Fenghuang (Phoenix) Ancient Town – Charming Town in Dreams

Tuojiang River is the mother river of Fenghuang Ancient Town, and  Tuojiang River Boating (沱江泛舟) is surely the must-do highlight of this charming attraction. Taking a boat along the river, you can see the stilted buildings, the Longevity Palace, Wanming Tower, Duocuilou Building, etc. along the banks to feel like being away from the noisy world. As the boat slowly floating, the water plants shake the bodies in the gentle wave, and get the time slower down to nearly cease. You will feel like a part of Fenghuang Ancient Town beautiful like a landscape painting.

If you enjoy boating at night, you can appreciate the strings of various red lanterns outside the antique windows reflecting on the clear river, which is so harmonious and elegant that it can be found in those excellent ancient Chinese poems.

Stilted Building Group (Diaojiaolou)

In the ancient city, the stilted building groups which stand on the edge of the Tuojiang River and with a history of 100 years are one of the most striking and spectacular views in Fenghuang. The most concentrated, tidy and beautiful stilted building groups are on both sides of Hongqiao Bridge. The area around Huilongge has the most spectacular diaojiaolou group. There is one of the highest and fairest stilted buildings - Duocui Building (夺翠楼) stands out among all. Unfortunately, the number of old stilted buildings facing the river is slowly dwindling.

The best way to appreciate the stilted building is to admire it closely from the Tuojiang River by taking a wooden boat and photography the stilted building and its reflection in the river. In the early morning before sunrise, the river mist plus soft light is one of the best times to produce good pictures. Or go to the New Bridge during the night and overlook the dim lights of the stilted buildings. If you are interested, stay one night in a stilted building inn beside the Tuojiang River, leaning against the window to look at the scenery of banks. It is also very intoxicating.

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Facing the North Gate of Fenghuang Ancient City, the Stepping Stone (跳岩) is a unique channel connecting the two sides of the river which is formed by two rows of independent square stone piers. Like its name, crossing the river through the Stepping Stone, you need to jump each step, and crystal clear Tuojian River flows under your feet. How exciting! This is also one of the most popular shooting spots in Fenghuang. In the early morning mist, the picture of an old woman dressed in Miao nationality dress walking and jumping over a rock with her basket on her back is frozen here. Standing on the rock jumping, behind is the vast Tuojiang River. The beauty of the scenery makes people nostalgic.

Phoenix Hong Bridge

Phoenix Hong Bridge (凤凰虹桥), also known as The Rainbow Bridge Art Building, is at the center of Fenghuang Ancient Town and was built in 1368 AD. Standing on the building, you can  enjoy the picturesque scenery of the banks of Tuojiang River. Particularly at night, when the lights are all shining along the river, you can appreciate the amazingly charming night view, with the water flowing gently, cool wind blowing away, musical sound floating by, and the reflection of lights dyeing the river into a wonderful world. You will seem to be over 600 years ago in ancient China. Moreover, since the art building is designed into 2 floors, you can buy something from the stores on the first floor and  admire the fantastic works of calligraphic and painting on the second floor.

Gate Tower in Fenghuang Ancient Town

Formerly, there were four gate towers in Fenghuang Ancient Town. Nowadays, only the east, north and west gate towers are still exist. Amonge three gate towers, the East Gate Tower and the North Gate Tower are the most popular two, which are suitable for taking nostalgic photos and resting under the hole of the gate when you are tired. For those tourists who don’t like killing time in bars, they can come to the city tower to listen to songs sung by wandering singers.

The East Gate Tower (东门城楼) is the oldest one in Fenghuang. It is 11 meters high and has 8 gun holes above the gate. Perhaps the display items such as weapons, forts and layout drawings in the tower will not make you feel very impressed, but when you step on the tower and overlook from the watchtower, you can still feel the vicissitudes of the ancient town.

The North Gate Tower (北门城楼) was first built in the Ming Dynasty. In the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, it was the office site of the leader of five villages. Go downstairs from the gate, you will reach the bank of Tuojiang River. Hongqiao Bridge and Tuojiang Bridge are located on the east and west sides respectively. You can also cross the river by jumping through the Stepping Stone, and reach the other side of the river quickly.

