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View Plans & PricingArea: 18,189 km² (prefecture-level city)
Population: Approximately 5.3 million (2020 census)
Changde means "constant virtue" in Chinese. It is an ancient city on the Yuan River in northern Hunan, historically known as Langzhou and famous for its willow-tree embankments.
7.2/10 — Changde is a peaceful city on the Yuan River known for its poetry, pickles, and German-influenced wartime history. Locals enjoy slow tea afternoons and riverside walks.
Changde Taohuayuan Airport (CGD) offers flights to major cities. Changde Railway Station and Changde South Station are on the Shimen–Changsha railway and the Changde–Yiyang–Changsha high-speed line. Buses and taxis serve the city.
Hunan University of Arts and Science (Changde) and Changde Vocational and Technical College are the main local institutions.
Changde lies on the Yuan River plain near Dongting Lake. The region has a humid subtropical climate, wetlands, and the famous Taohuayuan (Peach Blossom Spring) scenic area.
Visit Taohuayuan Scenic Area, Liuye Lake (Willow Leaf Lake), Changde Poem Wall (one of the longest poetry walls in the world), and the ancient city walls.
Day 1: Walk the Changde Poem Wall and visit the old city area.
Day 2: Day trip to Taohuayuan Scenic Area.
Try Changde rice noodles, spicy duck, Dongting Lake fish, and Hunan-style stir-fried dishes. The city is known for its rice noodle culture.
Hunan tea, lotus seed products, rice noodle gifts, and local crafts are popular. Shopping areas include Pedestrian Street and Wanda Plaza.
Local Vibe: Changde is a city of poets, rivers, and wartime memory. The ancient walls, the Li River-style scenery, and the famous 'Changde rice noodle' shops give it a cultured, relaxed feel.
Fun Facts:
• Changde is called the 'City of Poems' because Tang dynasty poets like Liu Yuxi and Li Bai wrote about its beauty.
• The city was the site of a fierce World War II battle in 1943, and the memorial hall honors both Chinese and Allied defenders.
• Changde's rice noodles and spicy pickled vegetables are famous across Hunan.
Changde locals speak Changde dialect, part of the Southwestern Mandarin group. It has a singsong quality. Useful phrases:
你要何该 (nǐ yào hé gāi) — 'What do you want?'
七圆滴 (qī yuán dī) — 'Eat round noodles' — a local way to order rice noodles.
蛮好 (mán hǎo) — 'Quite good.'
• Liu Yuxi — The Tang dynasty poet wrote the famous 'Bamboo Branch Song' while serving as an official in Changde.
• Lin Boqu — A revolutionary elder and early Communist Party leader was born in Changde.
• Changde has produced Hunan opera performers and rice noodle masters who define the city's cultural identity.
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