Changsha Notes
I thought I'd post a couple of quick notes about Changsha which might help visitors to the city (it has to be said, it's a rather dreary place to visit...)1. As of last week, Changsha's main attraction - the provincial museum - is closed for some major renovations. Given that museum entrance is free, they don't seem to be in any rush to get the renovations done. Renovations are slated to last approximately 3 years, and they're hoping to re-open sometime in 2015.
2. Under no circumstances stay at the Hunan Yuelu Mountain Youth Hostel. I've stayed at over 30 hostels in China before, and this is the first one where I made a booking and then refused to stay after turning up and looking at the place. The first problem was an incredibly rude and un-communicable receptionist, and a mysterious small increase in the price of the dorm bed from when I'd made the booking. But the really ridiculous thing was the dorm room itself, for which I was being asked 45 Yuan for a bed - it was, and I'm not really exaggerating here, the size of a linen closet. It had 2 very simple and short (I think I was taller than the beds) bunk beds, and the room was pretty much as small as a room could be and fit two bunk beds and still have enough space for the door to open. The mattresses of the two beds pressed against each other, so that a tall man sleeping in one bed would have his feet pop out onto the other bed. For a YHA hostel in China, it was a ridiculous attempt at a dorm room. I would strongly advise you not to stay here, particularly if you're planning on staying in a dorm.
3. I stayed at the Changsha International Youth Hostel. I thought it was a decent enough hostel, with friendly, fairly vacant staff and rooms that were very clean and have been renovated recently. There's now 24 hour hot water. The place was a little noisy, but apart from that I didn't have anything to complain about. In addition to mostly positive reviews on the net, this hostel also has a number of scathing reviews, so I can't guarantee you'll have a good time here, but at the very least you won't be asked to share a broom closet with 3 other blokes. (to give you an idea of how small the dorm room in the Yuelu Mountain Youth Hostel was - the luggage storage room at this hostel was bigger than the dorm room at Yuelu Mountain).
1
I was at Changsha International Youth Hostel a few weeks ago in the rain. People staying there (all Chinese) were v pleasant. Yes, the fat guy in charge is a bit vacant, but you would end up the same if you lived there.Apart from a giant head of Chairman Mao on an island, I cant think of any thing I saw.
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I've only ever stayed at Changsha International (Hah) Youth Hostel and one of the scathing review would have been mine.If people at Hunan Yuelu Mountain Youth Hostel were ruder than at Changsha International (Hah) Youth Hostel they must have told you to "F*ck off" as soon as you stepped in the door.
5
THE world’s tallest building, a 220-storey skyscraper, is being planned in the remote fields of Hunan province in central China. The design is the brainchild of Zhang Yue, whose company has invented a method of building skyscrapers rapidly from prefabricated metal frames. These are bolted together like a giant Meccano set, ready for water and electricity to be plugged in.Zhang wants to start the project in November and complete it by March once officials in the city of Changsha give the go-ahead. The 2,749ft building would be taller than Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which at 2,716ft holds the current world record. The Chinese skyscraper would accommodate 30,400 people in flats and would include a shopping mall and hotels.
6
I was back in Changsha a month or so ago and stayed at another hostel (Can't remember its name. In the university area) which, again, was far from friendly. It must be a consequence of living in a characterless oven, I suppose. I did like the big bust of Beethoven on the island though.
