Changsha Travel Guide | Orange Island, Yuelu Mountain, Street Food, Ear Cleaning & Scorpion Eating

After exploring Beijing, we flew south to Changsha—the capital of Hunan and a city that feels very different from the China most international travellers visit.

We flew from Beijing Daxing Airport to Changsha, took the metro straight from the airport to our hotel, explored Orange Island and the huge Mao Zedong statue, enjoyed a surprisingly affordable foot massage, stayed at two Marriott hotels, wandered through Changsha's lively food streets, tried traditional Chinese ear cleaning, ate plenty of spicy food—and yes, even finished an entire scorpion!

If you're looking for a less-touristy China destination with local food, nightlife, affordable experiences and a very different atmosphere from Beijing and Shanghai, Changsha is absolutely worth considering.

✈️ Flying from Beijing to Changsha

Changsha was the second stop in our China series. We flew from Beijing Daxing International Airport, which was different from the airport we had arrived at in Beijing. To get there, we used two metro rides and an airport express.

Before our domestic flight, we checked into the airport lounge using our American Express Priority Pass. Our flight was with XiamenAir, and this was our first time trying the airline on this route.

The flight arrived about 15 minutes late, and the weather in Changsha was rainy and cloudy. We experienced quite a bit of turbulence on the way down, but landed safely and headed straight for the metro.

🚇 Changsha Airport to the City by Metro

One of the biggest surprises was how easy and inexpensive it was to get from the airport to our hotel. We took the subway from the airport to Four Points by Sheraton Changsha, Meixi Lake.

The journey took approximately 1 hour 8 minutes and around 30 stops, but the ticket cost only 8 CNY per person—just 16 CNY for both of us. The metro was clean, spacious and very easy to use.

We also noticed signs for a maglev service at the airport, similar to the maglev experience we had in Shanghai, although it wasn't the route we needed for our hotel.

🏨 Four Points by Sheraton Changsha, Meixi Lake

Our first hotel in Hunan Province was Four Points by Sheraton Changsha, Meixi Lake. We were given a spacious corner room on the 23rd floor, with panoramic views over Changsha.

The room had a king-size bed, large storage areas, robes and slippers, a workspace/dining area, a large bathroom, rainfall shower, couch and TV. The room was particularly comfortable for travellers carrying large luggage because of the amount of storage space.

We paid approximately $60 USD per night, excluding breakfast. Breakfast was around 50 CNY per person.

Despite the cloudy weather, we had a great view of the city and the nearby First Normal University campus. Overall, we felt the hotel offered excellent value for the price.

🍲 Our First Night: Local Hot Pot

For our first dinner in Changsha, we met Mike, a world traveller, and headed out for hot pot. We ordered a huge selection of local dishes without being entirely sure what everything was—part of the fun of travelling through China!

🌴 Orange Island (Juzizhou) & The Mao Zedong Statue

The next morning, we checked out and headed to Orange Island, also known as Juzizhou, located in the Xiang River. The island has a riverside walking path surrounded by greenery and flowers, and it was surprisingly quiet during our visit.

Entry was free, although we had to register our passports at the tourist centre before entering.

Our main goal was to walk to the enormous Mao Zedong statue. After more than half an hour of walking along the river, we reached the statue and enjoyed the surrounding views.

Changsha has more than 3,000 years of history, and visiting Orange Island gave us a chance to experience a very different side of China from the major international cities we'd visited earlier in the trip.

From the island, you can also get a great view of Changsha's skyline, with high-rise buildings and hotels surrounding the river.

On the way back, we took the island's shuttle train because the weather had turned rainy and we were hungry. A round-trip ticket was quoted at 40 CNY per person, while our one-way return ride cost 25 CNY per adult.

🍜 Changsha Food, IFS Mall & A $24 Massage

After Orange Island, the rain became extremely heavy, so we continued by metro to IFS Mall. We grabbed some lunch, including spicy beef fried rice and noodles, before looking for somewhere to relax after all the walking.

