Over the past 50 years, the provincial Hunan Opera theater has made screen versions of the traditional operas worshipping the Moon, Drawing Lots for Life and Death and modern opera Ode to Teachers. They have given performances in Beijing for a dozen times and made many performance tours nationwide. In 1952, Hunan Opera artists Xu Shaoqing, Peng Linong, Yang Fupeng and Lou Yuande carried off the first, second, third and honorary prizes at the first national drama festival. In 1986, entrusted by the Ministry of Culture, they participated in the first "China Local Opera Exhibition" in Hong Kong. The theater also won the first and seventh Wenhua Prize for new plays issued by the Ministry of Culture. Wang Yongguang and Zuo Dabin respectively won Wenhua performance prize. 

Changsha-based huagu opera, a small folk drama, used to be popular in 12 counties under the ancient Changsha administration, with Changsha official dialect serving as the stage language. There are five sorts of Huagu opera in Yiyang, Xihu, Ningxiang, Liling and Changsha cities, each having its distinctive artistic characteristics. Changsha huagu opera originated from folk songs and dance and underwent a three-stage development course. In the first stage, there were only the roles of female lead and a clown. The part of young men was added in the second stage. In the third stage, it developed into a multi-role drama. The theatrical companies gradually developed from seasonal or semi-professional into professional ones. The earliest huagu opera company was set up in Ningxiang during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). By the end of Qing Dynasty, the art of Changsha huagu opera had improved, with performers also singing Hunan opera. During the Anti-Japanese War, a huagu opera team was set up in Changsha to publicize the endeavor of fighting against Japanese invaders. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Changsha huagu opera developed quickly. It has three kinds of pitched tones, each having its traditional plays and performing characteristics. Changsha huagu opera is based on chuan tone. The performance featuring the parts of female lead, young men and clown has distinctive artistic characteristics. There are more than 210 traditional plays for huagu opera, of which Liuhai Cuts Firewood and Kite flying won prizes at the national level. In terms of modern operatic creation, plays of influence created during the 1950s include Sister and Sisters-in-Law and Father Luosi Buying an Ox During the 1980s, more than 100 plays won prizes.

Hunan puppet and shadow shows have a long history. They were popular in rural and urban areas as early as the Tang and Song dynasties. The Hunan Provincial Puppet and Shadow Art Theater, founded in 1956, performed for such Chinese state leaders as Mao Zedong Zhou Enlai, Dong Biwu, He Long and Chen Yi, as well as some foreign state leaders. It has visited and given performances in over 20 countries and regions including the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the former Soviet Union, France, Germany, Japan and the United States. The Puppet and shadow shows performed by the theater, having a distinctive artistic style, are known to the world for steady and precise manipulation, exquisite and lifelike performance. They have won many prizes both at home and abroad, for instance, the "Best Performance" prize at the Third International Puppet Show Festival held in Romania in 1965, the honorary prize at the Australian International Puppet Show Festival in 1983, and the Wenhua Prize for new plays in 1993 and 1997.

     Liuyang ancient music was developed by the Liuyang ancient music expert Qiu Gushi in 1828. In accordance with the ancient musical system, materials used for making musical instruments are wood, stone, gold, gourd, earth, leather, silk and bamboo, which are called the eight sounds. Such instruments include stone chimes, bell chimes, Chinese windpipe, 25 stringed horizontal harp, flutes and drums. In addition, dance-hosts wore special clothes and hats. A long narrow flag with a dragon painted on it was used to conduct the orchestra. Raising the dragon flag meant the start of the music, while dropping the flag brought it to an end. After the music was developed, workers with the Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong went to Liuyang to study the music. In 1963, the Ministry of Culture appropriated special funds for the complete restoration and exploration of ancient music. All ancient musical instruments were provided, and amateur singers were trained in music and dancing. A book Information about Liuyang Ancient Music was compiled. The ancient musical instruments have been collected by the Hunan Provincial Museum. Scores of Liuyang Ancient Music still exist in Japan.

     In Hunan, there are three well-known acrobatic performing families, among which the Chen family in Changsha is one. In the past, the folk acrobatic performance mainly referred to variety shows by artisans, juggling or sometimes a monkey show. Most variety shows belong to ordinary traditional techniques, for instance, acrobatics on a bamboo pole, jar-balancing, high-wire walking plate-spinning pagoda of bowls, and flying trident and knife, sometimes interwoven with martial arts. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the provincial acrobatic troupe developed trick-cycling and other acrobatic programs.

Changsha Attractive points:

Most part of the city is between Xiangjiang River (to the west) and Jing-guang Railway/Changsha Railway Station (to the far east of the city). The major street, Wuyi (May 1st) Road leads away from the station to the river and sparate the city into north and south. 

Across the Xiangjiang is the Yuelu Park where Loving Dusk Pavilion (Ai4 Wan3 Tin2) is located. This is the spot where the youthful Mao Zedong wrote a poem in the 1920s depicting an "all-red" China, as the view from the top of the Yuelu Mountain down to Xiangjiang River in late fall. 

"Wan4 Shui3 Qian1 Shan1, Chen2 Lin2 Jin4 Lan3, Man4 Jiang1 Bi4 Tou4 ..." (thousands of mountains and rivers, will all be red as the forest below, even casted into the river).