A Leisurely Wander Around Changsha

Changsha is a city I’m relatively unfamiliar with. I remember only learning about it when a classmate went there for work after we graduated from university. I vaguely remember them bringing some soy-braised pressed duck back to our dorm, and everyone smacking their lips as they ate it. Hahaha, another lovely memory.

Orange Isle

Having landed in Changsha, how could we not go straight to see the great man? So we headed right over to Orange Isle. If you have plenty of time, I’d actually recommend walking straight over there after leaving the island. A stroll along the Xiang River is a pleasure in itself.

Before long, we were standing beneath the great man’s statue. I have to mention that even though it wasn’t a holiday and the weather wasn’t particularly good that day, the place was still packed. We tried every trick we could to squeeze into a gap and get a photo with the great man. Persistence paid off, and we ended up with a few pretty decent shots. Oh, and if you’re bringing a camera, you can use the settings below as a reference (pinched from the guy doing travel photo shoots next to us). They really do give you some great shots.

Food

I’d always heard that Changsha’s stinky tofu was something special, so this trip was the perfect chance to try it. We tried a few places around Wuyi Square and Huangxing Road. Luojia seemed to be the most popular, and it tasted pretty good, but the queues at some places were just too long. There’s really no need to spend ages queuing for stinky tofu in Changsha—you can just walk a little farther and find another shop. Trust me, stinky tofu shops and Chayan Yuese tea shops really are everywhere in Changsha, practically one every couple of steps. Of course, you can try some of the little stalls too; each has its own flavor.

While researching before the trip, I found that Benluobo Hunan Restaurant was pretty well known locally, so of course we weren’t going to miss it. The reviews said the queues were terrible, but luckily we arrived fairly early and got to eat there without queuing. That alone made it taste at least two notches better in my mind. The food came out pretty quickly, and the open kitchen made me feel a little more reassured, but every dish was seriously spicy! Honestly, I really couldn’t handle it. We ended up adding a plate of stir-fried Chinese lettuce, which helped a bit. Still, it’s worth a try. The fried egg slices, spicy stir-fried braised beef, and pickled radish were all pretty good. That pickled radish is a must-order—an absolute lifesaver for taming the heat, far more effective than milk or coconut milk. Highly recommended.

Catching Up with an Old Friend

As I mentioned at the beginning, an old classmate lives in Changsha, so this trip was also a perfect chance to catch up. We chatted about how we’d each been doing, our plans for the future, and so on, and before we knew it, the trip was drawing to a close. It started raining in Changsha as we headed back, almost as if the weather were echoing the end of our trip. If I hadn’t been in a hurry to get home, I’d have loved to find a Chayan Yuese, pull up a chair by the entrance, and sit watching the rain and the people passing by…

Changsha doesn’t really feel like a tourist destination to me. It feels more like a familiar old place where you can settle into the city’s slower pace and catch up with old friends.