Xiang Dialect 湘语

When goes to Chinese dialects, never miss the dialect of Xiang (湘语 xiāngyǔ). Xiang (Hunanese) is spoken by roughly 36 million people in China, mainly in Hunan (湖南 Húnán) province, especially in the cities of Changsha (长沙 Chǎngshā), Zhuzhou (株洲 Zhūzhōu), Xiangtan (湘潭 Xiāngtán), Yiyang (益阳 Yìyáng), Loudi (娄底 Lóudǐ),Hengyang（衡阳 Héngyáng）and Shaoyang (邵阳 Shàoyáng). You'll find also Xiang speakers in southern Shaanxi (陕西 Shǎnxī), southern Anhui (安徽 Anhuī), northeastGuangxi (广西 Guǎngxī), Sichuan (四川 Sìchuān) and Guizhou (贵州 Guìzhōu) provinces.

Some scholars separate Xiang into two distinct varieties: Old Xiang, spoken in the southern elements in the Xiang-speaking region, and New Xiang, which might be heard in the northern Xiang-speaking region and has been affected by Mandarin.

You'll find 3 principal groups of Xiang dialects:

Chángyì sub-group, spoken in Changsha, Yiyang and 29 other cities and counties.
Lóushào sub-group which is spoken in Loudi Shaoyang and 19 other cities and counties.
Jíxù subgroup, which is spoken in Jishou (吉首 Jíshǒu), Xupu (溆浦 Xùpǔ) and six other cities and counties.

If you have a strong and lively character, you may interested in Xiang dialect while it is said to be as strong as chili.