Hunan province: Land of fish and rice

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In today's introduction to Chinese provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, we take a look at Hunan.

Hunan province is located in the middle reaches of China's longest river, the Yangtze.

Its capital is Changsha. Other major cities include Zhuzhou, Yueyang and Hengyang.

Hunan is known as the land of fish and rice because of the plentiful production.

The province lies south of the Dongting Lake, hence the Chinese name "Hunan", meaning "south of the lake"

Dongting is China's second largest fresh water lake and it's famous in Chinese culture as the origin of dragon boat racing.

Many important historical figures were natives of Hunan. One was Mao Zedong, the founder of the People's Republic of China.

Hunan has witnessed growing trade and economic links with other countries, with its export volume exceeding 12.5 billion US dollars.

40 of the world's top 500 businesses have established a presence in Hunan.

In 2008, Hunan's GDP hit more than 1.1 trillion yuan, or about 164 billion US dollars, up nearly 13 percent from the previous year and ranking ninth in the country.