Get to know Xiangtan
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- Administrative area
- Prefecture-level city · 地级市
- Part of
- Hunan
- Chinese name
- 湘潭市
- Local areas
- 5 local areas
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 5,006.00 km²
- Population · 2010 census
- 2,752,171
- Administrative seat
- Yuetang District
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Xiangtan forms a part of the Greater Changsha Metropolitan Region with Changsha as the core city along with Zhuzhou, also known as Changzhutan City Cluster, one of the core cities in Central China.
Transportation
Xiangtan is well connected by roads, river and rail. There is a shuttle bus service connecting to Changsha Huanghua International Airport.
Tourism
Many people continue to visit Shaoshan, Xiangtan to visit the birthplace of Mao Zedong, the former Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China from 1949 to 1976.
Some local people like to visit Zhaoshan, a small mountain surrounded by trees in Xiangtan.
Explore Xiangtan
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Xiangtan
The former residence of Mao Zedong, a traditional courtyard house in Shaoshan · 韶山毛泽东故居传统院落 Source-recorded photograph date: 2010-03-09.Shaoshan韶山
Shaoshan’s principal visitor area centres on Mao Zedong’s family home, memorial museum and commemorative square. The house offers a domestic-scale starting point, while the museum and monuments show how his life has been…
Read the place guide →
Shuifumiao Reservoir · 水府庙Shuifumiao Reservoir水府庙
Shuifumiao (水府庙) is a reservoir on the Lian River whose water lies mostly within Xiangxiang City, Xiangtan, Hunan, with its dam across the boundary in Shuangfeng County, Loudi; the Policy Research Office of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, reprinting Hunan Daily, describes it as the largest reservoir in central Hunan.
Read the place guide →
Peng Dehuai Former Residence and Memorial Hall (彭德怀故居纪念馆), Xiangtan County. Photograph: "Peng".Peng Dehuai Former Residence and Memorial Hall彭德怀故居纪念馆
The Peng Dehuai former residence and memorial hall (彭德怀故居纪念馆) stand in Wushi town, Xiangtan County, Xiangtan, Hunan: the house where Marshal Peng Dehuai was born at Pengjia Weizi in Wushi village, and a purpose-built museum on Wohu Hill below Wushi Peak opposite it.
Read the place guide →Local life & food
Xiangtan local specialties
湘潭市特色美食 · 9 specialties to discover
Mao-Style Red-Braised Pork 毛氏红烧肉AI dish illustration / AI 菜品示意图 — not a restaurant photograph
Layered pork-belly cubes braised with caramel, pork stock, ginger and warming spices, following a documented Shaoshan preparation.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Xiangtan Boiled Fresh Fish 湘潭水煮活鱼AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Xiangtan Boiled Fresh Fish (湘潭水煮活鱼) is a Xiangtan (湘潭) dish of fish killed and cooked to order and boiled in a milky broth.
Read the dish guide →
Sweet Layered Lard Rolls 脑髓卷AI dish illustration / AI 菜品示意图 — not a restaurant photograph
Xiangtan's naosui juan are tender steamed wheat rolls layered with sweet pork fat; the name does not denote a brain filling.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Village-Cured Smoked Pork 乡里腊肉
Village-Cured Smoked Pork (乡里腊肉) in Xiangtan (湘潭) is salted, dried and slowly smoked.
Read the dish guide →
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Shaoshan Fire-Dried Small Fish 韶山火焙鱼AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Shaoshan Fire-Dried Small Fish (韶山火焙鱼) belongs to the Mao family cuisine of Shaoshan (韶山). Small fish are gutted, dried in a pan over a fire, cooled and then smoked.
Read the dish guide →
Xiangxiang Baked Rice Cake 湘乡烘糕AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Xiangxiang Baked Rice Cake (湘乡烘糕) is a thin, crisp rice cake from Xiangxiang (湘乡) in Xiangtan, Hunan.
Read the dish guide →
Lamp-Wick Rice Cake Sticks 灯芯糕
Lamp-Wick Rice Cake Sticks (灯芯糕) are a sweet pastry that Chinese Wikipedia lists as a speciality of two places: Xiangtan (湘潭) in Hunan and Guixi (贵溪) in Jiangxi.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
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Xiangtan Rice Noodles 湘潭米粉Reference photo of a similar dish · 同类菜品参考照片
Xiangtan Rice Noodles (湘潭米粉) are the rice-noodle bowls of Xiangtan (湘潭) in Hunan, eaten dry or in soup under a fried topping.
Read the dish guide →
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All dish names · 全部菜名 (9)
- Mao-Style Red-Braised Pork · 毛氏红烧肉
- Xiangtan Boiled Fresh Fish · 湘潭水煮活鱼
- Sweet Layered Lard Rolls · 脑髓卷
- Village-Cured Smoked Pork · 乡里腊肉
- Shaoshan Fire-Dried Small Fish · 韶山火焙鱼
- Xiangxiang Baked Rice Cake · 湘乡烘糕
- Lamp-Wick Rice Cake Sticks · 灯芯糕
- Xiangtan Rice Noodles · 湘潭米粉
- Maojia Restaurant Fire-Dried Fish · 毛家饭店火培鱼
More dishes from across Hunan are in the Hunan food guide.
Counties & districts in Xiangtan
5 areas belong directly to Xiangtan.
5 areas
Yuhu District 雨湖区
Yuhu District (simplified Chinese: 雨湖区; traditional Chinese: 雨湖區; pinyin: Yǔhú Qū; lit. 'rain lake') is one of two urban districts in Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, China.
Explore the area →DistrictYuetang District 岳塘区
Yuetang District (simplified Chinese: 岳塘区; traditional Chinese: 岳塘區; pinyin: Yuètáng Qū) is one of two urban districts in Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, China.
Explore the area →CountyXiangtan County 湘潭县
Xiangtan County (simplified Chinese: 湘潭县; traditional Chinese: 湘潭縣; pinyin: Xiāngtán Xiàn) is a county in Hunan Province, China; it is under the administration of Xiangtan City.
Explore the area →County-level cityXiangxiang 湘乡市
Xiangxiang (simplified Chinese: 湘乡; traditional Chinese: 湘鄉; pinyin: Xiāngxiāng) is a county-level city under the administration of Xiangtan, Hunan province, China.
Explore the area →No areas match this name.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Search for 湘潭市 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Shaoshan and Shuifumiao Reservoir are both listed here. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Hunan →More in Hunan
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Background text adapted from Xiangtan — Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text has been shortened and reorganized; source revision 1357879152.
Photo: Shaoshan · Brücke-Osteuropa · Public domain. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Shuifumiao Reservoir · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Photo: Peng Dehuai Former Residence and Memorial Hall · Huangdan2060 · CC BY 3.0. Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.