| Hunan | |
| Native Name: | Chinese: 湖南 |
| Settlement Type: | Province |
| Translit Lang1: | Name |
| Translit Lang1 Info: | Chinese: 湖南省 |
| Translit Lang1 Info1: | HN / |
| Image Map1: | Hunan in China (+all claims hatched).svg |
| Mapsize: | 275px |
| Map Alt: | Map showing the location of Hunan Province |
| Map Caption1: | Map showing the location of Hunan Province |
| Coordinates: | 28.1127°N 112.9834°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | China |
| Named For: | , lake , south "South of the lake" |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Changsha |
| Parts Type: | Divisions |
| Parts Style: | para |
| P1: | 14 prefectures |
| P2: | 122 counties |
| P3: | 1,933 townships (2018) |
| P4: | 29,224 villages (2018) |
| Government Type: | Province |
| Governing Body: | Hunan Provincial People's Congress |
| Leader Title: | CCP Secretary |
| Leader Name: | Shen Xiaoming |
| Leader Title1: | Congress chairman |
| Leader Name1: | Shen Xiaoming |
| Leader Title2: | Governor |
| Leader Name2: | Mao Weiming |
| Leader Title3: | CPPCC chairman |
| Leader Name3: | Mao Wanchun |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 210000 |
| Area Rank: | 10th |
| Elevation Max M: | 2115.2 |
| Elevation Max Point: | Mount Lingfeng |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 66,444,864 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Rank: | 7th |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Rank: | 13th |
| Demographics Type1: | Demographics |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Ethnic composition |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Han – 90% Tujia – 4% Miao – 3% Dong – 1% Yao – 1% Other peoples – 1% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Languages and dialects |
| Demographics1 Info2: | Chinese varieties: Xiang, Gan, Southwestern Mandarin, Xiangnan Tuhua, Waxiang, Hakka, Yue Non-Chinese languages: Xong, Tujia, Mien, Gam |
| Demographics Type2: | GDP [3] |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics2 Info1: | CN¥ 5,001 billion (9th) US$ 710 billion |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Per capita |
| Demographics2 Info2: | CN¥ 75,938 (14th) US$ 10,776 |
| Iso Code: | CN-HN |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 0.762[4] · 15th |
| Website: | |
| Official Name: | Province of Hunan |
| Population Demonym: | Hunanese |
| Pic: | Hunan (Chinese characters).svg |
| Piccap: | "Hunan" in Chinese characters |
| Picupright: | 0.425 |
| L: | "South of the (Dongting) Lake" |
| P: | Húnán |
| Bpmf: | ㄏㄨˊ ㄋㄢˊ |
| W: | Hu2-nan2 |
| Wuu: | Wu去 noe平 |
| J: | Wu4-naam4 |
| Y: | Wùh-nàahm |
| Tl: | Ôo-lâm |
| Hsn: | pronounced as /hsn/[5] |
| Showflag: | hsn |
| Order: | st |
Hunan is an inland province of China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Guangdong and Guangxi to the south, Guizhou to the west, and Chongqing to the northwest. Its capital and largest city is Changsha, which abuts the Xiang River. Hengyang, Zhuzhou, and Yueyang are among its most populous urban cities. With a population of just over 66 million residing in an area of approximately 210000km2, it is China's 7th most populous province, the fourth most populous among landlocked provinces, the second most populous in South Central China after Guangdong and the most populous province in Central China. It is the largest province in South-Central China, the fourth largest among landlocked provinces, and the 10th most extensive province by area.