We found a private massage room for three people with a large projector screen and a buffet included. The entire experience cost us approximately $24 USD total.

The massage lasted a little over an hour, and we were genuinely impressed by the experience. We travel frequently and have had massages in many countries, but this was one of our favourite spa experiences.

Our tip: In China, check Meituan for massage and spa deals. We found that the prices available through the app could be lower than the prices displayed at the venue. Google Translate can also be useful when communicating with local businesses.

After the massage, we enjoyed the included buffet and then stopped at the W Hotel to have a beer before taking the metro to our next hotel.

🏨 Fairfield by Marriott Changsha Near Yuelu Mountain

Our next hotel was Fairfield by Marriott Changsha, located near Yuelu Mountain. The room had a king-size bed, robes and slippers, rainfall shower, storage space, a small couch/dining area and views over another part of Changsha.

We stayed for two nights at approximately $55 USD per night, again excluding breakfast. Breakfast was around 50 CNY per person.

⭐ Why We Changed Marriott Hotels So Often

Normally, we prefer staying in one hotel for three to five nights and using it as our base for exploring a city. In Changsha, however, we were deliberately moving between Marriott properties.

The reason was a Marriott promotion running during our trip. We were taking advantage of a promotion where stays at different Marriott brands could earn 2,500 bonus points and an additional elite night per qualifying stay, according to the promotion we were using.

💳 If you're interested in the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card, you can check it out through our referral link .

That meant splitting our stays between different Marriott brands could generate more qualifying stays than spending all of the nights at one property. Promotions change, so always check the current Marriott promotional terms before planning a hotel-hopping strategy.

🌃 Changsha's Incredible Night Skyline

One of our favourite surprises in Changsha was the city skyline at night. From the bridge, we found a viewpoint where the high-rise buildings created an enormous 180-degree panoramic light show.

The lights on many of the buildings were synchronized, creating what looked like one giant projection across the skyline. It was especially impressive because the effect continued across multiple buildings rather than being limited to a single tower.

🌶️ Changsha Food Street & Hunan Cuisine

Changsha is known for its food, and Hunan cuisine is famous for being seriously spicy. We headed to a lively pedestrian-only food street at night, where the atmosphere was completely different from the quieter daytime experience on Orange Island.

There were lights everywhere, busy streets, local shops, food stalls and plenty of things happening around us. This was exactly the kind of experience we were hoping to find in a city that isn't as commonly visited by international tourists.

👂 Traditional Chinese Ear Cleaning

One of the most unusual experiences we tried in China was the famous ear cleaning experience. We found a small shop on the walking street and chose the basic option for 30 CNY per person.

The process included gentle tools and a drumming-like sensation inside the ears. We were initially unsure whether it would hurt, but our experience was surprisingly comfortable and very relaxing.

The basic experience started at 30 CNY, while Mike chose a 60 CNY option so we could compare the different experiences.

🍢 Street Food, Skewers & Our First Scorpion

After the ear cleaning, we started exploring the street food. One of the skewers we tried cost 10 CNY. It was spicy, herby and tasty, although we weren't initially sure exactly what meat we were eating.

Then came the challenge we'd been teasing throughout the video: scorpion eating.

The scorpion cost 50 CNY. It was deep-fried and extremely crunchy. Our verdict? Surprisingly, it wasn't bad at all. The texture was more like a crunchy snack, especially with chilli powder.

We actually finished the entire scorpion instead of leaving it behind. The body was particularly crunchy, and the whole experience was much more edible than we expected.

🍺 Local Food Plaza Dinner

We finished the evening at a local food plaza with a pitcher of beer and more skewers. The food was spicy, inexpensive and exactly the kind of local dining experience we wanted from Changsha.

After spending time in more internationally famous Chinese cities, this was one of the things we enjoyed most about Changsha: the feeling that we were experiencing a city where local life—not international tourism—was the main attraction.

