Hunan

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Hunan's primeval forests were first occupied by the ancestors of the modern Miao, Tujia, Dong and Yao peoples. The province entered written Chinese history around 350 BC, when it became part of the Zhou dynasty. After Qin conquered the Chu in 278 BC, the region came under the control of Qin, and then the Changsha Kingdom during the Han dynasty. At this time, and for hundreds of years thereafter, the province was a magnet for settlement of Han Chinese from the north, who displaced and assimilated the original indigenous inhabitants, cleared forests and began farming rice in the valleys and plains.^[19] The agricultural colonization of the lowlands was carried out in part by the Han people, who managed river dikes to protect farmland from floods.^[20] To this day, many of Hunan's small villages are named after Han families who settled there. Migration from the north was especially prevalent during the Eastern Jin dynasty, Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern dynasties periods, when the north was mostly ruled by non-Han ethnic groups (Five Barbarians) and in perpetual disorder.

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Hunan was home to its own independent regime, Ma Chu.

Hunan and Hubei became a part of the province of Huguang until the Qing dynasty. Hunan province was created in 1664 from Huguang and renamed in 1723.

Hunan became an important communications center due to its position on the Yangzi River. It was an important centre of scholarly activity and Confucian thought, particularly in the Yuelu Academy in Changsha. It was also on the Imperial Highway between northern and southern China. The land produced grain so abundantly that it fed many parts of China with its surpluses. The population continued to climb until, by the 19th century, Hunan became overcrowded and prone to peasant uprisings. Some of the uprisings, such as the ten-year Miao Rebellion of 1795–1806, were caused by ethnic tensions. The Taiping Rebellion began in Guangxi Province in 1850, then spread into Hunan and further eastward along the Yangzi River valley. A Hunanese army (Xiang Army) under Zeng Guofan marched into Nanjing to put down the uprising in 1864.

In 1920, a famine raged throughout Hunan and killed an estimated 2 million Hunanese civilians.^[21] This sparked the Autumn Harvest Uprising of 1927. It was led by Hunanese native Mao Zedong, and established a short-lived Hunan Soviet in 1927. The Communists maintained a guerrilla army in the mountains along the Hunan-Jiangxi border until 1934. Under pressure from the Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) forces, they began the Long March to bases in Shaanxi Province. After the Communists departed, the KMT fought the Japanese in the second Sino-Japanese war. It defended Changsha until it fell in 1944. Japan launched Operation Ichigo, a plan to control the railroad from Wuchang to Guangzhou (Yuehan Railway). Hunan was relatively unscathed by the civil war that followed the Japanese defeat in 1945. In 1949, the Communists returned as the Nationalists retreated southward.

In the 1950s, General Wang Zhen coerced thousands of Hunanese women into sexual servitude at PLA units in Xinjiang.^[22]

As Mao's home province, Hunan supported the Cultural Revolution of 1966–1976,^{[citation needed]} but it was slower than most provinces to adopt the reforms Deng Xiaoping implemented in the years after Mao's death in 1976.

In addition to Mao, several other first-generation communist leaders were from Hunan: Chinese President Liu Shaoqi; CCP Secretaries-General Ren Bishi and Hu Yaobang; Marshals Peng Dehuai, He Long, and Luo Ronghuan; Wang Zhen, one of the Eight Elders; Xiang Jingyu, the first female member of the CCP's central committee; Senior General Huang Kecheng; and veteran diplomat Lin Boqu. A more recent leader from Hunan is former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji.

Hunan is on the south bank of the Yangtze River, about halfway along its length, situated between 108° 47'–114° 16' east longitude and 24° 37'–30° 08' north latitude. Hunan covers an area of 211,800 square kilometres (81,800 square miles), making it the 10th largest provincial-level division. The east, south, and west sides of the province are surrounded by mountains and hills, such as the Wuling Mountains to the northwest, the Xuefeng Mountains to the west, the Nanling Mountains to the south, and the Luoxiao Mountains to the east. Mountains and hills occupy more than 80% of the province, and plains less than 20%. At 2,115.2 meters above sea level, Hunan's highest point is Lingfeng (酃峰).^[23][24][25]

The Xiang, the Zi, the Yuan, and the Lishui Rivers converge on the Yangtze River at Lake Dongting in the north of Hunan. The center and northern parts are somewhat low and a U-shaped basin, open in the north and with Lake Dongting as its center. Most of Hunan lies in the basins of four major tributaries of the Yangtze River.

