Changsha is a historical city and one of the first 24 historical and cultural cities announced by the State Council in 1982. The basic layout of Changsha is defined by the Yuelu Mountain historical and cultural scenic area, the ancient city historical and cultural scenic area, historical streets such as Taiping Street, and historical sites such as West Wenmiaoping.

Numerous attractive cultural relics protection units, countless exquisite historical relics, and innumerable unique intangible cultural heritages have a strong appeal for people.

Changsha is also the birthplace of Huxiang culture. The thoughts, words, and deeds of the sages in the past gave birth to the spirit of Changsha, which is "caring about the world and daring to be the first."

The city has strong local characteristics of Huxiang culture. Notably, figures such as Qu Yuan, Jia Yi, Du Fu, Zhu Xi, Huang Xing, Cai E, Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, and many other celebrities, sages, and great men have made Changsha a gathering place for talented individuals.