The Hengshan Mountains are one of the five holy mountain ranges in China. According to the Taoist mythyology, Hengshan is the place for worshipping the God of Fire.

New slogan

Zhang said the new slogan for the province's tourism promotion is "Splendid Xiaoxiang and Happy Hunan".

"Xiaoxiang is the ancient name of Hunan, so when we talk about splendid Xiaoxiang, we are referring to the long history and rich culture of the place," Zhang said.

"And by happy Hunan, we mean that we'd like to show the life and people in the present, an experience related to the dynamic and modern developments in the province," he explained.

He said the provincial tourism bureau is now taking on a new marketing campaign that focuses on presenting an image of both the ancient and modern Hunan to the whole world.

Hunan is one of the places where Chinese agricultural civilization originated and also the cradle for talented forefathers who helped build a new and modern China.

Zhang said Hunan has about 50 tourist destinations with historical significance related to Chinese Communism, making it the backbone of "Red Tourism" in China.

Hunan is the birthplace of Mao Zedong and many other revolutionary figures in the 19th and 20th centuries.

It also witnessed historic moments, such as the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Invasion. The Japanese invaders formally surrendered to the Chinese government in Zhijiang county on Aug 21, 1945.