Hengyang is the second largest city of China’s Hunan Province. It straddles the Xiang River about 160 km south of Changsha, Hunan’s capital.
Hengyang has an area of 15,310 square kilometers and a population of 7,189,500.Hengyang is a busy and growing industrial city and the leading transportation center of Hunan, linking water, rail, and highway routes. Manufactures include chemicals, agricultural and mining equipment, textiles, paper, and processed foods. Lead, zinc, coal, and tin mines are nearby. Its former name was Hengzhou (Hengchow).
Subdivisions
The city is divided into the old and new districts. The latter offer citizens and businesses the chance to move from the bleak and polluted city centre to newly-constructed housing estates.
Yanfeng District
Zhuhui District
Shigu District
Zhengxiang District
Nanyue District
Changning City
Leiyang City
Hengyang County
Hengnan County
Hengshan County
Hengdong County
Qidong County
The city hosts a few parks, most of them paid (entrance fee ranging from 1 to 8 yuan).
Transportation
Highway, State Way and Provincial Way
Hengyang is one of the 45 highway hubs in China. JingZhu Highway (Beijing to Zhuhai) and HengKun Highway (Hengyang to Kunming) intersect here.
State way 107 (to Beijing, to Guangzhou)and 322 (to Kunming) pass the downtown of the city. Two bus terminals locate in the city. One is Hengyang Western Terminal which locates in the downtown and operates provincial lines and intra-metro lines in northern and western directions. Another is LingHu Terminal which operates lines of southern and eastern directions and locates on the edge of the city.
Railway
Hengyang is an important transportation hub in southern China. Two main railway lines intersect at Hengyang, One is Jing Guang line (from Beijing to Guangzhou) and Xiang Gui line (from Hengyang to Nanning). Hengyang railway station is one of the ten largest train stations in China and is recognized as one of the extra-premium level stations.
More than 100 trains pass by and stop at Hengyang Raiway Station, making it one of the busiest stations all over the country and connecting it to most cities of China.
To reach the station, people can take city bus line 1, K1, 7, 16, 18, 25, 24, 27, 36, 37, K38.
Located in the middle reaches of Xiangjiang River and to the south of Mt. Hengshan in Hunan Province, Hengyang is a historically significant city renowned as the ‘Bright Pearl in Southern China.’ It is also known as ‘Wild Goose City’ because flocks of wild geese flying south for the winter have been known to stop there to rest.
Hengyang is the second largest city in Hunan with a population of over seven million. It is an agriculturally prosperous area with an abundance of seafood and rice. It is also very rich in natural resources including coal, zinc and lead. And it is one of the emerging industrial cities in China.
North of Hengyang is the popular tourist area of ‘Nan Yue (southern mountain)’. Its most prominent topographical feature is Mt. Hengshan. Mt. Hengshan is the southern mountain of China’s Five Sacred Mountains and symbolizes the co-existence of Buddhism and Taoism. It is also known as ‘Longevity Mountain’ and is the core scenic spot in the region.
During its thousand years’ history Hengyang has been the birthplace of many famous people. Important historical figures include the poet Du Fu and Han Yu; the inventor of paper making Cai Lun and the revolutionist Luo Ronghuan.
There are five districts, two cities and five counties under Hengyang City’s governance. The districts are Nan Yue; Yan Feng; Zhu Hui; Shi Gu and Zheng Xiang. The cities are Changning and Leiyang. The counties are Hengnan; Hengyang; Hengshan; Hengdong and Qidong. Due to its advantageous location adjacent to Guangdong Province and near the Xiangjiang River, Hengyang City has been a major commercial center since ancient times. It also has excellent transportation systems.
As it is know that Hunan Cuisine is one of the Eight Cuisines in China and you have the great chance to taste Hunan Cuisine in Hengyang City as much as you want. More especially, you would taste the Mt. Hengshan Buddhist Vegetable which is a healthy diet and famous in Hengyang. It is a good combination of various vegetables and contains abundant nutrition. These vegetable dishes are prepared according to strict standards emphasizing color, fragrance, bouquet and presentation.
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[Source: wikipedia, travelchinaguide]