Shaoshan is located at the junction of Changsha, Loudi and Xiangtan. It is the hometown of Chairman Mao Zedong, one of the founders of the People's Republic of China and the great leader of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups. Shaoshan is not only an important revolutionary memorial site, a state key revolutionary culture relic protection site, but also a tourist resort and a national AAAAA scenic spot with beautiful scenery.
Shaoshan, a famous one day tour destination around Changsha, is a county-level city integrating revolutionary, cultural and natural landscape. Visitors can go to revolutionary sites like The Former Residence of Mao Zedong, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, etc. to explore Chinese modern history and red culture. Or you can also visit some historical relics sites such as Yunmen Temple or Daizishan Ancient Ruins to learn more about ancient history. There is also mysterious but charming natural scenery waiting for you to explore.
There are many revolutionary, historical and natural scenery scenic spots in the Shaoshan Scenic Area in Xiangtan. Revolutionary Sites include The Former Residence of Mao Zedong, MAO Zedong Bronze Statue Square, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, Ancestral Hall of Mao Family, Former Residence of Peng Dehuai, Stone Tablets Forest of Mao’s Poetry, as well as Shaoshan Martyrs Cemetery. The natural scenery at the mysterious "Western Cave" - the Dripping Water Cave, Black Stone Village and Shao Peak are also very enchanting. Moreover, there are also some historical relics sites, such as Yunmen Temple, Guansheng Hall, Daizi Mountain - a Neolithic Age site waiting for you to explore.
The former residence of MAO Zedong (毛泽东故居), covers an area of 566.39 square meters, is made of mud, brick and blue tiles with a civil structure. Sitting south and facing the north, it is a common farmer's house in south China with water in the front and with hills on the back.
Mao Zedong Memorial Hall (毛泽东纪念馆) is located at Mao Family Ancestral Hall in Xiangtan Shaoshan Scenic Area, formerly known as the exhibition hall of the old residence of Mao Zedong. It was built in 1964 with a building area of 8830.08 square meters.
Mao’s Ancestral Hall (毛氏宗祠) is a family ancestral hall built in the mid-Qing Dynasty. It is a place for Mao’s family to worship their ancestors and sages. The ancestral temple of the MAO family in Shaoshan was founded in 1758 with a floor area of about 700 square meters.
Water Dripping Cave (滴水洞) is a famous scenic spot group in Shaoshan. No.1 Building of Dripping water cave is the chairman's villa, located in the western corner of the place. The villa was built in 1960, and the building form is similar to the structure of Zhongnanhai house in Beijing.
The stone tablet forest of MAO Zedong's poems (诗词碑林) is located halfway up Shaofeng Peak. It covers a total area of about 20,000 square meters and was officially opened to the public in 1993. The tablet forest is composed of 100 pieces of white marble, griotte and granite.
Peng Dehuai's former residence (彭德怀故居) covers an area of 200 square meters. The existing building was funded by Peng himself and built when he was the head of the Xiang Army in 1925. Peng Dehuai Memorial Hall was built at the north of the former residence and completed in 1998.
The Former Residence of Qi Baishi (齐白石故居), covering an area of 150 square meters, is an ordinary farmhouse. There are many photos and poems, paintings, calligraphy and ink works of master Qi Baishi display in the residence for visitors to appreciate.
Shaofeng (韶峰), also known as Xianding peak, is one of the 72 peaks of Nanyue, located in the southern Part of the Shaoshan Tourist Area. It is about 519 meters above sea level, and is the first peak of the scenic area. “Green Covered Shao Peak” is one of the eight scenes in Shaoshan.
Yunmen Temple (云门寺), also known as Steles Temple, was first built in the Song Dynasty in 1050 and was rebuilt several times in the Ming and Qing dynasties. After reconstruction, it covers an area of 12,000 square meters, including Front Hall, the Main Hall...
The Site of the Neolithic Age at Daizi Mountain (岱子山) belongs to the Longshan Cultural Sites. There are more than 80 tombs, which contain a variety of stoneware, pottery and other living utensils, providing materials for the study of the early culture in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.
Huaminglou (花明楼) is the hometown of Liu Shaoqi The former residence of Liu Shaoqi is a courtyard house with a civil structure. There is also a memorial hall for Liu Shaoqi, which displays more than 800 cultural relics, including books that Liu shaoqi read before and daily necessities that he used before.
Shaoshan belongs to the subtropical humid climate zone. With four distinct seasons, Shaoshan has a long hot summer and a short cold winter. The annual average temperature is about 16.7℃, which was slightly lower than the surrounding counties and cities. January is the coldest month in Shaoshan with an average temperature of 4.4℃, while July was the hottest with an average monthly temperature of 28.9℃. The annual average precipitation in Shaoshan is about 1360 mm. The rainy season starts around the middle of April and ends around July 10th. It rains more in spring and summer and less in autumn and winter. There is plenty of sunshine in Shaoshan, annual sunshine reaches around 1720 hours, and the annual average sunshine percentage is 39%. The sunshine distribution is basically consistent with the temperature change.
Spring and autumn are the two most comfortable seasons to visit Shaoshan, neither too hot nor cold. Visitors may also appreciate rape flowers in their full blooms around The Former Residence of Mao Zedong in spring. Immerse the charming natural scenery of colorful Shaofeng, one of the 72 peaks of Nanyue, in Autumn. Escape summer heat at Water Dripping Cave or Blackstone Village in summer and enjoy traditional festivals and local culture in winter.
Shaoshan is located in the hilly area of central Hunan province, about 50km west from Xiangtan City and 70km southwest from Changsha City. Most visitors would get to Changsha first and then transfer to Shaoshan by high-speed rails, cars or coaches.
There is no airport in Shaoshan city. The most convenient way to get to Shaoshan is by taking high-speed rails. Or visitors may also get to Shaoshan by car or coach.
To help you enjoy a worry-free trip to Shaoshan, it is highly recommended to travel with China Discovery. So our local guide and driver will escort you from your accommodation to/from the tourist spots, railway station, airport, etc. By the comfortable nonsmoking licensed private vehicle of China Discovery in speed and safety, and you can focus more time on the highlights instead of navigation and hard communication with locals! Please contact us if you need any help!
There is only one passenger transfer railway station in Shaoshan City, called Shaoshannan Railway Station (韶山南站). There are daily bullet trains to Shaoshan from many domestic cities like Changsha (0.5 hrs), Guiyang (3.5 hrs), Chongqing (5.5-6 hrs), Fuzhou (5.5 hrs), Kunming (5.5-6 hrs), Shenzhen (4-4.5 hrs), Shanghai (6-6.5 hrs), Beijing (8 hrs), etc. Shaoshannan Railway Station is in the east part of the city. The Shoashan Scenic Area is about 8km away from the railway station. Visitors may take direct tourist buses to the scenic area at the Tourist Transfer Center. Or you can also get there by taxi.
There is no airport in Shaoshan city. The nearest airport is Changsha Huanghua International Airport (长沙黄花国际机场), which offers more than 180 routes to destinations in about 10 foreign countries. Visitors from far places can take a flight to Changsha first and then transfer to Shaoshan by high-speed trains.
Shaoshan is only about 76km southwest from Changsha city, which takes 1-1.5 hours by car. Independent travelers can choose to get from Changsha to Shaoshan by high-speed-train, which only takes about 20-30 minutes. There are more than 20 trains running between Changshanan Railway Station (长沙南站) and Shaoshannan Railway Station (韶山南站) everyday from 7:00 ~ 18:00. Check real-time train schedule Changsha to Shaoshan | Shaoshan to Changsha >>
There are sightseeing buses running in Shaoshan Scenic Area from 7:30 to 17:30 in summer and 8:00 to 17:00 in winter. The ticket price of a sightseeing bus is about CNY 20/person. The bus would stop at Tourist Transfer Center, Square East Station, Square North Station, East Gate of Memorial Hall, Water Dripping Cave, Square West Station, Shaoshan Hotel, etc. (Information that given above is only for your reference, might change according to the real situation)
Shaoshan is a small county-level city, which can be visited in one day. With convenient transportation and well-connected with the capital of Hunan province - Changsha. You can either choose to stay at hotels around Shaoshan Tourist Area in Shaoshan county or you can also choose to take high-speed trains, cars or buses to go back to Changsha for accommodation. Shaoshan, though, has far fewer hotels than Changsha. But there are still from 5-star hotels like Vienna International Hotel and Hualong Hotel to 3-star economy hotels or hostels for you to choose.
Changsha has abundant diverse kinds of accommodation in the downtown and suburb areas, from luxury international hotel brand chains to budget inns and homestay. Check out more details at Changsha Accommodation & Recommended Hotels >>
To help you know the location and transportation of Shaoshan, Hunan as well as its tourist spots clearly, we have collected some useful Shaoshan maps for you, including Shaoshan China Map, Shaoshan Hunan Map, Shaoshan Tourist Map, etc. All are downloadable and printable!
Shaoshan China Map
Shaoshan Hunan Map
Shaoshan Tourist Map
Apart from Shaoshan, there are many other wonderful destinations in Hunan Province for your discovery of the nature, culture, history, food... of this large coastal province in middle China!
China is such a diverse country with countless of wonders to explore! Xiamen and its nearby region only will show you the beauty of the south of this country. However, in its north, there are still a lot to visit, including the world-famous Great Wall in Beijing, Terra-Cotta Warriors in Xian, pandas in Chengdu, and so on! Why not add more surprises into your China tour? Check all destinations in China.
Chinese Name: 韶山
Chinese Pinyin: sháo shān
Population: 0.12 million
Language: Mandarin & Hunan Dialect
Tel Code: 0731
Zip Code: 411300
Time Zone: (UTC+8)
1 day is usually enough to enjoy top highlights in Shaoshan with transportation to and off, including The Former Residence of Mao Zedong, Water Dripping Cave and Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, etc. You may also stop by Huaminglou and visit The Former Residence of Liu Shaoqi. Most tourists from other provinces or counties would tour Shaoshan with Changsha together for about 3 days, visiting the Orange Isle, Yuelu Mountain and enjoying Hunan food and snacks at Taiping Street and Changxing Road, etc.
For those who have more days of vacation can extend to Zhangjiajie to discover Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, Tianmen Mountain, etc. for 2-4 days, to Fenghuang Ancient Town to savor the Western Hunan ethnic minority culture for 1 day. It usually takes about 6-7 days to fully enjoy the highlights in Hunan province.
If you are interested in Chinese culture and history, you can take another day tour to Yueyang, which is home to the famous Yueyang Tower and Dongting Lake, etc. to enjoy more sightseeing and charm of Hunan!
Besides, it is also very popular to travel Shaoshan and Hunan with other popular destinations in China in one go, such as Fanjingshan, Kaili, Guilin, Chengdu, Yangtze River, Shanghai, Beijing, Xian, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, etc. All our tours can be customized according to your interests, group size, needs, travel time, budget, etc. If you have any idea about planning your Shaoshan tour or Hunan tour, please feel free to contact us for a customized tour 2023/2024!
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