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Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Hunan
Hunanhoo'nän' [south of the lake], province (1994 est. pop. 63,050,500), c.80,000 sq mi (207,254 sq km), S central China, S of Dongting lake. Changsha is the capital. Largely hilly in the south and west, Hunan becomes an alluvial lowland in the Dongting basin in the northeast; the Xiang River, which traverses the province from north to south, and the lesser Yuan and Zi rivers drain into Dongting lake. The mountainous uplands include the Nanling range and Hengshan Mts. Rice is the outstanding crop, particularly in the rice bowl of Dongting lake; corn, sweet potatoes, barley, potatoes, buckwheat, rapeseed, fruits, and tea are also produced. Although much of the province's forested land has been cleared due to excessive cutting, many stands of cedar, pine, fir, oak, camphor, bamboo, and tung wood are found in the southwestern hills. Fishing and livestock raising are important rural activities. Pulp and paper mills are found along the upper Yuan and Zi rivers. Hunan abounds in minerals such as iron ore, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, manganese, coal, mercury, gold, tin, and sulfur. Although agriculture is still its main industry, Hunan has a variety of heavy and light industries, such as food processing, aluminum smelting, iron, steel, and textile mills, and the manufacture of machine tools, pyrotechnics, and traditional handcrafts. The population of Hunan, concentrated mainly in the Xiang and lower Yuan valleys and along the Wuhan-Guangzhou RR, is overwhelmingly Chinese and speaks a variety of Mandarin. There are aboriginal Miao and Yao peoples in the hills of the south and west; since 1952 several autonomous reserves have been established for these minorities. Under Chinese rule since the 3d cent. B.C., the region was traditionally called Xiang for its main river. It belonged to the kingdom of Wu at the time of the Three Kingdoms (A.D. 220–80) and later became part of the Chu kingdom of the Five Dynasties (907–60). Its present name, first used (12th cent.) under the Sung dynasty, was revived in the 17th cent. by the Manchus when the historic province of Huguang was divided into the present provinces of Hubei and Hunan. Hunan, traditionally the home of fighting men, supplied the troops that saved the Ch'ing (Manchu) dynasty from the Taiping rebels (1850–64). Largely unoccupied by the Japanese in World War II, it passed to Communist rule in 1949. Mao Zedong was born in Hunan.

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Wikipedia search results for: Hunan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
is a province of China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting. Hunan is sometimes called 湘 for short, after the Xiang River which runs through the province. Hunan borders Hubei in the north, Jiangxi to the east, Guangdong to the south, Guangxi to the southwest, Guizhou to the west, and Chongqing to the northwest. The capital is Changsha. Hunan's primeval forests were first occupied by the ancestors of the modern Miao, Tujia, Dong and Yao peoples. It entered the written history of China around 350 BC, when under the kings of the Zhou dynasty, it became part of the State of Chu. At this time, and...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Hunan
Results 1 - 10  of 22
  • Hengyang

    Hengyang, city (1994 est. pop. 543,100), central Hunan prov., China, on the Xiang River, at the mouth of the Lei River. It is the leading transportation center of Hunan, linking water, rail, a...

  • Shaoyang

    Shaoyang, city (1994 est. pop. 277,300), S Hunan prov., China. It is a trade center for the upper Zi valley. Light and heavy industries, including textiles, paper, and chemicals, are the large...

  • Hongjiang

    Hongjiang or Hungkiang, town (1994 est. pop. 55,900), SW Hunan prov., China, a port on the upper Yuan River. It is a regional trade center with a variety of light industries. The name sometime...

  • Xiangtan

    Xiangtan or Siangtan, city (1994 est. pop. 490,100), E central Hunan prov., China, on the Xiang River. Formerly an agricultural distribution center, it is now industrialized. Products include ...

  • Changde

    Changde or Changteh, city (1994 est. pop. 336,800), N Hunan prov., China, on the Yuan River. Formerly a treaty port, it is now an administrative center and a storage and shipping point for tun...

  • Hu Yaobang

    Hu Yaobang, 1915–89, Chinese Communist political leader, b. Hunan prov. A protegé of Deng Xiaoping, Hu became general secretary of the Communist party in 1980 and party chairman in 1981, effec...

  • Nanling

    Nanling, mountain range of Guangdong and Hunan prov. and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, S China; rises to c.6,900 ft (2,100 m). The Nanling form the geographical boundary between central an...

  • Yuan

    Yuan, river, 540 mi (869 km) long, rising in S Guizhou prov. and flowing generally NE to Donting lake, Hunan prov., SE China. Navigation above Changde is limited by rapids to small craft. The ...

  • Zhuzhou

    Zhuzhou or Chuchow, town (1994 est. pop. 476,800), E central Hunan prov., China, on the Xiang River. It is a railroad center for lines running north-south and east-west and a center for indust...

  • Changsha

    Changsha, city (1994 est. pop. 1,198,100), capital of Hunan prov., S China, on the Xiang River. The name, which means long sandbank, is derived from an island in the river. Changsha is an agri...

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