The Perfect Weekend Getaway: Changsha
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October 2018 The Perfect Weekend Getaway: Changsha WeChat: Paper online: PAPER MAGAZINE PAPER www.neo-ads.com/paper September 2018 04 cover story 24 star chef With the opening of the cross border high-speed facebook.com/NeoPaperMagazine rail linking Hong Kong to China, it will take just 25 yummy 3.5 hours to reach Changsha from Hong Kong. instagram.com/NeoPaperMagazine Hop on the train for a weekend getaway and see 28 cheers what this up-and-coming city has to offer! 30 cru twitter.com/paper_neo 08 city window witty wine Contact 10 arts & events Tel: (8620) 8365 2811 32 mice Email: [email protected] 12 fortune 36 living Chief Operating Officer: LC Chau 14 jetsetter Director: Italiana Granni 37 education Consulting Director: Allan Au Editing Consultant: May Guan enlightenment living Editor in Chief: William C Guest Editor: Ben Chu 38 out n about Financial Controller: Takuto Marketing Director: Shirley Tse 40 supremos Marketing Manager: Mr. Matthias Terrettaz, the General Manager Ambro Chow, Purple Liu, Alex L. of The St. Regis Changsha, shares with us Creative Director: Rita Shi his impressions of Changsha and the future Publication Co-coordinator: Nana development of the St.Regis brand in the Photographer: Take it easy and enjoy a relaxing pace of life at capital city of Hunan. Leona, Purple, Hiroly, Faith H. one of the most livable cities in the world as we take you on a journey to Perth. 42 destination Contributors: Allan CW Au, Anna G, Gregory Louraichi, 17 eureka 43 cotchin GiGi Chik, Jessie Huang, John Chu, Kenny Tan, Kee Lee, Lena Liu, Peter Fenton, 18 muse 44 bulletin Roy Moorfield, Sukanya Mukherjee, Yuyao.K., Han Peiyi, Rain L. 20 auto 46 diary 22 athlete 23 fighting fit 04 cover story cover PAPER MAGAZINE PAPER THE PERFECT WEEKEND GETAWAY: Changsha Besides being renowned for being Chairman Regenerate Yourself and Be Inspired at Mount Yuelu Mao’s hometown, the capital city of Hunan If you are a city dweller who craves for an escape from the urban cacophony and would just like some peace and quiet while gazing at the beauty of some is also well-known for its legendary Xiang natural landscape, you will fall madly in love with the spectacular beauty of Cuisine, natural landscapes, tourist attractions Mount Yuelu, located on the west bank of Xiangjiang River and in the west of Changsha. The Yuelu Mountain Scenic Zone is composed of five major scenic and luxury shopping. With the opening of the sub-zones - Lushan Mountain, Tianma Mountian, Peach Blossom Ridge, Shijia cross-border high-speed rail link connecting Ridge and Orange Island. Regardless of which scenic zone you tour, the area’s Hong Kong to mainland China this month, picturesque scenery will take your breath away with its beautiful lush trees, full-blown azaleas in spring, tranquility and coolness in summer, flamboyant it will take just 3.5 hours to reach Changsha maple leaves in autumn and its silver-colored trees covered with snow and from Hong Kong, making Changsha an ideal frost in winter. destination for a weekend getaway! After you have regenerated and revitalized yourself among the natural environs of Mount Yuelu, visit a must-see cultural attraction in Changsha, the world-famous Yuelu Academy located at the foot of the mountain in the campus of Hunan University. After working yourself so hard during the weekdays, treat yourself to a cultural and historical education by visiting this academy that has witnessed more than a thousand years of history and is the only one of the ancient Chinese academies of Classical Learning to have evolved into a modern institution of higher learning. Who knows? After visiting some historical sites such as Wenchang Pavilion, Library of Imperial Books and Xiangshui Sutra Proofreading Hall, you might even be inspired to just find a spot nearby, whip out a magazine or novel, and just start reading! Hop over to Orange Island Just 2km from the East Gate of Mount Yuelu, in the centre of Xiangjiang River, you will find the Orange Island Park, the place where the ancient people appreciated "Snow by River at Dusk"- one of the "Eight Grand Sights in Hunan". It earned its accolades due to its spectacular beauty. It is most beautiful in April when the gardens and fruit trees bloom and in October and November when the orange trees bear oranges and the autumn scenery can be seen. When autumn arrives, ripe oranges and pomelos give off enjoyable smells, dispersing across the island. When winter arrives, snowfall will turn the island into a white fairyland. The winter scenery of Orange Isle is touted as one of the eight best-known sceneries in Hunan! With such beautiful landscape, it is hardly surprising that this