Shaoyang Travel Guide

Chinese Name: 邵阳 (shào yáng)
Population: 8,282,800
Area: 20,824 square kilometers (8,040.19 square miles)
Location: in the southwest of Hunan Province, south-central China
Administrative Division: 3 districts (Shaungqing, Daxiang, Beita); 7 counties (Shaodong, Shaoyang, Xinshao, Longhui Dongkou, Suining, Xinning); 1 autonomous county (Chengbu Miao); 1 county-level city (Wugang)
Area Code: 0739
Zip Code: 422000
GDP (2018): CNY 178.27 billion (USD 26.94 billion)

Located in the southwest of Hunan Province, Shaoyang has the highest population and second largest land area among the cities in the province. It is adjacent to Hengyang to the east, Yongzhou and Guilin of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to the south, Huaihua to the west and Loudi to the north. Since ancient times, Shaoyang has been a major transportation and commercial port center, and many cultural sites have been excavated in the territory. In the Qing Dynasty (1636 - 1912), Shaoyang was not easy to be invaded as the city was surrounded by Zijiang and equipped with numerous fortresses and the surrounding terrains were complex, leaving a name of Iron Shaoyang. In addition, Shaoyang possesses many natural scenic spots including geo parks and natural reserves. Mt. Langshan is well-known for the typical Danxia landscape.

 Mt. Langshan: Located in Xinning County, Langshan is a national geopark. In this large resort, there are lots of attractions, being a best place to see the Danxia Landscape. Three limestone caves and formative forest attracts many people to come. It also has a rockcraft training center.
 

Admission Fee	Type A: CNY 186 (including five scenic areas, Bajiaozhai, Tianyi Lane, Chili Peak, Zixia Cave and Fuyi River Raft Ride)  Type B: CNY 136 (including four scenic areas above excluding Fuyi River Raft Ride) Type C: CNY 120 for Fuyi River Raft Ride
Transportation	Take regular bus from Shaoyang South Bus Station to Xinning West Bus Station, and then take No.2 public bus or minivans from there to Beidamen. There you can buy the entrance ticket for Mt. Langshan and take bus to each scenic area.

 Huangsang Nature Reserve: Famous for the antique environment and flourishing vegetation, the reserve in Suining County is a good place to explore the natural beauty, with many beautiful types of scenery can be captured.

Shaoyang Wugang Airport is serving the city now. Passengers can travel between the airport and Beijing, Changsha, Chongqing, Haikou, Hangzhou, Kunming, Lanzhou, Shenzhen & Zhengzhou directly. Airport Shuttle bus can arrive at downtown and Mt. Langshan.

Shaoyang Railway Station is in the east of Shuangqing District. Everyday, there are four trains heading here from Changsha. In addition, Guangzhou, Shanghai (South) has trains to the area. Many other trains pass the area to or from Naning, Nanjing, Qingdao, Ningbo, Zhengzhou, Zhaoqing, Zhanjiang and Guilin. In the city proper, bus 1, 5, 7, 18 and 28 run to the railway station.
 
There are three main bus stations:
East Bus Station on Shaoshi Road
Bus Routes: 1, 8, 10, 15, 18, 28, 36, 38
South Bus Station on Minzhouxi Road
Bus Routes: 7, 17, 18, 25, 26, 33, 35, 36, 38, 42
West Bus Station in Shaolinxi Road
Bus Routes: 10, 28, 38
 Changsha South Bus Station operates many buses to Shaoyang from 08:00 to 19:10. The ticket price is about CNY 81 to 83. Changsha West Bus Station also have opened new routes to Shaoyang, but much fewer. There are five daily: 08:10, 08:30, 10:50, 13:20 and 17:50. The time asuming is 2.5 hours with the ticket price of CNY 82.5. Climate of Shaoyang is humid and seasons are clear. Generally the temperature is mild without severe winter and torrid summer. However, the weather is different from hilly area and basins. The annual average temperature is about 17 degrees. Most of the rain falls between April to June.
 
 When to Go: Summer and Autumn are better seasons to pay a visit, especially from August to October.

 History: The area was called Baoqing in history. The earliest city was established here 2,500 year ago, during the late Spring and Autumn Period. Among the total thirty-six administrative areas in the Qin Dynasty, it was governed by Changsha and belonged to Lingling in Eastern Han Dynasty. During the Three Kingdoms Period, Lingling was divided into northern and southern parts and Shaoyang was just the heart of north region.       
 
 Physical Features: Shaoyang lies in the transition area from hilly area to plateau. Branches of Naling Mountains and Xufeng Mountain stand in its south, west and north. Hills and basins are distributed in the central and eastern parts of the city. Generally, the terrain declines from the southwest to the northeast. It also has large forests, ranking one of the major four forest zones of Hunan.
 
 Local Features: There are many ethnic minorities here, which is a large group made up of nearly 400,000 people. Flower Drum Opera is a famous folk art in Hunan. Local people also prefer this. In addition, the place also has its own styles of art, blend with instruments, songs, performances and ballads. It teems with orange and now a new industrial city of the region.