Changsha 长沙 is the capital of Hunan Province which is located in the south central part of China.The city of Changsha is located near the Xiang River which originates from the Yangtze River.It covers an area of ​​11,819 km2.Changsha City is a center of industry and culture in an agricultural region.Several factories are located there and they manufacture a wide variety of products such as machine tools, aluminum, food products, mainly rice, chemicals, electronic equipment and embroidered textiles.The city is twinned with the Belgian city of Mons.Changsha's population was estimated in 2010 at 7,044,118.The main ethnic group residing in the region where the city of Changsha is located are the Han.But other ethnic groups such as the Tujia, the Miao, the Dong and the Yao also occupy the region.But Changsha being an important commercial hub of the region, the population of Changsha is very heterogeneous.We can cite the example of street vendors who come from Muslim provinces such as Xinjiang.The history of Changsha City dates back over 3000 years.Relics of tombs that date back to ancient times are evidence of the existence of the activities of the first men in the region.During the period between 770-476 BC, the city had an important role within the State of Chu, because at that time, China was still divided into 7 warring states, before until Emperor Qin proceeds to its unification.During the reign of the first Qin feudal emperor in China, the city of Changshu was organized as a county and it was later transformed into a state capital during the reign of the Han Dynasty.There are still vestiges in Changsha dating from this period, such as the site containing tombs, called Mawangdui, which is a family cemetery built in the eastern suburbs of the city.A mummified body of a woman in a remarkable state of preservation found in the tombs is undoubtedly the most fantastic relic of the history of the region.Finds from the site include silk products, paintings, lacquerware, pottery, bamboo slips used for writing, weapons and herbs.These relics are on public display in the Hunan Provincial Museum.Among the vestiges which the city contains, one can also quote the sites which contain old tombs, temples and religious buildings.Changsha City was previously known as Qingyang.It was then the capital of the kingdom of Chu from 481 to 221 BC and the name of the city was at that time Tanchow.From the year 1644, during the Qing Dynasty, it was established as the capital of Hunan Province, and was a major rice market.Changsha City withstood assaults during the Taiping Rebellion and never fell to the attackers.This revolt had occurred between 1851 and 1864.Changsha was also the witness of Mao Zedong's conversion to communism and it was in this city that the communist movement was born.Mao Zedong was born in Shaoshan, a village which is located about 130 km southwest of Changsha.He studied for a few years at Changsha Shifan School.And he even met his first wife, Yang Kaihui, who was killed by the National Party in Changsha itself.During the war between China and Japan from 1937 to 1945, great battles took place in the city of Changsha.Reconstruction works have been started in the city and it is currently an important inland port and a commercial and industrial center.Among the tourist sites to discover in the city of Changsha, we can speak of the Hunan Province Museum whose foundation dates back to the 1950s and which was built near Lieshi Park.The Tianxin Walls also hold a memorable history that dates back many years.A fire destroyed these ramparts in 1938 and forty five years later, in 1983, the people of Changsha proceeded to rebuild the ramparts in their original location.The tourists can discover there a superb pavilion which rises on three floors and is maintained by five columns.Orange Island is located in the center of the Xiang River and its total area is 6 km2.There is an avenue lined with trees that is an idyllic place to take a walk, and at the very end of the path stands a giant sculpture of the head of the first president of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong.Each year, a musical event, "Orange Island International Jazz Festival", is organized on the island of Orange, during which various artists perform.Residents of Changsha City also like to spend their free time on Yuelu Mountain.In addition, the city is home to the world's largest restaurant, "West Lake" restaurant 西湖楼 (Xihulou).Changsha City will also soon be the site of the world's tallest tower, which is currently under construction.This tower is the Sky City building, whose promoter is the company Broad Sustainable Building, will be more than 838 meters high and will thus exceed by 10 meters the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which culminates at 828 meters.Prefabricated elements are used for the construction of this future tallest tower in the world and the works were to last 7 months in total.The land where this tower will be built was previously swamps.The city of Chansha has an airport.Changsha Huanghua Airport is built 25 km from the city center.Tourists can take shuttles that connect the airport and the city in a maximum of 50 minutes.A TGV traveling between Shanghai and Changsha takes 8 hours to connect these two cities.Other means of transport such as buses and taxis serve the city extensively and metro lines are currently under construction.Changsha is the birthplace of: