Hunan is where the mountains bite the sky: Zhangjiajie's sandstone pillars, Fenghuang's stilt houses, and a cuisine that made spice a declaration of character. Bold, red, and unforgettable.

What to See

Zhangjiajie is the landscape behind Avatar's floating mountains: three thousand sandstone pillars rising out of the cloud. Take the Bailong elevator up and stand on the cliff walks above a sea of cloud — you'll feel very small, in the best way.

Fenghuang hugs the Tuo River, its stilt houses hung with red lanterns; at dawn in the mist it looks exactly like the border town in Shen Congwen's novels. And Yuelu Mountain at Changsha carries the thousand-year-old Yuelu Academy, its maples reddening the hillside in autumn.

What to Eat

Steamed fish head with chopped chillies is the signature of Xiang cuisine: a whole fish head buried under red chilli and fermented beans, steamed until the flesh falls away. Stinky tofu from Changsha is fried black and served with pickled chilli — crunchy outside, molten inside. And spicy crayfish, eaten by the kilo in summer, is the soundtrack of Hunan's nights.

Folk Customs

Practical Tips

Photos: Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang — via Wikimedia Commons, CC-licensed. Licenses and authors available on the original file pages.