Hunan's nominal GDP was US$724 billion (CNY 4.6 trillion) as of 2021, appearing in the world's top 20 largest sub-national economies, with its GDP (PPP) being over US$1.1 trillion.[6] [7] Hunan is the 9th-largest provincial economy of China, the fourth largest in South Central China, the third largest in Central China and the fourth largest among landlocked provinces. Its GDP (nominal) per capita exceeded US$10,900 (69,300 CNY), making it the third-richest province in the South Central China region after Guangdong and Hubei. As of 2020, Hunan's GDP (nominal) reached 605 billion US dollars (CNY 4.18 trillion),[8] [9] exceeding that of Poland, with a GDP of US$596 billion and Thailand, with a GDP of US$501 billion, the 22nd and 25th largest in the world respectively.[10]
The name Hunan literally means "south of the lake".[11] The lake that is referred to is Dongting Lake, a lake in the northeast of the province. Vehicle license plates from Hunan are marked, after the Xiang River, which runs from south to north through Hunan and forms part of the largest drainage system for the province. The area of Hunan was under Chinese rule as far back as 350 BC. Hunan was the birthplace of communist revolutionary Mao Zedong,[12] who became the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and the founding father of the People's Republic of China. Hunan today is home to some ethnic minorities, including the Tujia and Miao, along with the Han Chinese, who make up a majority of the population. Varieties of Chinese spoken include Xiang, Gan and Southwestern Mandarin.
Wulingyuan was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.[13] Changsha, the capital, is located in the eastern part of the province; it is now an important commercial, manufacturing and transportation centre.[14] The busiest airports serve domestic and international flights for Hunan, including Changsha Huanghua International Airport, Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport and Changde Taohuayuan Airport.[15] Hunan is the seat of the Yuelu Academy (later become Hunan University), which is one of the four major academies over the last 1000 years in ancient China.[16] As of 2023, Hunan hosts 137 institutions of higher education, ranking fifth among all Chinese provinces .[17] In 2017, two major cities in Hunan (Changsha and Xiangtan) ranked in the top 500 cities in the world by scientific research output, as tracked by the Nature Index.
Hunan's primeval forests were first occupied by the ancestors of the modern Miao, Tujia, Dong and Yao peoples. The province entered written Chinese history around 350 BC, when the province became part of the Zhou dynasty. After Qin conquered the Chu in 278 BC, the region came under the control of Qin, and then the Changsha Kingdom during the Han dynasty. At this time, and for hundreds of years thereafter, the province was a magnet for settlement of Han Chinese from the north, who displaced and assimilated the original indigenous inhabitants, cleared forests and began farming rice in the valleys and plains.[18] The agricultural colonization of the lowlands was carried out in part by the Han people, which managed river dikes to protect farmland from floods.[19] To this day, many of the small villages in Hunan are named after the Han families who settled there. Migration from the north was especially prevalent during the Eastern Jin dynasty, Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern dynasties periods, when the north was mostly ruled by non-Han ethnic groups (Five Barbarians) and in perpetual disorder.
During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Hunan was home to its own independent regime, Ma Chu.
Hunan and Hubei became a part of the province of Huguang until the Qing dynasty. Hunan province was created in 1664 from Huguang, renamed to its current name in 1723.
Hunan became an important communications center due to its position on the Yangzi River. It was an important centre of scholarly activity and Confucian thought, particularly in the Yuelu Academy in Changsha. It was also on the Imperial Highway constructed between northern and southern China. The land produced grain so abundantly that it fed many parts of China with its surpluses. The population continued to climb until, by the nineteenth century, Hunan became overcrowded and prone to peasant uprisings. Some of the uprisings, such as the ten-year Miao Rebellion of 1795–1806, were caused by ethnic tensions. The Taiping Rebellion began in the south in Guangxi Province in 1850. The rebellion spread into Hunan and then further eastward along the Yangzi River valley. Ultimately, it was a Hunanese army (Xiang Army) under Zeng Guofan who marched into Nanjing to put down the uprising in 1864.
In 1920, a famine raged throughout Hunan and killed an estimated 2 million Hunanese civilians.[20] This sparked the Autumn Harvest Uprising of 1927. It was led by Hunanese native Mao Zedong, and established a short-lived Hunan Soviet in 1927. The Communists maintained a guerrilla army in the mountains along the Hunan-Jiangxi border until 1934. Under pressure from the Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) forces, they began the Long March to bases in Shaanxi Province. After the departure of the Communists, the KMT army fought against the Japanese in the second Sino-Japanese war. Four different battles were fought against the Japanese at Changsha, the Battle of Changsha (1939), Battle of Changsha (1941), Battle of Changsha (1941–1942) and Battle of Changsha (1944), They defended Changsha until it fell in 1944,. China also fought the Battle of Changde and Battle of Hengyang against Japan there. Japan launched Operation Ichigo, a plan to control the railroad from Wuchang to Guangzhou (Yuehan Railway). Japan later lost the Battle of West Hunan in 1945.Hunan was relatively unscathed by the civil war that followed the defeat of the Japanese in 1945. In 1949, the Communists returned once more as the Nationalists retreated southward.
