Cruising around China town

In the past year, I have been quite fortunate to travel to different countries with regards to my work and our Desi Hoppers performances. Each place that I have visited gave me something new to learn about. This year especially has been filled with travel, which gave me some great new experiences. One such place I recently visited was Changsha, the capital of the Hunan province located in central China. My crew and I were invited for a four-day visit by the Chinese Hunan TV to perform on their most popular show Day Day Up. The trip was a great learning experience — from food, and culture to technological advancement there was so much to see. It was my very first visit to China. Since we were on the move from our hotel to the shoot from day one, we got a good insight into its city life.

Situated in the river valley along the lower reaches of the Xiang River, Changsha is a commercial hub. Their world-class infrastructure and technological advancement in every small space is a sight to see. The city represents a good mix of old architecture with temple-like structures and new-age glass skyscrapers. Unlike India, the six-lane roads manage the city’s traffic very well.

As the city is not a popular tourist destination, shopping is much cheaper and affordable in comparison to other parts of China. Since, we were busy with our shoot, we didn’t get a chance to really shop, but we did visit the Wuyi Square Shopping Circle located in central Changsha. The place is filled with departmental stores, malls and supermarkets. It is said to be one of the most important shopping areas in the main downtown city.

Their night market is a must-visit for every traveller, especially for those who are open to experimenting with food. The area is filled with various restaurants and pop-up stalls serving a diverse range of delicacies. If you are a vegetarian like most of us in the team, then this night stroll will only be visually fascinating and amusing. From crabs and fish to a range of different insects — roasted, fried, and steamed — the street was serving everything possible. Coming to the people, I felt that our visit there got a mixed reaction from those whom we interacted with. As they don’t understand English at all, the communication was a bit difficult. Do get a translator for easy travel around the city. We luckily had our translator with us through the trip, who was of great help. We were staying at the Yannian Century hotel, which is said to be one of the best in Changsha. I must say, the Chinese are extremely well dressed. One could get a commercial photo-shoot with them at anytime in the day, because their style sense is impeccable at all times.

We were keen on visiting the big Ferris wheel and Orange Island Park, but due to lack of time we weren’t able to do so. Hopefully we will go back sometime in the future. Overall, it was a nice trip and a unique experience for us all. Definitely a must-visit for all travel enthusiasts who need to be just a bit careful about their food arrangements and communication skills of course!

Shantanu is a television actor, who started his career with dance-based drama Dil Dosti Dance