With a population of just over 66 million as of 2020[update] residing in an area of approximately 210,000 km2 (81,000 sq mi), it is China's7th-most populous province, the third-most populous among landlocked provinces (afterHenan andSichuan), the third-most populous inSouth Central China (after Guangdong and Henan), and the second-most populous province inCentral China. It is the largest province in South Central China and the fourth-largest landlocked province.
Hunan'snominal GDP was US$747 billion (CN¥5.32 trillion) as of 2024, appearing in the world's top 20largest sub-national economies, with itsGDP (PPP) being over US$1.55 trillion.[6][7] Hunan is the9th-largest provincial economy in China, the fourth-largest in South Central China, the third-largest in Central China, and the fourth-largest among landlocked provinces. Its nominal GDP per capita exceeded US$11,405 (CN¥81,225), making it thethird-richest province in South Central China, after Guangdong and Hubei.[6] As of 2020, Hunan's nominal GDP reached $605 billion (CN¥4.18 trillion),[8][9] exceeding that of Poland, with a GDP of US$596 billion, and Thailand, with a GDP of US$501 billion, the22nd- and 25th-largest in the world, respectively.[10]
Hunan's primeval forests were first occupied by the ancestors of the modernMiao,Tujia,Dong andYao peoples. The province entered writtenChinese history around 350 BC, when it became part of theZhou dynasty. AfterQin conquered the Chu in 278 BC, the region came under the control of Qin, and then theChangsha Kingdom during theHan dynasty. At this time, and for hundreds of years thereafter, the province was a magnet for settlement ofHan Chinese from the north, who displaced and assimilated the original indigenous inhabitants, cleared forests and began farming rice in the valleys and plains.[20] The agricultural colonization of the lowlands was carried out in part by the Han people, who managed river dikes to protect farmland from floods.[21] To this day, many of Hunan's small villages are named after Han families who settled there. Migration from the north was especially prevalent during theEastern Jin dynasty,Sixteen Kingdoms and theNorthern and Southern dynasties periods, when the north was mostly ruled by non-Han ethnic groups (Five Barbarians) and in perpetual disorder.
Hunan andHubei became a part of the province ofHuguang until theQing dynasty. Hunan province was created in 1664 from Huguang and renamed in 1723.
Hunan became an important communications center due to its position on theYangzi River. It was an important centre of scholarly activity andConfucian thought, particularly in theYuelu Academy inChangsha. It was also on the Imperial Highway between northern and southern China. The land produced grain so abundantly that it fed many parts of China with its surpluses. The population continued to climb until, by the 19th century, Hunan became overcrowded and prone to peasant uprisings. Some of the uprisings, such as the ten-yearMiao Rebellion of 1795–1806, were caused by ethnic tensions. TheTaiping Rebellion began inGuangxi Province in 1850, then spread into Hunan and further eastward along the Yangzi River valley. A Hunanese army (Xiang Army) underZeng Guofan marched intoNanjing to put down the uprising in 1864.
In 1920, a famine raged throughout Hunan and killed an estimated 2 million Hunanese civilians.[22] This sparked theAutumn Harvest Uprising of 1927. It was led by Hunanese nativeMao Zedong, and established a short-lived Hunan Soviet in 1927. The Communists maintained a guerrilla army in the mountains along the Hunan-Jiangxi border until 1934. Under pressure from the NationalistKuomintang (KMT) forces, they began theLong March to bases inShaanxi Province. After the Communists departed, the KMT fought the Japanese in thesecond Sino-Japanese war. It defended Changsha until it fell in 1944. Japan launchedOperation Ichigo, a plan to control the railroad fromWuchang toGuangzhou (Yuehan Railway). Hunan was relatively unscathed by the civil war that followed the Japanese defeat in 1945. In 1949, the Communists returned as the Nationalists retreated southward.