In addition to CCP Chairman Mao Zedong, a number of other first-generation communist leaders were also from Hunan: Chinese President Liu Shaoqi; CCP Secretaries-General Ren Bishi and Hu Yaobang; Marshals Peng Dehuai, He Long, and Luo Ronghuan; Wang Zhen, one of the Eight Elders; Xiang Jingyu, the first female member of the CCP's central committee; Senior General Huang Kecheng; and veteran diplomat Lin Boqu. An example of a more recent leader from Hunan is former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji.
See main article: Geography of Hunan. Hunan is located on the south bank of the Yangtze River, about halfway along its length, situated between 108° 47'–114° 16' east longitude and 24° 37'–30° 08' north latitude. Hunan covers an area of 211800km2, making it the 10th largest provincial-level division. The east, south and west sides of the province are surrounded by mountains and hills, such as the Wuling Mountains to the northwest, the Xuefeng Mountains to the west, the Nanling Mountains to the south, and the Luoxiao Mountains to the east. Mountains and hills occupy more than 80% of the province, and plains less than 20%. At 2115.2 meters above sea level, the highest point in Hunan province is Lingfeng (Chinese: 酃峰).[21] [22] [23]
The Xiang, the Zi, the Yuan and the Lishui Rivers converge on the Yangtze River at Lake Dongting in the north of Hunan. The center and northern parts are somewhat low and a U-shaped basin, open in the north and with Lake Dongting as its center. Most of Hunan lies in the basins of four major tributaries of the Yangtze River.
Lake Dongting is the largest lake in the province and the second largest freshwater lake of China.
The Xiaoxiang area and Lake Dongting figure prominently in Chinese poetry and paintings, particularly during the Song dynasty when they were associated with officials who had been unjustly dismissed.[24]
Changsha (which means "long sands") was an active ceramics district during the Tang dynasty, its tea bowls, ewers and other products mass-produced and shipped to China's coastal cities for export abroad. An Arab dhow dated to the 830s and today known as the Belitung Shipwreck was discovered off the small island of Belitung, Indonesia with more than 60,000 pieces in its cargo. The salvaged cargo is today housed in nearby Singapore.
Hunan's climate is subtropical, and, under the Köppen climate classification, is classified as being humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa), with short, cool, damp winters, very hot and humid summers, and plenty of rainfall. January temperatures average 3°C8°C while July temperatures average around 27°C30°C. Average annual precipitation is 1200to.The Furongian Epoch in the Cambrian Period of geological time is named for Hunan; Furong (Chinese: {{linktext|芙蓉) means "lotus" in Mandarin and refers to Hunan which is known as the "lotus state".[25]
See main article: List of administrative divisions of Hunan.
Hunan is divided into fourteen prefecture-level divisions: thirteen prefecture-level cities and an autonomous prefecture:
| Administrative divisions of Hunan | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division code[26] | Division | Area in km2[27] | Population 2010[28] | Seat | Divisions[29] | ||||
| Districts | Counties | Aut. counties | CL cities | ||||||
| 430000 | Hunan Province | 210,000.00 | 65,683,722 | Changsha city | 36 | 61 | 7 | 18 | |
| 430100 | Changsha city | 11,819.46 | 7,044,118 | 6 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 430200 | Zhuzhou city | 11,262.20 | 3,855,609 | 5 | 3 | 1 | |||
| 430300 | Xiangtan city | 5,006.46 | 2,748,552 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 430400 | Hengyang city | 15,302.78 | 7,141,462 | 5 | 5 | 2 | |||
| 430500 | Shaoyang city | 20,829.63 | 7,071,826 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 430600 | Yueyang city | 14,897.88 | 5,477,911 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |||
| 430700 | Changde city | 18,177.18 | 5,747,218 | 2 | 6 | 1 | |||
| 430800 | Zhangjiajie city | 9,516.03 | 1,476,521 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| 430900 | Yiyang city | 12,325.16 | 4,313,084 | 2 | 3 | 1 | |||
| 431000 | Chenzhou city | 19,317.33 | 4,581,778 | 2 | 8 | 1 | |||
| 431100 | Yongzhou city | 22,255.31 | 5,180,235 | 2 | 8 | 1 | |||
| 431200 | Huaihua city | 27,562.72 | 4,741,948 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | ||
| 431300 | Loudi city | 8,107.61 | 3,785,627 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 433100 | Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture | 15,462.30 | 2,547,833 | Jishou city | 7 | 1 | |||
| Administrative divisions in Chinese and varieties of romanizations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Xiang Romanization | |
| Hunan Province | Chinese: 湖南省 | Húnán Shěng | fu12 nan12 sǝn2 | |
| Changsha city | Chinese: 长沙市 | Chángshā Shì | c̣an2 sa11 ṣî32 | |
| Zhuzhou city | Chinese: 株洲市 | Zhūzhōu Shì | ćy11 c̣ôu11 ṣî32 | |
| Xiangtan city | Chinese: 湘潭市 | Xiāngtán Shì | ? ? ṣî32 | |
| Hengyang city | Chinese: 衡阳市 | Héngyáng Shì | xǝn12 ian12 ṣî32 | |
| Shaoyang city | Chinese: 邵阳市 | Shàoyáng Shì | ? ian12 ṣî32 | |
| Yueyang city | Chinese: 岳阳市 | Yuèyáng Shì | io4 ian12 ṣî32 | |
| Changde city | Chinese: 常德市 | Chángdé Shì | ? tô4 ṣî32 | |
| Zhangjiajie city | Chinese: 张家界市 | Zhāngjiājiè Shì | ? ćia11 kai31 ṣî32 | |
| Yiyang city | Chinese: 益阳市 | Yìyáng Shì | i4 ian12 ṣî32 | |
| Chenzhou city | Chinese: 郴州市 | Chēnzhōu Shì | ? c̣ôu11 ṣî32 | |
| Yongzhou city | Chinese: 永州市 | Yǒngzhōu Shì | yn2 c̣ôu11 ṣî32 | |
| Huaihua city | Chinese: 怀化市 | Huáihuà Shì | fai12 fa31 ṣî32 | |
| Loudi city | Chinese: 娄底市 | Lóudǐ Shì | ? ti2 ṣî32 | |
| Chinese: 湘西自治州 | Xiāngxī Zìzhìzhōu | ? si11 ci31 c̣î31 c̣ôu11 | ||
The fourteen prefecture-level divisions of Hunan are subdivided into 122 county-level divisions (35 districts, 17 county-level cities, 63 counties, 7 autonomous counties). Those are in turn divided into 2587 township-level divisions (1098 towns, 1158 townships, 98 ethnic townships, 225 subdistricts, and eight district public offices). At the year end of 2017, the total population is 68.6 million.http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2018/indexch.htm
| Population by urban areas of prefecture & county cities | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | Urban area | District area | City proper[30] | Census date | ||
| 1 | Changsha | 2,963,218 | 3,092,213 | 7,040,952 | 2010-11-01 | |
| (1) | Changsha | 230,136 | 523,660 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 2 | Hengyang | 1,115,645 | 1,133,967 | 7,148,344 | 2010-11-01 | |
| 3 | Zhuzhou | 999,404 | 1,055,150 | 3,857,100 | 2010-11-01 | |
| (3) | Zhuzhou | 94,326 | 383,598 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 4 | Yueyang | 924,099 | 1,231,509 | 5,476,084 | 2010-11-01 | |
| 5 | Xiangtan | 903,287 | 960,303 | 2,752,171 | 2010-11-01 | |
| 6 | Changde | 846,308 | 1,457,419 | 5,714,623 | 2010-11-01 | |
