Brief Introduction To Hunan Province

    Geography: Hunan Province is a landlocked province covering an area of 210,500 sq km (81,274 square miles). A major rice-producing area, Hunan is situated to the south of the Yangtze River Basin. The name of Hunan is formed from the Chinese words hu ("lake") and nan ("south"), meaning the land to the south of the Dongting Lake, stretching from Shashi, Hubei Province to Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province. Hunan's population is estimated at 38,000,000. The capital and most important city of the province is Changsha, situated in the east, on the banks of Xiangjiang River.

    Although the industrial sector has been developed since 1949, Hunan's economy remains largely agricultural. It ranks third among China's provinces in rice production; two crops are grown in the south a year. From the earlier decades of the 20th century, Hunan was a center of revolutionary activity; it was the birthplace of many Chinese Communist leaders, among them the most outstanding is Mao Zedong, a founder of the People's Republic of China.

    History: From 350 to 221 BC, Hunan formed the southernmost extension of the state of Chu. From 221 to 206 BC, Hunan was under the rule of Qin Dynasty, which subdued contending feudal states and joined them into the first unified state of China, of which Hunan formed part of the central area.

    Relief: More than one-quarter of the terrain lies at a height of more than 1,650 feet, and much of it is well over 3,000 feet above sea level. The highlands in the west run from northeast to southwest, forming the eastward edge of the Guizhou Plateau, whose extension, the Xuefeng Mountains, lies in the heart of the province.

   The Dongting Lake is a broad and shallow lake, consisting of the remnants of a former inland sea, which once filled the entire Yangtze Basin. Its area varies considerably between summer and winter; it acts as a filter and regulator for water draining to the Yangtze.   

    Drainage: Hunan's entire river system drains into the Dongting Lake, with only the exception that one tributary of Lin Stream draining directly into the Yangtze River. The western highlands are drained by the Yuan River and Li River. The Yuan in its upper courses features torrents, fast-flowing in summer, and run through deep gorges, broadening out to wider valleys in their lower courses. Hunan's largest river, the Xiangjiang, originates in the heart of the Nan Ling. Many smaller rivers that originate in the mountains along the eastern border flow westward to join the Xiangjiang in its northward courses.

    Climate: The north generally experiences more extreme weather conditions, both in summer and in winter than the south. In winter, occasional waves of cold front form a high-pressure zone centered over Mongolia sweep southward, damaging tea bushes and fruit trees in northern Hunan. The average minimum temperature in December and January is 6 degrees Centigrade. Summer  is usually long and humid, and temperatures are slightly higher in the north. The average maximum temperature in July and August is 30 degrees Centigrade.

    The north has an average of 260 frost-free days a year, while the south has 300 days. Rainfall is ample, with the maximum precipitation occurring between spring and summer. The total annual rainfall of 1,602 millimeters decreases from south to north. Hunan lies in the path of cyclones that pass from west to east along the Yangtze Basin in summer, bringing with them at times long periods of heavy rain, resulting in extensive flooding of low-lying lands around the Dongting Lake.

    Population: Hunan covers 2 percent of China's landmass, and contains about 5 percent of its population. The Dongting Plain and the main river valleys are where the population is primarily concentrated.

   Ethnic composition and distribution: There are over 1 million members of ethnic groups living in the western highlands. These minority peoples consist of four groups, the Miaos, the Tujia, the Dong, and the Yao. The way of life and economy of the Miao and the Tujia are similar, and the two groups were not differentiated in the 1953 census, when they were officially referred to as Miao. They lived in the west where their economy is based on the cultivation of terraced fields on hills and in narrow valleys. They grow corn on mountain slopes and elsewhere cultivate tung, tea, and galla nuts. Each group has its own distinctive handicrafts, notably embroidery and cross-stitch work. The Dong people live in their own autonomous counties in the extreme southwest, with their centers at Tongdao and Xinhuang. The Yao are widely scattered over the mountainous regions of the south and west.