Hunan (Chinese: 湖南; pinyin:  Húnán; Hunanese, Shuangfeng dialect: /ɣəu¹³ nia¹³/) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the south-central part of the country to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting (hence the name Hunan, which means "south of the lake").