Description : A small pilgrim place surrounded by mountains, rice paddies and tourists buses...

Comments : To be born here is arguably one of Mao Zedong's best move : it is a lovely and fairly relaxed kind of countryside.  His fame however means that it is crowded during WE and best avoided at that time.

What to do : Visit Mao's various spots : where He was born, where He slept, where He studied, where He isolated himself to meditate or where He put the wood He brought back from the forest / Read how great He was for His family, His country or for mankind in general / Buy all kind of souvenirs with His logo /  Once fed up with the Mao's mania, get away in the countryside or climb Mount Shao for a superb panoramic view /

What you may not like : The veneration for a man who was responsible for the death of millions of peoples and whose personal life was far from being a model of virtue / The merchandising folklore around the man who unified China and made the Chinese finally proud of being Chinese / The Chinese tourists who are proud to noisily spend their capitalist money in the name of communism / The relatively expensive food / The local pronunciation of Mandarin (Mao himself proved to be difficult to understand) / Having to pay an entrance fee to enjoy the view from the mountain you just finished climbing /

How long ? It is possible to visit Shaoshan as a day trip from Changsha but you will have to leave early. A better bet would be to spend at least one night there.

Where to stay ?

Plenty of touts should jump on you at your descent of the bus.  If this means relatively cheap price (10-15 for a bed or 30Y for a Dbl during week days, avoid during WE), it does not always mean comfortable rooms so shop around. You can also check the followings :

• Mao Jia Zhaodaisuo, a bit off the road, on the left side before the intersection going to Shaoshan Peak, 400m from the museum / Some fairly clean and comfortable dbl with attached bath and personal heater for as low as 30Y / Also Sgl, Trpl & quad

• Near Mao's Library, an house without sign in a peaceful environment / Bad rooms on the ground floor but spacious quads upstairs for as low as 30Y for dbl occupancy during week days / Basic individual sanitary / HW in bucket on request.

What to see / visit ?

• Mount Shaoshan : (4), Y2 or much more...

Go there by walking (2km), with a minibus or a motorcycle (Y4). At the base, The Forest of Steles cost Y8. 

If it did not rain and if you are relatively fit, it is possible to walk the mountain in around half an hour. Otherwise, a cable car can get you up for Y20 (up & down 30Y).

Near the summit, you have no choice but to buy a ticket to admire the view. It cost 4Y to go to the Temple, Y2 to the viewing platform (worth it) or Y12 for all the five "attractions".

• Mao's family House : (3), Y3

Avoid paying by walking in directly on the left entrance or by passing round the house.

<< Discover the view from the top...

Bus Schedules : From Shaoshan City, 10mn from village by bus

The trip back to Changsha : Iveco Bus / SSSS / L&R / Y1.5+Y20 / 2h30

You can take another road from the village to the bus/train station by taking a bus heading toward Mao's house. As we arrived after 10am, we had no choice but to take an Iveco bus. They are much more comfortable but ours was not that faster due to the road being reconstructed...