| 7 | Yiyang | 697,607 | 1,245,517 | 4,307,933 | 2010-11-01 | |
| 8 | Liuyang | 588,081 | 1,279,469 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 9 | Chenzhou | 582,971 | 822,534 | 4,583,531 | 2010-11-01 | |
| 10 | Shaoyang | 574,527 | 753,194 | 7,071,735 | 2010-11-01 | |
| 11 | Yongzhou | 540,930 | 1,020,715 | 5,194,275 | 2010-11-01 | |
| (12) | Ningxiang | 498,055 | 1,166,138 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 13 | Leiyang | 476,173 | 1,151,554 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 14 | Huaihua | 472,687 | 552,622 | 4,741,673 | 2010-11-01 | |
| 15 | Liling | 449,067 | 947,387 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 16 | Loudi | 425,037 | 496,744 | 3,784,634 | 2010-11-01 | |
| 17 | Changning | 332,927 | 810,447 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 18 | Miluo | 321,074 | 692,080 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 19 | Yuanjiang | 281,097 | 666,270 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 20 | Zhangjiajie | 250,489 | 494,528 | 1,478,149 | 2010-11-01 | |
| 21 | Lianyuan | 245,360 | 995,515 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 22 | Lengshuijiang | 238,275 | 327,146 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 23 | Linxiang | 225,054 | 498,319 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 24 | Zixing | 215,707 | 337,294 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 25 | Jishou | 212,328 | 302,065 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 26 | Xiangxiang | 210,799 | 788,216 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 27 | Hongjiang | 197,753 | 477,996 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 28 | Wugang | 187,436 | 734,870 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 29 | Jinshi | 156,230 | 250,898 | 2010-11-01 | ||
| 30 | Shaoshan | 27,613 | 86,036 | 2010-11-01 | ||
See main article: Politics of Hunan, List of provincial leaders of the People's Republic of China and Hunan Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. The politics of Hunan is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in mainland China.
The Governor of Hunan is the highest-ranking official in the People's Government of Hunan. However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor has less power than the Hunan Chinese Communist Party Provincial Committee Secretary, colloquially termed the "Hunan CCP Party Chief".
As of the mid-19th century, Hunan exported rhubarb, musk, honey, tobacco, hemp, and birds.[31] The Lake Dongting area is an important center of ramie production, and Hunan is also an important center of tea cultivation. Aside from agricultural products, in recent years Hunan has grown to become an important center for steel, machinery and electronics production, especially as China's manufacturing sector moves away from coastal provinces such as Guangdong and Zhejiang.[32]
The Lengshuijiang area is noted for its stibnite mines, and is one of the major centers of antimony extraction in China.[33]
Hunan is also well known for a few global makers of construction equipment such as concrete pumps, cranes, etc. These companies include Sany Group, Zoomlion and Sunward. Sany is one of the world's major players. The city of Liuyang is the world's top center for manufacturing fireworks.[34]
Hunan is the 9th-largest provincial economy of China, the third largest in the Central China region after Henan and Hubei, the fourth largest in the South Central China region after Guangdong, Henan and Hubei and the fourth largest among inland provinces after Henan, Sichuan and Hubei. As of 2021, Hunan's nominal GDP was US$724 billion (CNY 4.6 trillion), appearing in the world's top 20 largest sub-national economies with its GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) being over US$1.1 trillion, and its GDP (nominal) per capita exceeded US$10,900 (69,300 CNY), making it the 2nd richest in the Central China region after Hubei and the 3rd richest in South Central China region after Guangdong and Hubei.