As Mao's home province, Hunan supported theCultural Revolution of 1966–1976,[citation needed] but it was slower than most provinces to adopt the reformsDeng Xiaoping implemented in the years after Mao's death in 1976.
Hunan is on the south bank of theYangtze River, about halfway along its length, situated between 108° 47'–114° 16' eastlongitude and 24° 37'–30° 08' northlatitude. Hunan covers an area of 211,800 square kilometres (81,800 square miles), making it the10th largest provincial-level division. The east, south, and west sides of the province are surrounded by mountains and hills, such as theWuling Mountains to the northwest, theXuefeng Mountains to the west, theNanling Mountains to the south, and theLuoxiao Mountains to the east. Mountains and hills occupy more than 80% of the province, and plains less than 20%. At 2,115.2 meters above sea level, Hunan's highest point is Lingfeng (酃峰).[23][24][25]
TheXiang, theZi, theYuan, and theLishui Rivers converge on the Yangtze River atLake Dongting in the north of Hunan. The center and northern parts are somewhat low and a U-shaped basin, open in the north and with Lake Dongting as its center. Most of Hunan lies in the basins of four major tributaries of the Yangtze River.
Lake Dongting is the largest lake in the province and the second largest freshwater lake of China.
TheXiaoxiang area and Lake Dongting figure prominently in Chinese poetry and paintings, particularly during the Song dynasty when they were associated with officials who had been unjustly dismissed.[26]
Changsha (which means "long sands") was an active ceramics district during theTang dynasty, its tea bowls, ewers and other products mass-produced and shipped to China's coastal cities for export abroad. An Arab dhow dated to the 830s and today known as theBelitung Shipwreck was discovered off the small island of Belitung, Indonesia with more than 60,000 pieces in its cargo.[citation needed] The salvaged cargo is today housed in Singapore.
Hunan's climate issubtropical; under theKöppen climate classification, it is classified ashumid subtropical (KöppenCfa), with short, cool, damp winters, very hot and humid summers, and plenty of rain. January temperatures average 3 to 8 °C (37 to 46 °F), while July temperatures average around 27 to 30 °C (81 to 86 °F). Average annual precipitation is 1,200 to 1,700 millimetres (47 to 67 in). TheFurongian Epoch in theCambrian Period of geological time is named for Hunan; Furong (芙蓉) means "lotus" in Mandarin and refers to Hunan, which is known as the "lotus state".[27]
^abNew district established after census:Wangcheng (Wangcheng County). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.
^abNew district established after census:Lukou (Zhuzhou County). The new district not included in the urban area & district area count of the pre-expanded city.
^Ningxiang County is currently known as Ningxiang CLC after census.
Most populous cities in Hunan
Source:China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2018 Urban Population and Urban Temporary Population[33]
The politics of Hunan is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions inmainland China.
TheGovernor of Hunan is the highest-ranking official in the People's Government of Hunan. However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor has less power than the HunanChinese Communist Party Provincial Committee Secretary, colloquially termed the "HunanCCP Party Chief".