Fenghuang Ancient City Museum

The Fenghuang Ancient City Museum (古城博物馆) used to be the 100-year-old residence of Chen Baozhen family, the former important official of the late Qing Dynasty. It is located next to the "Phoenix City" archway on the Dongzheng Street of Fenghuang Ancient Town (about 150 meters north from the former residence of Shen Congwen). The collection includes historical materials such as relics and pictures of the Chen Baozhen family, as well as numerous mineral specimens and paleontological fossils. It is worth looking at the "The Stele of Lunyin Sealing Imperial Edict" and the wolf leather cushion given by the Guangxu emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Besides, you can also enjoy the arts of Mr. Lei Yutian, the founder of the museum, such as "A Scenery of Fenghuang Ancient Town (凤凰城小景)" and "Herald Spring (报春图)", etc.

Longevity Palace (Wanshougong)

The Longevity Palace (万寿宫) enjoys pleasing sightseeing like a splendid natural painting of elegant mountains and waters with high pavilions. Going to the out area of the east gate, you can admire this fabulous view. Constructed for about over 300 years, the Longevity Palace was keeping expanding its scale into the present grand area. You can visit this place to see the specially designed decorations and the exquisite carvings on the groups of buildings. Since this palace was built by the people from Jiangxi province, you can imagine the hard time of these Jiangxi people who immigrated from in Yuan dynasty (1271 AD – 1368 AD) living in a strange place and know about their thriving efforts of getting along with the local residents in Fenghuang Ancient Town.

The scenery of Fenghuang Ancient Town in the early morning is quite exquisite. The ancient town has not yet woken up at 6:00 - 7:00. The thin morning fog permeates the whole city. Take a stroll in the quiet ancient town, breath the fresh air will make you indulge. Usually there would be fewer people in the early morning, so it is a good time to capture the beauty of Fenghuang with your camera. The night scene of the Tuojiang River is also charming and intoxicating, especially after rain. Nanhua Bridge and mountain top near Shawan are good places to take the nightview. Other recommended shooting places are Tiojiang Rock, Wanming Tower, Phoenix Hong Bridge, Diaojiaolou and Big Waterwheel, etc.

Top 2 Explore the Stilted-houses Full of Tujia Minority Charm

One of the highlights of the ancient city is the antique stilted buildings that are full of the charm of Tujia Minority. However, nowadays, most of the stilted buildings along the riverside have been gone. Only left dozen of old houses rely on the slender feet of wooden pillars standing in the river, holding up the rich history of the town.

Top 3 Stroll at Lanes and Valleys in Fenghuang on Rainy Days

Famous Chinese Poet Dai Wangshu once wrote such a scene: Walk on a long lane in the rain, meet a lilac like girl holding an oil-paper umbrella, footsteps tapping on the stone-paved valleys. Such a poetic scene is hard to find nowadays. Fortunately, you can still find such lanes in Fenghuang Ancient Town.

Top 4 Watch the Lively Dragon Boat Racing in Dragon Boat Festival

There is a saying that goes like: “Fenghuang will still exist without the jumping rock, without Duocui Lou, but must not without dragon boat racing and catching ducks in the Dragon Boat Festival. Because if there is no dragon boat race, Cuicui will not meet Nuosong, and there will be no The Border Town written by Shen Congwen. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, the old town is very lively. Local people would team up to take the dragon boat race. Tourists also have chances to catch the ducks.

Top 5 Take a Man-drawn Ferry at Biancheng Chadong Town

Take a famous Lala ferry (拉拉渡) crossing the river streets in Chadong Town. In the novel The Boarder City, Cuicui’s grandfather was a ferry boat drawner. During the old days, it was free for people to take laladu across the river, but nowadays you need to pay a little.