place inspired Chairman Mao to craft a famous poem, 'Changsha Tune - Spring in a Pleasure Garden' which subsequently made the Orange Island famous. Today, this immortal poem is engraved on the monument as an inspiration to visitors and youths. After immersing in the historical grandeur of the statue, you can snap photos or selfies of the legendary and majestic Mao Zedong Statue to boast to your friends that you have been to such an inspiring place! Of course, don’t forget to gaze in amazement at the countless orange trees and admire the beauty of nature in this wondrous isle. The prices of the oranges are marked by signs on each tree so, if you are hungry or thirsty, you may wish to buy the oranges and quench your hunger or thirst. PAPER 06 cover story Shop and eat to your heart’s content at Huangxing Pedestrian Street This historical street gives you a glimpse and flavour of “Old Changsha”. Walking down the street, you can enjoy the sights of bright red railings and pavilions as well as the Statue of Huangxing, a great man in China’s history, at the Simenkou. However, the main purpose of coming to Changsha’s most famous shopping street is to hunt for made-in-China bargains. Here, you will find the usual array of middle-class Chinese brands such as Tonlion, Semir, Yishion, Metersbonwe, Giordano, Lining and Jeanwest. If you are looking for electronics, you won’t go wrong with the domestic giants such as Gome and Suning. After you have shopped to your heart’s content and you need a drink at Pozi Jie, a side street to Huangxing or a snack, there is no Lu. There is your usual array of stinky shortage of eateries tofu, fried octopus and peanut snacks. and drink stalls However, we would caution against simply rushing to any street stall to try the local Hunan street food or cuisines. Afterall, not everyone can stomach the unique spiciness and strong flavour of Hunan food. Those who are fussy about hygiene should skip this street-food tasting part. Nevertheless, since you have made it to Changsha, we recommend that you head over to Huogongdian to try some authentic Xiang cuisine. Situated in the central part of Pozi Jie, this eatery was once a temple to worship a fiery deity. Today, it is a famous restaurant to savour the Xiang cusine, especially its trademark eight traditional snacks, including one of Chairman Mao’s favourites, the stinky tofu. Visit the Hunan Provincial Museum They say you never truly know the culture and history of a place until you visit the local museum. If you are a culture and history buff, we recommend you heed the advice well and visit the Hunan Provincial Museum which is the largest comprehensive historical and art museum in Hunan Province. It is situated in Kaifu District, Changsha. A large number of ancient and modern cultural relics are on display in the museum, such as the cultural relics excavated from the Mawangdui Han Tombs, bronze wares of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, pottery and porcelain wares, paintings and calligraphic works of past dynasties, and many modern and contemporary cultural relics, thereby being listed as the largest historical and artistic museum in Hunan Province, as well as one of the first eight National Foremost Museums eligible to be co-constructed by central and local governments. Expect to spend at least a few hours browsing through this extensive collection of cultural and historical relics! Shop for luxury brands at upscale shopping malls It is hardly surprising that Changsha is gradually developing into one of the luxury retail meccas of South China. Over the last couple of years, various mega malls have sprouted up in Changsha, one of which is the Changsha IFS which carries a plethora of internal luxury brands such as Hermes, Gucci, Cartier and Bottega Veneta. This shopping mall is much larger than the one at Hong Kong Harbour City. It will take at least half a day to one day to finish combing through all the shops. Another upscale place where you can find high- end products and shop in a clean and comfortable environment is the posh Yunda Central Plaza. That the plaza houses the world-renowned St. Regis luxury hotel is a testament to the elegance and refinement of the shops in this area. Without a shadow of any doubt, this is a posh boy’s district with only the most high-end products and brands. Even the eateries and restaurants here are some of Changsha’s most posh restaurants. Don’t be surprised if you run into some of Changsha’s wealthiest folks here! Be sure to also check out La Nova Shopping Center. This is possibly Changsha's most popular shopping centre with expats with a modern cinema complex, basement culinary floor, Starbucks, Thai restaurant and many Western brands such as H&M, C&A, Zara and so on.