As of 2020, Hunan's GDP (nominal) was US$605 billion,[8][9]making it larger than the economies of Poland (the 22nd largest in the world), Thailand (the 2nd largest in ASEAN), and Nigeria (the largest in Africa).[10]
As of the mid-19th century, Hunan exportedrhubarb, musk, honey, tobacco,hemp, and birds.[35] TheLake Dongting area is an important center oframie production, and Hunan is also an important center of tea cultivation. Hunan was a major recipient of China's investment in industrial capacity during theThird Front campaign.[36]: 298
In recent years, Hunan has grown to become an important center for steel, machinery and electronics production, especially as China's manufacturing sector moves away from coastal provinces such asGuangdong andZhejiang.[37] TheLengshuijiang area is noted for itsstibnite mines, and is one of the major centers ofantimony extraction in China.[38]
Hunan is also well known for a few global makers of construction equipment such asconcrete pumps,cranes, etc. These companies includeSany Group,Zoomlion andSunward. Sany is one of the world's major players. The city ofLiuyang is the world's top center for manufacturingfireworks.[39]
Historical GDP of Hunan Province for 1952 –present (SNA2008)[40] (purchasing power parity of Chinese Yuan, asInt'l. dollar based on IMF WEO October 2017[41])
year
GDP
GDP per capita (GDPpc) based on mid-year population
Changsha National Economic and Technical Development Zone
The Changsha National Economic and Technology Development Zone was founded in 1992. It is located east of Changsha. The total planned area is 38.6 km2 (14.9 sq mi) and the current area is 14 km2 (5.4 sq mi). Near the zone is National Highways G319 and G107 as well as Jingzhu Highway. Besides that, it is very close to the downtown and the railway station. The distance between the zone and the airport is 8 km (5.0 mi). The major industries in the zone include high-tech industry, biology project technology and new material industry.[42]
Changsha National New & Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone
Chenzhou Export Processing Zone
Approved by theState Council, Chenzhou Export processing Zone (CEPZ) was established in 2005 and is the only export processing zone in Hunan province. The scheduled production area of CEPZ covers 3km2. The industrial positioning of CEPZ is to concentrate on developing export-oriented hi-tech industries, including electronic information, precision machinery, and new-type materials. The zone has good infrastructure, and the enterprises inside could enjoy the preferential policies of tax-exemption, tax-guarantee and tax-refunding. By the end of the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan", the CEPZ achieved a total export and import volume of over US$1 billion and provided more than 50,000 jobs. It aimed to be one of the first-class export processing zones in China.[43]
Zhuzhou National New & Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone
Zhuzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was founded in 1992. Its total planned area is 35 km2 (14 sq mi). It is very close to National Highway G320. The major industries in the zone include biotechnology, food processing and heavy industry. In 2007, the park signed a cooperation contract with Beijing Automobile Industry, one of the largest auto makers in China, which will set up a manufacturing base in Zhuzhou HTP.[44]
As of the 2000census, the population of Hunan is 64,400,700 consisting of forty-oneethnic groups. Its population grew 6.17% (3,742,700) from its 1990 levels. According to the census, 89.79% (57,540,000) identified themselves asHan Chinese and 10.21% (6,575,300) asminority groups. The minority groups areTujia,Miao,Dong,Yao,Bai,Hui,Zhuang,Uyghurs and so on.
In Hunan, ethnic minority languages are spoken in the following prefectures.
Around 5,000 Uyghurs live aroundTaoyuan County and other parts ofChangde.[56][57][58][59]Hui and Uyghurs have intermarried in this area.[60][61][62] In addition to eating pork, the Uygurs of Changde practice other Han Chinese customs, likeancestor worship at graves. Some Uyghurs fromXinjiang visit the Hunan Uyghurs out of curiosity or interest.[63] The Uyghurs of Hunan do not speak theUyghur language, instead, Mandarin Chinese is spoken as their native language.[64]
During the latelate Qing Era, Hunan emerged as the epicenter of revolution and reform in China, giving rise to many of the nation's most renowned scholars, politicians, and military leaders, including the most influential and controversial figure of China in the 20th century,Mao Zedong.
Hunanese were pioneers in embracing foreign ideas, as seen in the works of 19th-century thinkers likeWei Yuan (魏源). As the saying goes among Chinese historians: "Hunanese shaped half of modern Chinese history" (一部中国近代史，半部由湖南写就). Their profound and enduring influence on China's politics and society persisted well into recent times.
Zhou Dunyi (1017–1073), Chinese scholar and philosopher
Wang Fuzhi (1619–1692), Chinese essayist, historian, and philosopher of the late Ming, early Qing dynasties.
