Changsha

Lore & Background

In the Qin dynasty, the Changsha Commandery was established, and under the Western Han, the Changsha Kingdom was founded. The Tongguan Kiln during the Tang dynasty produced the world's earliest underglaze porcelain, exported to Western Asia, Africa, and Europe. During the Five Dynasties, Changsha served as the capital of Southern Chu. In the Northern Song, the Yuelu Academy (later Hunan University) was one of the four major private academies over the last 1,000 years.

Reader's Guide

Changsha is now one of the core cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Belt and Road Initiative, a new Chinese first-tier city, and a pioneering area for China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. Known as the 'Construction machinery capital of the world,' its industrial sector includes construction machinery, new materials, automobiles, electronic information, household appliances, and biomedicine. Since the 1990s, Changsha achieved the highest growth rate among China's major cities during the 2000s. It is the birthplace of super hybrid rice, the Tianhe-1 supercomputer, China's first laser 3D printer, and China's first domestic medium-low speed maglev line. Changsha was named the first UNESCO City of Media Arts in China and is home to the Hunan Broadcasting System, the most influential provincial TV station in China.

Did You Know?

• Changsha's name first appeared in the Yi Zhou Shu written in the pre-Qin era.
• The Tongguan Kiln in Changsha during the Tang dynasty produced the world's earliest underglaze porcelain.
• Changsha is known as the 'Construction machinery capital of the world.'
• Changsha was named the first UNESCO City of Media Arts in China.