Home> 湖南省文化和旅游厅>Tourism in Regions>Changde>City Overview
Changde City
2022-05-25
Changde, known as “Wuling” and “Langzhou” in ancient times, is situated in the northwest of Hunan Province, adjacent to the Yangtze River and Dongting Lake. The city has a total area of 18,200 square kilometers, with 9 districts and counties (cities) and 6 administrative districts. By November 2020, the city’s resident population had reached 5.27 million, ranking fifth in Hunan.
Changde’s comprehensive strength ranks in the forefront of Hunan, and its total economic volume remains in the top three of Hunan for years. It belongs to the heartland of central China’s economic rising, and is a prime location for the transfer of industries from the developed eastern coastal areas to the central and western parts of China.
Changde has a profound history. The archaeological discovery at the Chengtoushan Ruins Site proves that there were human activities as far back as the Neolithic Age, more than 9,000 years ago. Changde features colorful folk customs such as Taoyuan catching-turtle dance, Changde root carving, Xiangbei drum, etc. It also possesses 7 national-level intangible heritage items like Changde High-pitched Tunes and Changde Silk String, 20 provincial-level intangible heritage items such as Taoyuan wood carving and Tujia mourning dance, 51 municipal-level intangible heritage items like wizard dance, and 210 county-level intangible heritage items including three-stick drum and Changde Lei Cha.
As an important agricultural production base in China and a main agricultural supplier for the Greater Bay Area, Changde enjoys the reputation of “the land of fish and rice in Dongting Lake area”. Its production of grain, cotton, oil, fruits, pork and fresh fish ranks among the top in the province. Changde boasts a number of agro-products under national geographical indications protection, including Changde spicy salted duck, Hanshou lotus root and Hanshou turtle.
Changde is rich in cultural tourism resources, with 4 national key cultural relics protection units and 55 provincial key cultural relics protection units such as the Taohuayuan Ancient Building Complex, the ruins of Zaoshi, and the city site of Suoxian in the Han Dynasty. There are 2 national-level nature reserves and 3 provincial-level scenic (tourist resort) areas.
Changde’s comprehensive strength ranks in the forefront of Hunan, and its total economic volume remains in the top three of Hunan for years. It belongs to the heartland of central China’s economic rising, and is a prime location for the transfer of industries from the developed eastern coastal areas to the central and western parts of China.
Changde has a profound history. The archaeological discovery at the Chengtoushan Ruins Site proves that there were human activities as far back as the Neolithic Age, more than 9,000 years ago. Changde features colorful folk customs such as Taoyuan catching-turtle dance, Changde root carving, Xiangbei drum, etc. It also possesses 7 national-level intangible heritage items like Changde High-pitched Tunes and Changde Silk String, 20 provincial-level intangible heritage items such as Taoyuan wood carving and Tujia mourning dance, 51 municipal-level intangible heritage items like wizard dance, and 210 county-level intangible heritage items including three-stick drum and Changde Lei Cha.
As an important agricultural production base in China and a main agricultural supplier for the Greater Bay Area, Changde enjoys the reputation of “the land of fish and rice in Dongting Lake area”. Its production of grain, cotton, oil, fruits, pork and fresh fish ranks among the top in the province. Changde boasts a number of agro-products under national geographical indications protection, including Changde spicy salted duck, Hanshou lotus root and Hanshou turtle.