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Fenghuang Ancient City belongs to the subtropical monsoon climate. The ancient city is located in the low heat area of Western Hunan, with an annual average temperature of about 12 - 16℃. The hottest time is from July to August, the average temperature is around 24 - 27℃, and January is the coldest month with an average temperature of 1.7 - 4.3℃. There will be only 10 days in a year and the highest temperature would exceed 35 degrees. Fenghuang is located in the low-rain region on the east side of the Yunann-Guizhou Plateau. The annual average rainfall is only about 1300 mm.

Best Time to Visit Fenghuang : Fenghuang Ancient Town has a mild climate and is suitable to travel in all seasons. Visitors may immerse in the foggy Tuojiang river in the morning of spring, feel the dam rain enveloped the whole town in March and April. From May to September is the peak season in Fenghuang. The banks of Tuojiang River were bustling with singing and dancing during the night. There are also fresh kiwifruit and wild chestnuts for you to try. Even though winter is a little cold in Fenghuang, with fewer people, Fenghuang in winter will offer guests a different feeling. If lucky, you may have a chance to see the snow-wrapped Phoenix Ancient City.

Dressing Tips : Starting from early April, temperatures start to rise in Fenghuang Ancient Town, but there is a big difference in temperature between the morning and night, so it's best to take a thin overcoat with you. There will be some rainfall in March and April. Don’t forget to take umbrellas or rain gear with you. In summer, short sleeved shirts and shorts would be enough. With few climbing ways, there is no need to wear sneakers, comfortable sandals are recommended, therefore you can also have fun with water in summer. However, the ancient city was mostly paved with stone roads, females better not to wear high heels here, especially stilettos. Fenghuang Ancient Town starts to get cold in November, but not suddenly. The temperature is usually around 5 - 10℃. Although it won't rain all the time, but also there are seldom sunny days, visitors need to wear cotton-padded clothes during this time. From December to next February, it will be cold in Fenghuang Ancient Town. In the mountain area, the temperature is likely to be lower than 0℃, snow is possible. Visit the ancient town in winter, you need to equip yourself with down jackets, thick overcoats, sweaters, thermal clothes, and other subsidiaries like scarfs and gloves, etc.

By Train: Since the opening of Fenghuanggucheng Station (approximately 25 minutes’ drive from Fenghuang Ancient Town) to the public in 2021, high-speed trains have become the most popular choice for reaching Fenghuang Ancient Town. These trains run daily from various cities, including Zhangjiajie (about 1 hour), Changsha (2 – 3.5 hours), Wuhan (about 4 hours), Zhengzhou (about 6.5 hours), Beijing (about 10 hours), and others.

By Flight: Tongren Fenghuang Airport is 38 km west from Fenghuang Ancient Town, which takes less than an hour by car/taxi. It has opened about 9 domestic airlines from cities in our country, like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming, Guilin, Xian, Xiamen and Shenzhen, etc.

By Coach: Visitors may also take a coach to get to Fenghuang County first and then transfer to Fenghuang Ancient Town by taxi or car (Fenghuang County is about 3km away from the ancient town). There are coaches from Zhangjiajie, Wulingyuan, Changsha, Tongren, Jishou and Huaihua, etc. to Fenghuang Chengbei Bus Station (城北汽车站).

Airport/Train Stations to Fenghuang Ancient Town: Visitors can transfer to Fenghuang Ancient Town by private car, taxi or bus-transfer from Tongren City. ( Be careful of taxi rip-offs )

There are some very meaningful traditional festivals in Fenghuang Ancient Town and if you visit this place during the very time, you are strongly suggested feeling the authentic and lively atmosphere of the local people.  April 8 on the Chinese lunar calendar is the  Ancestral Worshiping Day, Hero Day and  Celebration Festival, which is a traditional jubilant festival of Miao people, and during that day they will worship their ancestors, dance and sing with high emotion and perform a series of shows till the next morning.

Every year at the Dragon Boat Festival, Fenghuang Ancient Town will hold a grand dragon boat race, normally lasting for 3 days. The competition venue is in Shawan Scenic Spot, the bustling area of Huilongge, Tuojiang River. There are dozens of teams participating in the competition, and the number is increasing year by year. After the final round, competition came to the last game - Grab the Ducks. The organizers bought a lot of live ducks and sent them freely from high places. Everyone could grab the ducks and whoever grabbed them could have a delicious duck dinner at night. Tourists can also participate in this funny activity.

