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Xiangtan
Xiangtan
	— Prefecture-level city —
Chinese transcription(s)
- Chinese	湘潭
- Pinyin	Xiāngtán
	Xiangtan University
	location of Xiangtan in Hunan
	; Xiangtan Location in China
	Coordinates: 27°51′N 112°54′E / 27.85°N 112.9°E
Country	China
Province	Hunan
	Area
- Total	5,015 km2 (1,936.3 sq mi)
	Population
- Total	2,820,000
- Density	562.3/km2 (1,456.4/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Website	http://www.xiangtan.gov.cn

For other uses, see Xiangtan County.

Xiangtan (Chinese: 湘潭; pinyin: Xiāngtán; Wade-Giles: Siang-tan) is a city in Hunan province and located on the lower reaches of Xiang river, a branch of the Yangtze River. It is the hometown of many notable people including Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Peng Dehuai, Qi Baishi and Zeng Guofan.

[edit] History

Relics from Daxi culture indicates that 5000 years ago local tribes lived in Xiangtan area, and it became a modern city in 2500 years ago during the late Shang Dynasty.

[edit] Geography and climate

Xiangtan has a humid subtropical climate with long, hot summers, and cool to cold, cloudy, damp winters with occasional flurries. The average annual average temperature is from 16.7°C to 17.4°C, and 4.1°C in January and 29.7°C in July.

[edit] Administrative divisions

The city of Xiangtan has direct jurisdiction over 2 districts (区 qu), 2 county-level cities (市 shi), and 1 county (县 xian) :

Yuetang-qu (岳塘区)
Yuhu-qu (雨湖区)
Shaoshan-shi (韶山市)
Xiangxiang-shi (湘乡市)
Xiangtan-xian (湘潭县)

[edit] Economy

In 2006, Xiangtan's nominal GDP 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 (Chinese: 槟榔; pinyin: Bīnláng), 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 chewing it for pandemic prevention. Nowadays, it is quite common to see people chewing areca nut in Hunan Province. In 2003, the sales revenue of areca nut industry in Xiangtan has reached ¥800 million.

[edit] Transportation

Xiangtan is well connected by roads, river and rail. There is shuttle bus connecting Changsha Huanghua International Airport.

[edit] Tourism

Many people continue to visit Shaoshan, Xiangtan to visit the birthplace of Mao Zedong, the former chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and the leader of the People's Republic of China from 1949-1971.

[edit] Sport

There is good tennis training tradition in Xiangtan, and professional professional female tennis player Peng Shuai was born and trained here. Xiangtan Stadium was the home to Bayi Football Team of the Chinese Football Association Jia League (now Chinese Super League) from 2002 to 2003.