Changsha eats late, spicy and standing in a queue

The city gets going after dark: stinky tofu black and fried with chilli and pickles, crayfish in summer, rice noodles in pork-bone broth, sugar-oil baba, and milk-tea queues that people join as an activity.

Hunan food is hot, sour and smoky, and mild is not really an option — ask for wei la and expect it still to bite. Taiping Street is the obvious spot and fine; the lanes off it are cheaper and better. Bring an appetite and low expectations about bedtime.