Hunan’s cultural tourism market is recovering. As the epidemic wanes further in Hunan Province, several scenic areas and cultural venues reopen to the public in an orderly manner. As of August 18, a total of 273 A-level tourist attractions in the province resumed operation, according to the Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism.    

Scenic spots and cultural venues in the province that have reopened to the public should strictly limit the number of visitors and implement staggered shifts and reservation systems. Strict anti-epidemic measures should be implemented before entry, including real-name reservation, wearing masks, temperature measurement, and checking health QR codes and digital travel records. The daily number of visitors in a tourist spot should not exceed 50 to 75 percent of its maximum capacity.

Hunan Museum

Photo courtesy of Hunan Museum

The Hunan Museum reopened to the public starting from August 18, 2021. During the epidemic period, the museum’s VR digital experience hall and multimedia equipment at the exhibition halls are temporarily closed. Services such as team reservation, parking, guide service and educational activities are not available. You can log on to the museum’s official website or WeChat official account 7 days in advance (excluding the reservation day) to make a reservation. The museum, including its temporary exhibitions, set a daily visitor cap of 4,000 people. The initial ticket release time of the day has been adjusted to 20:00 every day to facilitate reservation.

Opening hours:

Tuesday to Sunday; 9:00—17:00 (last entry at 16:00) 

Closed on Mondays except national statutory holidays. 

Hunan Library

At noon of August 18, readers study at the Hunan Library. (Photo courtesy of Hunan Library)

The Hunan Library resumed full operation starting from August 18, 2021. All service windows are open normally. Fees for virus-induced late returns of books and periodicals will be waived until August 31, 2021. The library will also resume offline activities in an orderly manner, with the number and scale of events, and the number of participants controlled.

Opening hours:

Tuesday to Sunday; 8:30 -18:00 (including self-study rooms); closed on Mondays.

The ancient books reading room on the fourth floor is closed on Sundays.

Hunan Cultural Center

The Hunan Cultural Center reopened to the public starting from August 18. Victors are requested to make a real-name appointment via its WeChat official account when visiting the Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall, Art Gallery, and Fine Arts Exhibition Hall. The Hunan Concert Hall and Mass Star Theater will remain closed. 

Opening hours:

Monday to Sunday; 9:00-17:30

Hunan Provincial Library of Juveniles and Children

The Hunan Provincial Library of Juveniles and Children reopened on August 18. In order to provide readers with a better reading environment, the library's original No. 1 comprehensive reading room on the first floor was relocated to the No.2 comprehensive reading room on the third floor.

Changsha Window on the World

Photo courtesy of the Window on the World.

The Window on the World in Changsha reopened on August 18. All amusement projects and the water park resumed operation. Dozens of life-sized bear mascots accompanied tourists on the roller coaster and ferris wheel to have fun together.

Liuyang Cangfang Scenic Area

The Liuyang Cangfang Scenic Area reopened to the public on August 18, with a daily limit of 2,000 visitors. Hu Yaobang’s Former Residence, Hu Yaobang Memorial Hall, Cultural Expo Park, and Clean Governance Hall limit their instantaneous on-site capacity to 100 visitors. Tourists need to make a real-name appointment via the Wechat official account of “耀邦故里 清秀苍坊”.

Opening hours:

9:00-17:30 every day (last entry at 17:00)

Ningxiang Qianfo Cave Scenic Area

Tourists visit Qianfo Cave. (Photo courtesy of Qianfo Cave Scenic Area)

Ningxiang Qianfo Cave Scenic Area reopened to the public on August 18. The scenic area had been fully disinfected before reopening. A visitor cap is set at 50% of the maximum capacity. The number of daily visitors is limited to no more than 1,000. Employees’ health conditions are strictly monitored to ensure the safety of tourists.

Huaihua Tongdao Red Army Long March Transfer Memorial Hall 

The Tongdao Red Army Long March Transfer Memorial Hall reopened on August 18. You can visit the scenic area by making an appointment by phone or online platforms. The daily visitor cap is set at 50% of the maximum capacity. The number of instantaneous on-site visitors should not exceed 50% of the maximum instantaneous on-site capacity. Tourists from medium- and high-risk areas are not accepted.

Opening hours:

9:00-17:00 every day (last entry at 16:30)

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: Voice of Hunan