Changsha Municipal Museum

Changsha

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A colossal aluminium/magnesium alloy statue of Mao Zedong, cast in Heilongjiang, affably greets you at the entrance. This is the first clue that, despite the paintings, ceramics and jade on display, this museum is really a shrine; note the huge portrait of a young Mao with shafts of light emanating from his head above the entrance.

The museum also houses the former site of the Hunan CCP Committee (中共湘区委员会旧址; Zhōng Gòng Xiāngqū Wěiyuánhuì Jiùzhǐ), where Mao lived from 1921 to 1923 while secretly running the local CCP. Elsewhere it's a lovely wooded area with some pleasant walks.

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0.41 MILES

Tree-shaded and dotted with lakes, leafy – and incredibly huge – Lieshi Park is very popular in the mornings for singing, dancing and taichi.

2. Hunan Provincial Museum

0.95 MILES

Changsha's main attraction is this modern museum. There's a special focus on the Mawangdui Tombs, which were excavated nearby in the early 1970s,…

3. Old City Walls & Tianxin Pavilion

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4. Tangerine Isle

1.65 MILES

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5. Kaifu Temple

1.9 MILES

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7. Yuelu Mountain

2.42 MILES

This large park on the slopes of Yuelu Mountain makes a pleasant city break. You can climb to the top in less than an hour, or else go up on the chair…

8. Yuelu Academy

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