Xiangtan ( Chinese : 湘潭 ) is a prefecture-level city in east-central Hunan province, south-central China . The hometowns of several founding leaders of the Chinese Communist Party , including Chairman Mao Zedong , President Liu Shaoqi , and Marshal Peng Dehuai , are in Xiangtan's administration, as well as the hometowns of Qing dynasty and republic era painter Qi Baishi , scholar-general Zeng Guofan , and tennis player Peng Shuai .
20-767: Xiangtan forms a part of the Greater Changsha Metropolitan Region with Changsha as the core city along with Zhuzhou , also known as Changzhutan City Cluster, one of the core cities in Central China . Xiangtan is one of the top 200 cities in the world by scientific research outputs, as tracked by the Nature Index . It is home to Xiangtan University , a Double First-Class Construction university, and two provincial key public universities of Hunan Institute of Engineering and Hunan University of Science and Technology . Xiangtan
40-425: Is harvested when the seed head of the lotus is ripe or nearly ripe and the latter is harvested when the seed head is still fully green but with almost fully developed seeds. White lotus seeds are de-shelled and de-membraned. At harvest, the bitter-tasting germ of most seeds is removed using a hollow needle. Brown peel lotus seeds are brown because the ripened seed has adhered to its membrane. The germ of these hard seeds
60-488: Is located on the lower reaches of the Xiang River . The name "Xiangtan" is derived from local geography, but the explanations for its origin vary somewhat in details. In any case, "Xiang" ( 湘 ) refers to the Xiang River , while "Tan" ( 潭 ) is a Chinese term that means "deep pool", specifically one produced by a moving current or waterfall; "Tan" in rivers generally are places where the current eddies . One reasoning
80-480: Is one of the top 200 cities in the world by scientific research outputs, as tracked by the Nature Index . It is home to Xiangtan University , a Double First-Class Construction university, and two provincial key public universities of Hunan Institute of Engineering and Hunan University of Science and Technology . This is a list of institutions with full-time bachelor programs in Xiangtan: Xiangtan
100-592: Is quite common to see people chewing areca nut in Hunan . In 2003, the sales revenue of areca nut industry in Xiangtan had reached ¥800 million. The current Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary of Xiangtan is Cao Jiongfang and the current mayor is Zhang Yingchun. Xiangtan is well connected by roads, river and rail. There is a shuttle bus service connecting to Changsha Huanghua International Airport . Many people continue to visit Shaoshan , Xiangtan to visit
120-468: Is removed by cracking the seeds in half. Dried lotus seeds past their prime oxidize to a yellow brown color. However, some sellers of dried lotus seeds bleach their products with hydrogen peroxide , sodium hydroxide , or other chemicals. In a 100 gram reference amount, dried lotus seeds contain 332 calories and consist of 64% carbohydrates , 2% fat , 15% protein , and 14% water. The seeds are high in B vitamins , particularly thiamin at 43% of
140-676: Is said to have died there. Relics from the Daxi culture indicate that people inhabited the Xiangtan area in the 3rd millennium BC. Shang dynasty bronzewares have been found in the region, as well as tombs from the Warring States period . During the Three Kingdoms period , the kingdom of Eastern Wu built a city in the west of modern Xiangtan City and organized the Hengyang Commandery ( 衡陽郡 ) around it. In 749,
160-584: Is that the city was built by a large eddy in a bend of the Xiang River, and was thus called "Xiang-Tan". Another more likely story says the name originated in the Xiangzhou Eddy, today called the Zhao Eddy ( 昭潭 ). The Zhao Eddy is an ancient whirlpool located in a deep section of the Xiang River near the traditional border between Xiangtan and Changsha , and is named for King Zhao of Zhou , who
180-463: Is the birthplace of: Changzhutan Changzhutan or Chang-Zhu-Tan , also Greater Changsha Metropolitan Region or Changsha - Zhuzhou - Xiangtan City Cluster ( simplified Chinese : 长株潭城市群 ; traditional Chinese : 長株潭城市群 ; pinyin : Cháng-Zhū-Tán Chéngshì Qún ) is a city cluster in Hunan province , China, consisting of the provincial capital, Changsha and two other prefecture-level cities : Xiangtan and Zhuzhou ; it
200-439: Is the main heavily urbanized region of Hunan and covers an area of 28,087 km (10,844 sq mi). Economist Intelligence Unit identified Chang-Zhu-Tan as one of China's 13 megalopolises in its 2012 report "Supersized Cities", with an estimated 2010 population of 8.3 million and 2009 GDP of 320 million Chinese yuan (CNY) Other sources put the population at 5.92 million. It covers an area of 1,883 km in