As of 2020, Hunan's GDP (nominal) was US$605 billion, making it larger than the economies of Poland (the 22nd biggest in the world), Thailand (the 2nd largest in ASEAN), and Nigeria (the largest in Africa).
| align=center colspan=10 | Historical GDP of Hunan Province for 1952 –present (SNA2008)[35] (purchasing power parity of Chinese Yuan, as Int'l. dollar based on IMF WEO October 2017[36]) | |||||||||
| align=center rowspan=3 | year | align=center colspan=4 | GDP | align=center colspan=3 | GDP per capita (GDPpc) based on mid-year population | align=center colspan=2 | Reference index | |||
| align=center colspan=3 | GDP in millions | align=center rowspan=2 | real growth (%) | align=center colspan=3 | GDPpc | align=center colspan=2 | exchange rate 1 foreign currency to CNY | |||
| CNY | USD | PPP (Int'l$.) | CNY | USD | PPP (Int'l$.) | USD 1 | Int'l$. 1 (PPP) | |||
| 2016 | 3,155,137 | 475,007 | 901,236 | 8.0 | 46,382 | 6,983 | 13,249 | 6.6423 | 3.5009 | |
| 2015 | 2,917,217 | 468,373 | 821,867 | 8.5 | 43,157 | 6,929 | 12,159 | 6.2284 | 3.5495 | |
| 2014 | 2,728,177 | 444,126 | 768,414 | 9.5 | 40,635 | 6,615 | 11,445 | 6.1428 | 3.5504 | |
| 2013 | 2,483,465 | 400,999 | 694,307 | 10.1 | 37,263 | 6,017 | 10,418 | 6.1932 | 3.5769 | |
| 2012 | 2,233,833 | 353,875 | 629,107 | 11.4 | 33,758 | 5,348 | 9,507 | 6.3125 | 3.5508 | |
| 2011 | 1,981,655 | 306,815 | 565,299 | 12.8 | 30,103 | 4,661 | 8,587 | 6.4588 | 3.5055 | |
| 2010 | 1,615,325 | 238,618 | 487,925 | 14.6 | 24,897 | 3,678 | 7,520 | 6.7695 | 3.3106 | |
| 2009 | 1,315,627 | 192,597 | 416,667 | 13.9 | 20,579 | 3,013 | 6,517 | 6.8310 | 3.1575 | |
| 2008 | 1,162,761 | 167,422 | 366,016 | 14.1 | 18,261 | 2,629 | 5,748 | 6.9451 | 3.1768 | |
| 2007 | 948,599 | 124,750 | 314,637 | 15.1 | 14,942 | 1,965 | 4,956 | 7.6040 | 3.0149 | |
| 2006 | 772,232 | 96,870 | 268,350 | 12.8 | 12,192 | 1,529 | 4,237 | 7.9718 | 2.8777 | |
| 2005 | 662,345 | 80,856 | 231,670 | 12.2 | 10,606 | 1,295 | 3,710 | 8.1917 | 2.8590 | |
| 2000 | 355,149 | 42,901 | 130,603 | 9.0 | 5,425 | 655 | 1,995 | 8.2784 | 2.7193 | |
| 1995 | 213,213 | 25,531 | 78,117 | 10.3 | 3,359 | 402 | 1,231 | 8.3510 | 2.7294 | |
| 1990 | 74,444 | 15,564 | 43,724 | 4.0 | 1,228 | 257 | 721 | 4.7832 | 1.7026 | |
| 1985 | 34,995 | 11,917 | 24,966 | 12.1 | 626 | 213 | 447 | 2.9366 | 1.4017 | |
| 1980 | 19,172 | 12,795 | 12,820 | 5.2 | 365 | 244 | 244 | 1.4984 | 1.4955 | |
| 1975 | 11,840 | 6,366 | 10.3 | 239 | 129 | 1.8598 | ||||
| 1970 | 9,305 | 3,780 | 17.6 | 211 | 86 | 2.4618 | ||||
| 1965 | 6,532 | 2,653 | 13.2 | 170 | 69 | 2.4618 | ||||
| 1960 | 6,407 | 2,603 | -1.0 | 176 | 71 | 2.4618 | ||||
| 1955 | 3,583 | 1,376 | 18.5 | 104 | 40 | 2.6040 | ||||
| 1952 | 2,781 | 1,251 | 86 | 39 | 2.2227 |
The Changsha National Economic and Technology Development Zone was founded in 1992. It is located east of Changsha. The total planned area is 38.6km2 and the current area is 14km2. Near the zone is National Highways G319 and G107 as well as Jingzhu Highway. Besides that, it is very close to the downtown and the railway station. The distance between the zone and the airport is 8km (05miles). The major industries in the zone include high-tech industry, biology project technology and new material industry.[37]
Approved by the State Council, Chenzhou Export processing Zone (CEPZ) was established in 2005 and is the only export processing zone in Hunan province. The scheduled production area of CEPZ covers 3km2. The industrial positioning of CEPZ is to concentrate on developing export-oriented hi-tech industries, including electronic information, precision machinery, and new-type materials. The zone has good infrastructure, and the enterprises inside could enjoy the preferential policies of tax-exemption, tax-guarantee and tax-refunding. By the end of the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan", the CEPZ achieved a total export and import volume of over US$1 billion and provided more than 50,000 jobs. It aimed to be one of the first-class export processing zones in China.[38]
Zhuzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was founded in 1992. Its total planned area is 35km2. It is very close to National Highway G320. The major industries in the zone include biotechnology, food processing and heavy industry. In 2007, the park signed a cooperation contract with Beijing Automobile Industry, one of the largest auto makers in China, which will set up a manufacturing base in Zhuzhou HTP.[39]
As of the 2000 census, the population of Hunan is 64,400,700 consisting of forty-one ethnic groups. Its population grew 6.17% (3,742,700) from its 1990 levels. According to the census, 89.79% (57,540,000) identified themselves as Han Chinese and 10.21% (6,575,300) as minority groups. The minority groups are Tujia, Miao, Dong, Yao, Bai, Hui, Zhuang, Uyghurs and so on.
In Hunan, ethnic minority languages are spoken in the following prefectures.
Qo Xiong language, Tujia language
Qo Xiong language, Dong language, Hm Nai language, Hmu language
Maojia language, Hm Nai language, Pa-Hng language, Badong Yao language
Mien language, Biao Min language
Around 5,000 Uyghurs live around Taoyuan County and other parts of Changde.[40] [41] [42] [43] Hui and Uyghurs have intermarried in this area.[44] [45] [46] In addition to eating pork, the Uygurs of Changde practice other Han Chinese customs, like ancestor worship at graves. Some Uyghurs from Xinjiang visit the Hunan Uyghurs out of curiosity or interest.[47] The Uyghurs of Hunan do not speak the Uyghur language, instead, Mandarin Chinese is spoken as their native language.[48]
See also: Christianity in Hunan. The predominant religions in Hunan are Chinese Buddhism, Taoist traditions and Chinese folk religions. According to surveys conducted in 2007 and 2009, 20.19% of the population believes and is involved in ancestor veneration, while 0.77% of the population identifies as Christian. The reports didn't give figures for other types of religion; 79.04% of the population may be either irreligious or involved in worship of nature deities, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, folk religious sects.
In 2010, there are 118.799 Muslims in Hunan[49]
Being the educational and political in the late Qing Era, Hunan became the center of revolution and reformation, and it was the birthplace of many famous Chinese scholars, politicians, and generals, including the most influential and controversial figure of China in the 20th century, Mao Zedong.
See main article: Culture of Hunan. As of 2022, Hunan's culture and related industries achieved an added value of CN¥250.65 billion (US$37.27 billion), accounting for 5.27% of the province's GDP. Among them, the added value of cultural services was CN¥150.20 billion (US$22.33 billion), the added value of cultural manufacturing was CN¥78.28 billion (US$11.64 billion), the added value of cultural wholesale and retail was CN¥22.17 billion (US$3.30 billion).[50]
In 2023, there are 655 art groups, 149 mass art galleries and cultural centers, 148 public libraries, 180 museums and memorial halls, 108 radio and television stations, 5.853 million cable TV users, and 27.441 million fiber optic Internet broadband users all connected to cable TV. The comprehensive population coverage rate of radio is 99.43%, and the comprehensive population coverage rate of television is 99.77%. There are 137 national intangible cultural heritage protection lists and 410 provincial intangible cultural heritage protection lists. 12,078 books, 235 periodicals, and 44 newspapers have been published, with a total print run of 590 million books, 80 million periodicals, and 500 million newspapers.