Lake Dongting is the largest lake in the province and the second largest freshwater lake of China.

The Xiaoxiang area and Lake Dongting figure prominently in Chinese poetry and paintings, particularly during the Song dynasty when they were associated with officials who had been unjustly dismissed.^[26]

Changsha (which means "long sands") was an active ceramics district during the Tang dynasty, its tea bowls, ewers and other products mass-produced and shipped to China's coastal cities for export abroad. An Arab dhow dated to the 830s and today known as the Belitung Shipwreck was discovered off the small island of Belitung, Indonesia with more than 60,000 pieces in its cargo.^{[citation needed]} The salvaged cargo is today housed in Singapore.

Hunan's climate is subtropical; under the Köppen climate classification, it is classified as humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa), with short, cool, damp winters, very hot and humid summers, and plenty of rain. January temperatures average 3 to 8 °C (37 to 46 °F), while July temperatures average around 27 to 30 °C (81 to 86 °F). Average annual precipitation is 1,200 to 1,700 millimetres (47 to 67 in). The Furongian Epoch in the Cambrian Period of geological time is named for Hunan; Furong (芙蓉) means "lotus" in Mandarin and refers to Hunan, which is known as the "lotus state".^[27]

Hunan is divided into fourteen prefecture-level divisions: thirteen prefecture-level cities and an autonomous prefecture:

More information Administrative divisions of Hunan, Division code ...

Administrative divisions of Hunan
Changsha Zhuzhou Xiangtan Hengyang Shaoyang Yueyang Changde Zhangjiajie Yiyang Chenzhou Yongzhou Huaihua Loudi Xiangxi Aut. Prefecture
Division code[28]	Division	Area in km2[29]	Population 2010[30]	Seat	Divisions[31]
					Districts	Counties	Aut. counties	CL cities
430000	Hunan Province	210,000.00	65,683,722	Changsha city	36	61	7	18
430100	Changsha city	11,819.46	7,044,118	Yuelu District	6	1		2
430200	Zhuzhou city	11,262.20	3,855,609	Tianyuan District	5	3		1
430300	Xiangtan city	5,006.46	2,748,552	Yuetang District	2	1		2
430400	Hengyang city	15,302.78	7,141,462	Zhengxiang District	5	5		2
430500	Shaoyang city	20,829.63	7,071,826	Daxiang District	3	6	1	2
430600	Yueyang city	14,897.88	5,477,911	Yueyanglou District	3	4		2
430700	Changde city	18,177.18	5,747,218	Wuling District	2	6		1
430800	Zhangjiajie city	9,516.03	1,476,521	Yongding District	2	2
430900	Yiyang city	12,325.16	4,313,084	Heshan District	2	3		1
431000	Chenzhou city	19,317.33	4,581,778	Beihu District	2	8		1
431100	Yongzhou city	22,255.31	5,180,235	Lengshuitan District	2	8	1
431200	Huaihua city	27,562.72	4,741,948	Hecheng District	1	5	5	1
431300	Loudi city	8,107.61	3,785,627	Louxing District	1	2		2
433100	Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture	15,462.30	2,547,833	Jishou city		7		1

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The fourteen prefecture-level divisions of Hunan are subdivided into 122 county-level divisions (35 districts, 17 county-level cities, 63 counties, 7 autonomous counties). Those are in turn divided into 2587 township-level divisions (1098 towns, 1,158 townships, 98 ethnic townships, 225 subdistricts, and eight district public offices). At the year end of 2017, the total population is 68.6 million.

Urban areas

More information Population by urban areas of prefecture & county cities, # ...

Population by urban areas of prefecture & county cities
#	City	Urban area[32]	District area[32]	City proper[32]	Census date
1	Changsha[b]	2,963,218	3,092,213	7,040,952	2010-11-01
(1)	Changsha (new district)[b]	230,136	523,660	see Changsha	2010-11-01
2	Hengyang	1,115,645	1,133,967	7,148,344	2010-11-01
3	Zhuzhou[c]	999,404	1,055,150	3,857,100	2010-11-01
(3)	Zhuzhou (new district)[c]	94,326	383,598	see Zhuzhou	2010-11-01
4	Yueyang	924,099	1,231,509	5,476,084	2010-11-01
5	Xiangtan	903,287	960,303	2,752,171	2010-11-01
6	Changde	846,308	1,457,419	5,714,623	2010-11-01
7	Yiyang	697,607	1,245,517	4,307,933	2010-11-01
8	Liuyang	588,081	1,279,469	see Changsha	2010-11-01
9	Chenzhou	582,971	822,534	4,583,531	2010-11-01
10	Shaoyang	574,527	753,194	7,071,735	2010-11-01
11	Yongzhou	540,930	1,020,715	5,194,275	2010-11-01
(12)	Ningxiang[d]	498,055	1,166,138	see Changsha	2010-11-01
13	Leiyang	476,173	1,151,554	see Hengyang	2010-11-01
14	Huaihua	472,687	552,622	4,741,673	2010-11-01
15	Liling	449,067	947,387	see Zhuzhou	2010-11-01
16	Loudi	425,037	496,744	3,784,634	2010-11-01
17	Changning	332,927	810,447	see Hengyang	2010-11-01
18	Miluo	321,074	692,080	see Yueyang	2010-11-01
19	Yuanjiang	281,097	666,270	see Yiyang	2010-11-01
20	Zhangjiajie	250,489	494,528	1,478,149	2010-11-01
21	Lianyuan	245,360	995,515	see Loudi	2010-11-01
22	Lengshuijiang	238,275	327,146	see Loudi	2010-11-01
23	Linxiang	225,054	498,319	see Yueyang	2010-11-01
24	Zixing	215,707	337,294	see Chenzhou	2010-11-01
25	Jishou	212,328	302,065	part of Xiangxi Prefecture	2010-11-01
26	Xiangxiang	210,799	788,216	see Xiangtan	2010-11-01
27	Hongjiang	197,753	477,996	see Huaihua	2010-11-01
28	Wugang	187,436	734,870	see Shaoyang	2010-11-01
29	Jinshi	156,230	250,898	see Changde	2010-11-01
30	Shaoshan	27,613	86,036	see Xiangtan	2010-11-01

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1. 湖南, Húnán shěng, Xiang Chinese: [fu˩˧ lan˩˧],^[5] Mandarin: [xu˧˥ nan˧˥]
2. New district established after census: Wangcheng (Wangcheng County). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.
3. New district established after census: Lukou (Zhuzhou County). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.
4. Ningxiang County is currently known as Ningxiang CLC after census.

More information Most populous cities in HunanSource: China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2018 Urban Population and Urban Temporary Population, Rank ...

Most populous cities in Hunan Source: China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2018 Urban Population and Urban Temporary Population[33]
	Rank		Pop.	Rank		Pop.
Changsha Hengyang	1	Changsha	3,744,300	11	Yongzhou	574,500	Zhuzhou Changde
	2	Hengyang	1,437,900	12	Leiyang	573,000
	3	Zhuzhou	1,152,600	13	Loudi	516,800
	4	Changde	997,900	14	Ningxiang	472,700
	5	Yueyang	892,000	15	Jishou	315,000
	6	Chenzhou	842,000	16	Changning	300,000
	7	Xiangtan	817,700	17	Wugang	290,000
	8	Shaoyang	712,300	18	Liuyang	260,100
	9	Yiyang	668,200	19	Liling	247,500
	10	Huaihua	624,000	20	Xiangxiang	235,000

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The politics of Hunan is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in mainland China.

The Governor of Hunan is the highest-ranking official in the People's Government of Hunan. However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor has less power than the Hunan Chinese Communist Party Provincial Committee Secretary, colloquially termed the "Hunan CCP Party Chief".

As of the mid-19th century, Hunan exported rhubarb, musk, honey, tobacco, hemp, and birds.^[34] The Lake Dongting area is an important center of ramie production, and Hunan is also an important center of tea cultivation.

Hunan was a major recipient of China's investment in industrial capacity during the Third Front campaign.^[35]: 298

In recent years, Hunan has grown to become an important center for steel, machinery and electronics production, especially as China's manufacturing sector moves away from coastal provinces such as Guangdong and Zhejiang.^[36]

The Lengshuijiang area is noted for its stibnite mines, and is one of the major centers of antimony extraction in China.^[37]

Hunan is also well known for a few global makers of construction equipment such as concrete pumps, cranes, etc. These companies include Sany Group, Zoomlion and Sunward. Sany is one of the world's major players. The city of Liuyang is the world's top center for manufacturing fireworks.^[38]

Hunan is the 9th-largest provincial economy of China, the third largest in the Central China region after Henan and Hubei, the fourth largest in the South Central China region after Guangdong, Henan and Hubei and the fourth largest among inland provinces after Henan, Sichuan and Hubei.^[6] As of 2021, Hunan's nominal GDP was US$724 billion (CNY 4.6 trillion), appearing in the world's top 20 largest sub-national economies with its GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) being over US$1.1 trillion,^[6][7] and its GDP (nominal) per capita exceeded US$10,900 (69,300 CNY), making it the 2nd richest in the Central China region after Hubei and the 3rd richest in South Central China region after Guangdong and Hubei.^[6]

As of 2020, Hunan's GDP (nominal) was US$605 billion,^[8][9] making it larger than the economies of Poland (the 22nd biggest in the world), Thailand (the 2nd largest in ASEAN), and Nigeria (the largest in Africa).^[10]

As of the 2000 census, the population of Hunan is 64,400,700 consisting of forty-one ethnic groups. Its population grew 6.17% (3,742,700) from its 1990 levels. According to the census, 89.79% (57,540,000) identified themselves as Han Chinese and 10.21% (6,575,300) as minority groups. The minority groups are Tujia, Miao, Dong, Yao, Bai, Hui, Zhuang, Uyghurs and so on.

In Hunan, ethnic minority languages are spoken in the following prefectures.

• Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture: Qo Xiong language, Tujia language
• Huaihua: Qo Xiong language, Dong language, Hm Nai language, Hmu language
• Shaoyang: Maojia language, Hm Nai language, Pa-Hng language, Badong Yao language
• Yongzhou: Mien language, Biao Min language
• Chenzhou: Dzao Min language

Being the educational and political in the late Qing Era, Hunan became the center of revolution and reformation, and it was the birthplace of many famous Chinese scholars, politicians, and generals, including the most influential and controversial figure of China in the 20th century, Mao Zedong.

• Zhou Dunyi (1017–1073), Chinese scholar and philosopher
• Wang Fuzhi (1619–1692), Chinese essayist, historian, and philosopher of the late Ming, early Qing dynasties.
• Zeng Guofan (1811–1872)
• Zuo Zongtang (1812–1885), or General Tso, Chinese statesman and military leader of the late Qing dynasty.
• Taqibu (1816–1855)
• Huang Xing (1874–1916)
• Cai E (1882–1916), Chinese revolutionary leader, General and Governor of Yunnan (1911–1913)
• Jiang Xiaowan (?–1922), interpreter
• Mao Zedong (1893–1976)
• He Long (1896–1969)
• Peng Dehuai (1898–1974)
• Liu Shaoqi (1898–1969)
• Ma Ying-jeou (born 1950)
• Yuet-ching Lee (1918–1997), Hong Kong actress^{[citation needed]}
• Ted Hui (born 1982), Hong Kong politician^{[citation needed]}
• Martin Cao (born 1993), racing driver
• Zhou Chengzhou (born 1982), Chinese film director and artist
• Lexie Liu (born 1998), singer
• Jackson Yee (born 2000), actor and singer

As of 2022, Hunan's culture and related industries achieved an added value of CN¥250.65 billion (US$37.27 billion), accounting for 5.27% of the province's GDP. Among them, the added value of cultural services was CN¥150.20 billion (US$22.33 billion), the added value of cultural manufacturing was CN¥78.28 billion (US$11.64 billion), the added value of cultural wholesale and retail was CN¥22.17 billion (US$3.30 billion).^[65]

In 2023, there are 655 art groups, 149 mass art galleries and cultural centers, 148 public libraries, 180 museums and memorial halls, 108 radio and television stations, 5.853 million cable TV users, and 27.441 million fiber optic Internet broadband users all connected to cable TV. The comprehensive population coverage rate of radio is 99.43%, and the comprehensive population coverage rate of television is 99.77%. There are 137 national intangible cultural heritage protection lists and 410 provincial intangible cultural heritage protection lists. 12,078 books, 235 periodicals, and 44 newspapers have been published, with a total print run of 590 million books, 80 million periodicals, and 500 million newspapers.^[3]

Language

Hunan is a region with complex dialects. The dialects in the province include Xiang, Southwestern Mandarin, Gan, Hakka, and some local dialects whose identities have not yet been determined, such as Xiangnan Tuhua and Waxiang dialect. In areas where ethnic minorities live, many people can speak their own ethnic language and communicate in Chinese.

Located in the south central part of the Chinese mainland, Hunan has long been known for its natural environment. It is surrounded by mountains on the east, west, and south, and by the Yangtze River on the north. For thousands of years, the region has been a major center of agriculture, growing rice, tea, and oranges. China's first all glass suspension bridge was also opened in Hunan, in Shiniuzhai National Geological Park.^[67]

• Wulingyuan is a World Heritage Site and a 5A Scenic Area. Located in south-central Hunan, Wulingyuan is noted for its thousands of quartzite sandstone pillars, caves, and waterfalls. The area also contains Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.
• Shaoshan County, known for being the birthplace of Mao Zedong
• Yueyang Tower, on the shores of Lake Dongting, was built in the Han and Jin dynasties, and has existed in its current state since the Qing Dynasty. Alongside the Pavilion of Prince Teng and Yellow Crane Tower, it is one of the Three Great Towers of Jiangnan.
• Mount Heng, in Hengyang, is one of the Five Great Mountains of China, and is home to the largest temple in southern China.
• Fenghuang County, in Xiangxi Prefecture, has been placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List for its ancient town. Fenghuang is known for its incorporation of mountain features and water flow into city design, and the ancient syncretism between the local Han and Miao cultures.^[68]

Panoramic view of Mount Heng

As of 2023, Hunan hosts 137 institutions of higher education, ranking fifth together with Sichuan (137) among all Chinese provinces after Jiangsu (168), Henan (168), Guangdong (162), and Shandong (156).^[17][69] Hunan is also the seat of 12 adult higher education institutions.^[70] Two major cities in Hunan (Changsha and Xiangtan) were ranked in the top 200 cities in the world by scientific research output, as tracked by the Nature Index in 2024.^[18] There are three national key universities under Project 985 (Hunan University, Central South University and the National University of Defense Technology) in Hunan, the third highest after Beijing and Shanghai. Hunan Normal University in Changsha is the key construction university of the national 211 Project, and Xiangtan University in Xiangtan is a key university jointly built by Hunan Province and the Ministry of Education and a member of national Project 111. These five national key universities are included in the Double First-Class Construction of Hunan Province. As of 2024, they are ranked among the top 500 globally by the Nature Index. Among them, Hunan University and Central South University are in the top 50.^[71]

Hunan University and Central South University are the only two Project 985 universities in Changsha, Hunan to appear in the world's top 200 of the Academic Ranking of World Universities and the U.S. News & World Report Best Global University Ranking.^[72][73] Hunan Normal University, the National University of Defense and Technology and Changsha University of Science and Technology located in Changsha, were ranked in the world's top 701 of the Academic Ranking of World Universities.^[73]

Hunan Agricultural University in Changsha, the University of South China in Hengyang, Hunan University of Technology in Zhuzhou and Xiangtan University in Xiangtan were ranked in the top 801–900 globally by the Academic Ranking of World Universities.^{[74][75][76][77]} Hunan University of Science and Technology in Xiangtan and Central South University of Forestry and Technology in Changsha were ranked number 988 and number 1429 respectively in the 2022 Best Global Universities by the U.S. News & World Report Best Global University Ranking.^[72][78] As of 2023, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine in Changsha ranked the best in the Central China region and 26th nationwide among Chinese Medical Universities.^[79]

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Professional sports teams in Hunan include:

• Chinese Football Association League One
  • Hunan Billows F.C.

• Major national historical and cultural sites in Hunan
• Xiaoxiang, the "lakes and rivers" region of south-central China
• State of Chu, ancient Chinese state partly in modern-day Hunan
• Hunanese people