Airlines CAAC are west of the
Civil
Aviation hotel on Wuyi Dong Lu,
open 7.30am-10.30pm (tel 4128169
domestic flights, tel 4118625
international). Ask here for airport
bus departure times. Dragonair have a
counter in the
Lotus hotel
branch of the CITS.
Banks and exchange Bank of
China, near the train station on Wuyi
Dong Lu (Mon-Sat 8am-noon &
2.30-5.30pm). Upmarket hotels such as
the Lotus, Dolton and Cygnet
also change travellers' cheques, and
might not mind whether you're staying
or not.
Bookshops The bookstore on
Wuyi Zhong Lu, just past the junction
with Shaoshan Lu, has a good art
section including books on painting
techniques, but slim pickings in
English.
Buses Train is probably a
better option than bus for
long-distance travel out of Changsha,
especially to Zhangjiajie. Buses leave
to all over the province from each bus
station, but it's most obvious to try
the east bus station for eastern
destinations, the west for western
ones, and the south for southern.
Hospital Changsha Number 2
Medical College, Renmin Lu (tel
5550400 or 5550511).
Internet Internet has yet to
make a big impression in Changsha; the
Dolton hotel has a very
expensive service, or there's a
hard-to-find, subterranean Internet
café at the southeastern intersection
of Wuyi Zhong Lu and Cai'e Lu where
you can log on for ¥10 an hour.
Left luggage Aside from
offices at the train and bus stations,
both CAAC and CITS might be persuaded
to look after your bags for a short
while.
Post and telecommunications
There are two major post offices open
daily 8am-8pm: one on Wuyi Zhong Lu
near the junction with Cai'e Lu; and
the more convenient office - with
parcel post and international phones -
in the train station square.
PSB The Foreign Affairs
Department is on Huangxing Lu (Mon-Fri
8.30am-5pm; tel 4413851).
Shopping As you'll
appreciate after visiting the
Provincial Museum, Changsha has long
had a reputation for silk embroidery,
which you can buy at various stores
around town, but the best selection -
along with a host of old wood
carvings, porcelain, inkstones and
tourist souvenirs - is at the Hunan
Antique Store on Wuyi Lu. Expect to
pay from ¥50 for a token
handkerchief, to ¥900 or more for a
top-notch, towel-sized animal design.
The Apolo Plaza, on eastern Bayi Lu,
is a mid-range department store which,
along with others around the junction
of Chezhan Lu and Wuyi Dong Lu, can
supply all you'll need for daily
living.
Telephone The telephone code
for Changsha is 0731.
Trains Trains head north
from Changsha to Yueyang and Hubei
province; west to Guizhou and
Zhangjiajie; east to Nanchang in
Jiangxi; and south via Hengyang to
Guangdong and Guangxi. There's also a
special tourist train daily to
Shaoshan. Station staff are pretty
helpful; ticket offices are open
roughly 8.15am-noon & 2.30-5.45pm
or later.
Travel agents The main CITS
office is across from the Xinxing
hotel at 46 Wuyi Dong Lu (tel 2280184,
fax 2280455), with a branch farther
west in the grounds of the Lotus
Hotel (tel 4465196 or 4465927).
Staff are polite, but bear in mind
these are tour and transport booking
offices rather than sources of general
information.
