A Day Trip to Changsha: A Travel Diary

🌅Best time to visit: Any season is suitable, but spring and autumn have pleasant weather, suitable temperatures, and particularly beautiful scenery. The sun is strong in summer, so remember to apply sunscreen. If it snows in winter, Orange Island is covered in silver, which has a unique charm. It is recommended to spend 3–4 hours here. 🚗Transportation Guide: 🚇Subway: Take Line 2 and get off at Orange Island Station. Take Exit 2 or 3 to reach the scenic area directly. 🚌Bus: Take bus routes 1, 112, 132, etc., get off at the Orange Island Bridge East Bus Station, and then walk to the scenic area entrance. 💰Ticket Information: Orange Island is open for free, but you need to buy a ticket to ride the sightseeing mini-train. 🚂Sightseeing Mini-Train: Highly recommended. Orange Island is very large, and it will be tiring to walk the whole way. The mini-train has multiple stops along the way, so you can get on and off at any time. The starting station is at the south gate of the scenic area, and the last stop is the Mao Zedong Youth Art Sculpture Square. 📸Photo Spots ✅Mao Zedong Youth Art Sculpture: This is a landmark attraction on Orange Island. Take a photo with the statue of the great man with the magnificent Xiang River in the background. It's super stunning. It is recommended to stand by the flower bed in front of the sculpture and shoot upwards from a low angle to capture a more imposing photo. ✅Ask the Sky Terrace: Located at the southernmost tip of Orange Island, it is surrounded by water on three sides. Here, you can have a panoramic view of the scenery on both sides of the Xiang River. Take a silhouette photo with the river view as the background to create a super atmospheric effect. ✅Orange Island Beach Park: There is a large beach in the park. You can take photos with the river view on the beach. Wearing brightly colored clothes will make your photos stand out. ⚠️Travel Tips: ✔️After picking up your ticket at the ticket window, you can take the mini-train to the Statue of Great Man first, and take photos. ✔️Then go to the cruise terminal for dinner and wait to board the ship. ✔️After checking in and boarding the ship, find your seat and go to the photo area specially set up on the third floor of the cruise ship to take photos. ✔️The attractions along the way after the ship sets sail are all popular photo spots in Changsha, so just take photos. ✔️There are performances and souvenir coins given away on the first floor on the way back. If you are interested, you can take a look. ✔️After getting off the ship, you can take the mini-train directly out of the scenic area to the subway station.