As of 2022, Hunan's culture and related industries achieved an added value of CN¥250.65 billion (US$37.27 billion), accounting for 5.27% of the province's GDP. Among them, the added value of cultural services was CN¥150.20 billion (US$22.33 billion), the added value of cultural manufacturing was CN¥78.28 billion (US$11.64 billion), the added value of cultural wholesale and retail was CN¥22.17 billion (US$3.30 billion).[66]
In 2023, there are 655 art groups, 149 mass art galleries and cultural centers, 148 public libraries, 180 museums and memorial halls, 108 radio and television stations, 5.853 million cable TV users, and 27.441 million fiber optic Internet broadband users all connected to cable TV. The comprehensive population coverage rate of radio is 99.43%, and the comprehensive population coverage rate of television is 99.77%. There are 137 national intangible cultural heritage protection lists and 410 provincialintangible cultural heritage protection lists. 12,078 books, 235 periodicals, and 44 newspapers have been published, with a total print run of 590 million books, 80 million periodicals, and 500 million newspapers.[3]
Hunan is a region with complex dialects. The dialects in the province includeXiang,Southwestern Mandarin,Gan,Hakka, and some local dialects whose identities have not yet been determined, such asXiangnan Tuhua andWaxiang dialect. In areas where ethnic minorities live, many people can speak their own ethnic language and communicate in Chinese.
Hunanese cuisine is noted for its near-ubiquitous use ofchili peppers,garlic, andshallots. These ingredients give rise to a distinctive dry-and-spicy (干辣;gānlà) taste,[67] with dishes such as smoked curedham and stir-fried spicy beef being prime examples of the flavor.[67]
Located in the south central part of the Chinese mainland, Hunan has long been known for its natural environment. It is surrounded by mountains on the east, west, and south, and by the Yangtze River on the north. For thousands of years, the region has been a major center of agriculture, growing rice, tea, and oranges. China's first all glass suspension bridge was also opened in Hunan, inShiniuzhai National Geological Park.[68]
Fenghuang County, inXiangxi Prefecture, has been placed on theUNESCOWorld Heritage Tentative List for its ancient town. Fenghuang is known for its incorporation of mountain features and water flow into city design, and the ancient syncretism between the localHan andMiao cultures.[69]
And people not bounded to, nor practicing any, institutional or diffuse religion.
^The data was collected by the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) of 2009 and by the Chinese Spiritual Life Survey (CSLS) of 2007, reported and assembled by Xiuhua Wang (2015)[55] in order to confront the proportion of people identifying with two similar social structures: ① Christian churches, and ② the traditional Chinese religion of the lineage (i. e. people believing and worshipping ancestral deities often organised intolineage "churches" andancestral shrines). Data for other religions with a significant presence in China (deity cults, Buddhism, Taoism, folk religious sects, Islam, et al.) was not reported by Wang.
^abc2021年民航机场吞吐量排名(PDF) (in Chinese). Civil Aviation Administration of China. 2022-03-22.Archived(PDF) from the original on 2023-03-24. Retrieved2022-03-23.
^Harold Wiens. Han Expansion in South China. (Shoe String Press, 1967).
^Brian Lander. State Management of River Dikes in Early China: New Sources on the Environmental History of the Central Yangzi Region . T'oung Pao 100.4-5 (2014): 325–362
^Census Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China; Population and Employment Statistics Division of the National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China (2012).中国2010人口普查分乡、镇、街道资料 (1 ed.). Beijing:China Statistics Print.ISBN978-7-5037-6660-2.
^Wen, B.; Zhou, J.; Tang, P.; Jia, X.; Zhou, W.; Huang, J. (2022). "Antimony (Sb) isotopic signature in water systems from the world's largest Sb mine, central China".Journal of Hazardous Materials.446. Bing Wen.doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130622.PMID36580776.
^"2021 Airport Traffic Report"(PDF).Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. April 2022. p. 32.Archived(PDF) from the original on 2023-06-05. Retrieved2022-11-19.
"History of Hunanese", the first book on the history of Hunanese(Phoelanese) civilization and nation from the perspective of we the Hunanese (phoelanese) people.
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