⛰️ Yuelu Mountain

Before leaving Changsha, we decided to tick off one more attraction: Yuelu Mountain.

We took the cable car, which cost 50 CNY per person, although we weren't sure whether that price was for one way or a return journey. The walk around the mountain was peaceful and enjoyable, and the scenery at the top reminded us of a Japanese village, almost like somewhere around Kyoto.

Thankfully, the weather had improved by then, giving us a much nicer final experience in Changsha.

✨ Why You Should Visit Changsha

Changsha surprised us. It doesn't have the same international profile as Beijing or Shanghai, and that is exactly what made it interesting for us.

We found a city full of local food, spicy Hunan cuisine, modern high-rises, colourful night lights, affordable experiences, historic sites and everyday Chinese life. From walking around Orange Island to eating a scorpion, getting an ear cleaning and relaxing with an excellent massage, Changsha gave us experiences we didn't expect to have in one city.

If you're looking for a less-touristy Chinese city where you can experience a more local side of the country, put Changsha on your list.

✨ Our Changsha Tips

• ✈️ Beijing Daxing Airport is well connected by public transport; we used metro services to reach the airport.
• 🚇 The airport-to-city metro was extremely affordable for us—8 CNY per person to our hotel area.
• 🏨 Four Points by Sheraton Meixi Lake was approximately $60 USD/night during our stay, excluding breakfast.
• 🌴 Orange Island/Juzizhou had free entry for us after passport registration at the tourist centre.
• 🚂 The Orange Island shuttle train cost us 25 CNY per adult one way or 40 CNY per person for a round trip.
• 💆 Check Meituan for massage and spa deals before paying the walk-in price.
• 🏨 Fairfield by Marriott near Yuelu Mountain cost us approximately $55 USD/night.
• ⭐ If you're chasing a Marriott promotion, check the current terms before splitting stays between brands.
• 🌶️ Hunan food is spicy, so be prepared if you don't normally eat very spicy food.
• 👂 Ear cleaning is an inexpensive and unusual experience to try on the pedestrian food streets.
• 🦂 If you're adventurous, Changsha's food streets may give you the chance to try unusual snacks such as fried scorpion.
• ⛰️ Yuelu Mountain is a great final stop if you have a few extra hours before leaving Changsha.

💰 Our Changsha Costs & Prices

• 🚇 Airport → Four Points by Sheraton Meixi Lake metro: 8 CNY per person
• 🏨 Four Points by Sheraton Changsha, Meixi Lake: Approximately $60 USD/night, breakfast excluded
• 🍳 Four Points breakfast: 50 CNY per person
• 🌴 Orange Island/Juzizhou entry: Free after passport registration
• 🚂 Orange Island shuttle train: 25 CNY per adult one way / 40 CNY per person round trip
• 💆 Private massage + buffet: Approximately $24 USD total for three people
• 🏨 Fairfield by Marriott Changsha: Approximately $55 USD/night, breakfast excluded
• 🍳 Fairfield breakfast: Approximately 50 CNY per person
• 👂 Basic ear cleaning: 30 CNY per person
• 🍢 Street-food skewer: Approximately 10 CNY each
• 🦂 Fried scorpion: 50 CNY
• ⛰️ Yuelu Mountain cable car: 50 CNY per person

Prices are based on our trip and may vary depending on the season, availability, booking date, room category, exchange rates and the exact service booked.

🎥 Watch Our Changsha Adventure

Changsha was one of those places that reminded us why we love travelling beyond the usual tourist route. The city gave us local food, a fascinating riverside island, a huge skyline light show, surprisingly affordable massages, Marriott hotel hopping, ear cleaning, spicy street food and one unforgettable scorpion challenge.

More importantly, Changsha felt different from the China we had experienced in Beijing and Shanghai. There were fewer international tourists, more local experiences and plenty of opportunities to simply walk around and see everyday life.

This was only the second episode of our China series, and our journey through China was just getting started. 🌎✈️