specialty.
Don’t miss these other famous local delicacies:
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Stinky Tofu
Head to Hunan’s capital city Changsha for its signature black stinky tofu, sold as street food and at night markets. Despite its strong, unpleasant odour (often compared to dirty, wet socks or rotting garbage), it’s one of Hunan’s most beloved treats.
Essentially, tofu is marinated in brine made winter bamboo shoots, koji, and shiitake mushrooms. The mixture is left to ferment, and the darker it becomes, the more revered it is. Now you know why stinky tofu is rarely found in a restaurant.
Best eaten deep fried, with crunchy and charred on the outside, but still soft on the inside, with a side of spicy, garlicky chili sauce!
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Chairman Mao’s Red-Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou)
This red-braised pork is symbolically tied to Chairman Mao because it was his favourite dish, one that he supposedly ate every day. There are many variations to the dish, and Hunan’s rendition of braised pork belly differs from Shanghai’s classic version, with it being more hot and spicy!
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Tang You Baba
Another traditional snack from Changsha, glutinous sticky rice flour and sugar are the main heroes in this delicious (and cheap!) fried creation. Translating to ‘sugar oil rice cake’, this fried glutinous rice cake is known for its crispy outer layer and soft, chewy interior, and is infused with a sweet brown sugar syrup, topped with sesame seeds.
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Xueba Duck - Blood Cake Duck
Perhaps not the most appetising sounding, but these blood cakes are one of the most popular local dishes in western Hunan (Xiangxi) in Fenghuang Ancient Town, made literally from duck blood and glutinous rice.
Duck blood is poured into pounded sticky rice and the coagulated mixture is then steamed. Once cooled, the mixture is cut into cubes and fried, before being added to a mix of stir-fried duck meat.
IMAGE: CHENSIYUAN, CC BY-SA 4.0, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Fenghuang (Phoenix) Ancient Town
This charming old historic town in West Hunan holds the reputation of being “The Most Beautiful Town in China”. Located in the Tujia-Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Xiangxi in Hunan Province, the town is also known as Phoenix Ancient Town due to its unique shape, which resembles a phoenix (fenghuang in Chinese).
Fenghuang Ancient Town is most famous for its unique architectural style, home to the traditional wooden stilted houses of the Tujia ethnic group. Shiyanping Village is one of the last villages in Hunan to have preserved these stilted houses, resulting in it being recognised as an important heritage site under state protection in 2013.
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Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge
Brave enough to walk on a transparent bridge suspended 300m-high in the sky?
Say hello to the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge in the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, which was once the highest and longest (430m) glass-bottomed bridge in the world.
Completed in 2016, the bridge is a 40-minute drive from the east gate of the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and the stunning Wuling Mountains in the northwest of Hunan province, hanging between two cliffs of the canyon, and has been called one of the “12 Most Spectacular Bridges in the World” by CNN. The bridge cost S$4.53 million to build, and is an architectural marvel designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan.
IMAGE: CHENSIYUAN, CC BY-SA 4.0, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Zhangjiajie's "Avatar Mountains"
Remember those stunning floating mountains in Avatar in 2009 on Pandora?
Well, you can see something like them for yourself in Yuanjiajie, Wulingyuan Scenic Area of Hunan Province. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, Wulingyuan is home to magnificent towering sandstone pillars, formed over millions of years through erosion and weathering.
It’s this unique combination of the one-of-a-kind pillar-like mountains and constant mist that have catapulted Wulingyuan as a must-visit destination in Hunan.
IMAGE: 王计, CC BY 2.5, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Mount Heng
If seeing mountain peaks surrounded by clouds and mist is your thing, don’t miss Mount Heng (Hengshan in Chinese) in Nanyue District, Hengyang City.
Not to be confused with the northern Mount Heng in Shanxi, Hunan's Hengshan is known as the southern mountain of the Five Great Mountains of China, spanning 150 km and consisting of 72 peaks.
The Huiyan Peak is at the south end of the peaks, while Yuelu Mountain in Changsha City is at the north end. As for the highest peak? That would be Zhurong Peak, which stands at 1,300m above sea level.
At the foot of the mountain stands the largest temple in southern China, the Grand Temple of Mount Heng (Nanyue Damiao), which is the largest group of ancient buildings in Hunan Province.
Other notable sites in the area include Shangfeng Temple, Fuyan Temple, Zhusheng Temple ( an 8th-century Buddhist monastery), and Zhurong Gong, a small stone temple.
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