220-622: The Daily Value (DV), and numerous dietary minerals, such as manganese (116% DV) and phosphorus (63% DV). The most common use of the seed is in the form of lotus seed paste ( 蓮 蓉 ), which is used extensively in Chinese pastries as well as in Japanese desserts. Dried lotus seeds must be soaked in water overnight prior to use. They can then be added directly to soups and congee or used in other dishes. Fresh lotus seeds are sold in
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#1732772861454240-600: The Tang dynasty organized the area as Xiangtan County, centered at modern Yisu River ( 易俗河 ). By the time of the Northern Song dynasty , Xiangtan's good access to both land and water trade routes had established it as the major commercial center of the region. Xiangtan prospered throughout the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty upon an economic foundation of trading in rice and traditional Chinese medicinal ingredients, and
260-721: The birthplace of Mao Zedong , the former Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China from 1949 to 1976. Some local people like to visit zhaoshan, a small mountain surrounded by trees in Xiangtan. Professional tennis player Peng Shuai was born and trained in Xiangtan. Xiangtan Stadium was the home to Bayi Football Team of the Chinese Football Association Jia League (now Chinese Super League ) from 2002 to 2003. Xiangtan
280-400: The annual mean temperature is 17.4 °C (63.3 °F), with the coolest month being January, which averages 5.1 °C (41.2 °F), and the hottest July, at 29.1 °C (84.4 °F). The city of Xiangtan has direct jurisdiction over two districts ( 区 ; qū ), two county-level cities ( 市 ; shì ), and one county ( 县 ; xiàn ) : In 2006, Xiangtan's nominal GDP
300-435: The four adjoining urban districts of Zhuzhou , its built-up area is home to 2,933,069 inhabitants. In 2007, the city was named China's top ten livable cities by Chinese Cities Brand Value Report, which was released at the 2007 Beijing Summit of China Cities Forum. Xiangtan has a humid subtropical climate with long, hot summers, and cool to cold, cloudy, damp winters with occasional snow flurries. Within its administrative area,
320-487: The seed heads of the plant and eaten by breaking the individual seeds out of the cone-shaped head and removing the rubbery shell. Crystallized lotus seeds ( 蓮 子 糖 ), made by drying lotus seeds cooked in syrup, are a common Chinese snack, especially during Chinese new year . Xiangtan or Xianglian lotus seeds, along with Yongfeng chili sauce and Changsha stinky tofu are collectively referred to as "Hunan Sanbao" or Hunan's three treasures. Lotus seeds are also common in
340-577: The three urban cores and surrounding areas. The area has been given a unified telephone area code . Lotus seed A lotus seed or lotus nut is the seed of plants in the genus Nelumbo , particularly the species Nelumbo nucifera . The seeds are used in Asian cuisine and traditional medicine . Mostly sold in dried, shelled form, the seeds are rich in protein , B vitamins , and dietary minerals . Two types of dried lotus seeds can be found commercially; brown peel and white . The former
360-459: The urban area with a population of 5.92 million, GDP reaches 568 billion CNY (US$ 90 billion), GDP per capita of 96,067 CNY (US$ 15,665), the core area of three cities ( Changzhutan metropolis ) had an area of 483.77 km in 2012. On December 14, 2007, it was issued as Comprehensive Supporting Reform Trial Areas to build a resource conserving and environment friendly society by China NDRC . The Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan intercity railway connects
380-555: Was sometimes referred to as "Little Nanjing " or "Golden Xiangtan". Prior to the Second Opium War , Xiangtan was a central transfer point for import and export goods going to and from ports in Canton , Shanghai , and Wuhan , supported by approximately 200,000 inhabitants. As of 2010 census, Xiangtan had 2,748,552 inhabitants, of whom 1,877,919 lived in the built-up area (2 urban districts plus Xiangtan county). Together with
400-513: Was ¥42.2 billion (US$ 6.2 billion), a year-on-year growth of 13.2% from the previous year. Its per capita GDP was ¥15,455 (US$ 2,265). Xiangtan is famous for its production of lotus seed and soy sauce . People in Xiangtan like to chew areca nut ( 槟榔 ; bīngláng ), though the area itself doesn't grow them. Most raw areca nut fruits are from Hainan and processed locally. The history of consuming areca nut dates back to 400 years ago, when people chewed it for pandemic prevention . Nowadays, it
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