Yueyang used to be called Yuezhou, or Yochow. It is on the eastern shore of Dongting lake in the north of China's Hunan province. The port city is a major stop for cruises on the Yangzi River.

The Yueyang Tower (岳阳楼) is an ancient Chinese pavilion on the shore of Lake Dongting. It is located on the west gate of the city wall and it faces Junshan Island.

There are many hotels in Yueyang and the city's restaurants often display their food outside in cages, alive and well. You can choose from frogs, hedgehogs, snakes and rodents, which will be taken from the cage and prepared for you. For people with a weak stomach it is also possible to eat less confronting Hunanese food, such as Silver Fish (洞庭银鱼) from Dongting lake, which is Yueyang's specialty. The local cuisine is often quite spicy. Yueyang is 1220 km south of Beijing.

Yueyang ©Shihan Yin

Yueyang ©Shihan Yin