Yueyang

Yueyang (岳阳 Yuèyáng) is in northern Hunan Province, China.

Understand
This prefecture level city borders Hubei province to the north and Dongting lake to the west.

By train
The city sits on the Beijing-Guangzhou railway line. Fast trains take 30 minutes and regular trains around 2 hours and a half to either the provincial capital Changsha or to Wuhan at Hubei province.

By bus
Buses depart from Changsha east, west and south bus stations.

Get around
Taxis are ¥6.

Buses are ¥2.

Bus 55 connects high-speed railway station Yueyang east station with the regular train station Yueyang station.

Do
Walk along a man made rock path around the tower area on the lake side and watch the city wall. Although a modern reconstruction, it gives you an idea of how it was back in the old days.

Eat
Shaokao (烧烤 shāokǎo)  or barbecue is Yueyang's claim of fame. Go to barbecue restaurants and have some grilled eggplants, stir-fried clams and some chicken wings and bring it down with some cold beers. Local families love to go out for Shaokao.

Sleep
Ask around at the first street you see when you leave the regular train station. See who doesn't mind hosting a foreigner. Prices range from 35 for a basic single to 100 for a nice double. Ask around, as there are many places to sleep at!

Go next

 * Zhangguying village(张谷英村) :The town was built by a family surnamed Zhang, whom migrated during Ming dynasty from neighboring Jiangxi province in search of a place that would fit perfectly into Chinese fengshui. The town has a creek that flows through it and it's surrounded by mountains.