Shaoyang Travel Guide

Chinese Name: 邵阳市 (shào yáng shì)
Population: 7,300,000 
Area: 20,829 square kilometers (8,042 square miles) 
Nationalities: Han, Miao and other 38 ethnic minorities 

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)

Seat of the City Government: Chengbei Lu, Shuangqing District

Useful Telephone Numbers:
Tourist Complaints: 0739-5365033
Weather Forecast: 121
Zip Code Inquiry: 184

Bank of China Shaoyang Branch: 45, Daxiang District
China Post Shaoyang Branch: 1. Hongqi Lu, Daxiang District

 Location: The city is located in the southwest of Hunan Province, Zijiang and Shaoshui are the main rivers, passing through the city. It has the most population and second largest land area among the cities in the province. Nabu County is seated next to Guangxi in the south and not far away from Longsheng.     

 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.

 Climate: Climate there 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.  

 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. Shaoyang local 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.

 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 180 (including five scenic areas, Octagonal Stockade, Tianyi Lane, Pepper Peak, Zixia Cavern and Fuyi River)  Type B: CNY 130 (including four scenic areas above excluding Fuyi River)
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.

This city can not reached directly by air. A transfer to buses should be made in Changsha. 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 Shaoyang. Many other trains pass Shaoyang 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 in the city:
East Station in Shaoshi Road
Bus Routes: 1, 8, 10, 15, 18, 28, 36, 38
South Station in Minzhouxi Lu
Bus Routes: 7, 17, 18, 25, 26, 33, 35, 36, 38, 42
West Station in Shaolinxi Lu
Bus Routes: 10, 28, 38

Changsha to Shaoyang: 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.