Hunan is a region with complex dialects. The dialects in the province include Xiang, Southwestern Mandarin, Gan, Hakka, and some local dialects whose identities have not yet been determined, such as Xiangnan Tuhua and Waxiang dialect. In areas where ethnic minorities live, many people can speak their own ethnic language and communicate in Chinese.
Hunanese cuisine is noted for its near-ubiquitous use of chili peppers, garlic, and shallots. These ingredients give rise to a distinctive dry-and-spicy taste,[51] with dishes such as smoked cured ham and stir-fried spicy beef being prime examples of the flavor.[51]
Huaguxi is a local form of Chinese opera that is very popular in Hunan province.
Located in the south central part of the Chinese mainland, Hunan has long been known for its natural environment. It is surrounded by mountains on the east, west, and south, and by the Yangtze River on the north. For thousands of years, the region has been a major center of agriculture, growing rice, tea, and oranges. China's first all glass suspension bridge was also opened in Hunan, in Shiniuzhai National Geological Park.[52]
See also: List of universities and colleges in Hunan. As of 2023, Hunan hosts 137 institutions of higher education, ranking fifth together with Sichuan (137) among all Chinese provinces after Jiangsu (168), Henan (168), Guangdong (162), and Shandong (156).[17] [54] Hunan is also the seat of 12 adult higher education institutions.[55] Two major cities in Hunan (Changsha and Xiangtan) were ranked in the top 500 cities in the world by scientific research output, as tracked by the Nature Index in 2017.[56] There are three national key universities under Project 985 (Hunan University, Central South University and the National University of Defense Technology) in Hunan, the third highest after Beijing and Shanghai. Hunan Normal University in Changsha is the key construction university of the national 211 Project, and Xiangtan University in Xiangtan is a key university jointly built by Hunan Province and the Ministry of Education and a member of national Project 111. These five national key universities are included in the Double First-Class Construction of Hunan Province. As of 2024, they are ranked among the top 500 globally by the Nature Index. Among them, Hunan University and Central South University are in the top 50.[57]
Hunan University and Central South University are the only two Project 985 universities in Changsha, Hunan to appear in the world's top 200 of the Academic Ranking of World Universities and the U.S. News & World Report Best Global University Ranking.[58] [59] Hunan Normal University, the National University of Defense and Technology and Changsha University of Science and Technology located in Changsha, were ranked in the world's top 701 of the Academic Ranking of World Universities.[59]
Hunan Agricultural University in Changsha, the University of South China in Hengyang, Hunan University of Technology in Zhuzhou and Xiangtan University in Xiangtan were ranked in the top 801-900 globally by the Academic Ranking of World Universities.[60] [61] [62] [63] Hunan University of Science and Technology in Xiangtan and Central South University of Forestry and Technology in Changsha were ranked number 988 and number 1429 respectively in the 2022 Best Global Universities by the U.S. News & World Report Best Global University Ranking.[64] As of 2023, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine in Changsha ranked the best in the Central China region and 26th nationwide among Chinese Medical Universities.[65]
There are several airports in Hunan provinces, including Changsha Huanghua International Airport, Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport, Changde Taohuayuan Airport, Chenzhou Beihu Airport, Huaihua Zhijiang Airport, Shaoyang Wugang Airport, Yongzhou Lingling Airport, and Yueyang Sanhe Airport. The busiest airports serve domestic and international flights for Hunan, including Changsha Huanghua International Airport, Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport and Changde Taohuayuan Airport. Notably, as of 2021, Changsha Huanghua International Airport was one of the 50 busiest airports in the world,[66] the 12th busiest civil airport in China, the second busiest in South Central China after Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and the busiest in Central China.[15]
The Beijing–Guangzhou high-speed railway passes through Hunan.
See also: Helong Sports Center Stadium.
Professional sports teams in Hunan include: