Three stories make Central China's Hunan heard in the US

A craftswoman performs Hunan embroidery at the exhibition. [Photo/Xinhua]

The last story Zhang told starts with the 2009 science-fiction movie, Avatar. "The Avatar Hallelujah Mountain is exactly the mountain in north Hunan's Zhangjiajie city," Zhang said. "Hunan is known not only for its 'green scenery', but also for its entertainment industry."

Sixty percent of the province is covered in forest and China's second largest freshwater lake, Dongting Lake, and four rivers run across its landscape. A variety of TV shows that always get high audience ratings have been filmed here. Zhang said Hunan is a province that can't be ignored.

Xu Haoliang, deputy secretary of the United Nations Development Program, said that the exhibition is quite informative.

"What I used to know about Hunan is that people there eat a lot of spices, and that Hunan people are staunch and straightforward. Now I know it is much more than just that," he said.

The exhibition, which was presented through four aspects, enables the audience to take a glimpse at the natural beauty, the people, the landscape and the political and economic state of the province. The embroidery and tea ceremony performance at the exhibition also gave audiences a vivid illustration of Hunan culture.

The exhibition is open until Friday.