And the lunar  June 6 is the  Song Festival of Miao minority. You can see many young men and women dress up and sing their local songs to express their emotion to each other. Therefore, it also is the love pledging gathering of the Miao men and women.

Miaojiang Great Wall, also known as the Southern Great Wall, is the only Great Wall in southern China, built in the Jiajing thirty-three years of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1554). Most of the walls in the place are reconstruction, only a small section of the original Great Wall remains.

Compared with the grandeur and magnificence of the Great Wall in the north, the Southern Great Wall looks more elegant and graceful, but the high and steep wall also can’t be underestimated. It takes about 40 minutes to walk around the wall to enter the scenic area, and the view from the top is quite good. The Great Wall has been built which it claims to be the world's largest goban. Since 2003, five Go matches between China and South Korea have been held here.

Miao Village is a popular part of the Fenghuang tour nowadays. At present, there are three routes operated by the government, among which the Miao People Valley one-day tour with Shajiang Miao Village is relatively popular due to its combination of natural beauty and Miao culture. Highlights in the Miao People Valley Area include Miaowang Cave, Shanjiang Miao Village, Miao Minority Museum (The Palace of Miao King), etc. You can learn more about Miao minority by seeing Miao costumes, watching Miao people’s singing and dancing performances, and taking part in interactive games such as bamboo pole dancing, etc. If you have enough time, you can stroll around to see the towers and walls of Miao Village, which, though dilapidated and antiquated nowadays, corroborated the strong military defense that the Shanjiang Miao Village once had.

Biancheng Chadong (边城茶峒)

• Address: Chadong Town, Huayuan County, Xiangxi (湘西花垣县茶峒镇)
• Distance from Fenghuang Ancient Town: about 111km driving distance, takes about 2 hours by car

The border city in Shen Congwen’s book is Chadong Town, which lies at the junction of Hunan province, Guizhou province and Chongqing City. Admires of the book - The Border City would come here to visit Cuicui Island, the water dock and stilted buildings in the village. Then take a ferry ride to look for stone rollers and graves of boatmen in the book. Recall the story of The Border City in the beautiful scenery.

• Address: Wang Village, Yongshun County (永顺县王村)
• Distance from Fenghuang Ancient Town: about 118km driving distance, takes 1.5 - 2 hours by car

Once known as Wangcun Village (王村), Furong Town (芙蓉镇) was renamed after the film "Furong Town" starring Liu Xiaoqing, which was filmed here. It is one of the four famous towns in west Hunan. Walk on the “Five Miles Long Street” of flagstone roads to the corner end and visit the Folk Customs Hall to see the precious historical relics of the Tujia minority - Xizhou Bronze Pillar. Then head to the dock to see the iconic Furong Waterfall, pass through the Water Curtain Road and reach Youyang Palace, which was built in the Ming and Qing Dynasty. Re-walk the scenes in the film - Furong Town and taste local typical snacks - rice tofu.

Normally, tourists spend  1~2 days in Fenghuang Ancient Town to sample the 10 sites in the town and visit attractions nearby such as Miaojiang Great Wall and Shajiang Miao Village, etc.

More than 60% of travelers would tour Fenghuang Ancient City with the top highlight in Hunan province - Zhangjiajie , one of the most famous UNESCO world heritage sites in China. Then if you still have time, you may extend your tour to the capital of Hunan province - Changsha city to visit famous attractions like Yuelu Mountain, Orange Isle, Mawangdui Han Tombs, Taiping Street and try Hunan food and snacks there.

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If you want to complete your journey with more UNESCO Natural Heritage sites in China or want to experience more authentic ethnic customs of Miao, Dong Minority, you may extend your tour west to Guizhou province , Mount Fanjing, Huangguoshu Waterfall and Xijiang Miao Village, etc are waiting for you to explore.

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