Fenghuang Ancient Town, also known as Phoenix Town,is located in Fenghuang County of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Ethnic Autonomous Prefecture, South Central China's Hunan Province. Bordering the prefecture-level cities of Huaihua to the southeast and Tongren of Guizhou Province to the west. It is 37km away from Jishou City, 430km away from Changsha, 250km away from Zhangjiajjie. Covering an area of 1.8 km, Fenghuang Ancient Town is a gathering place for Miao and Tujia ethnic minority.
What to see in Fenghuang Ancient Town?
Built up in the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911), Fenghuang Ancient Town is still being kept in its original appearance with 300 years passed. Ranking as the top ancient town in China, Fenghuang Ancient Town is a guidebook for people to know the past life in the pre-modernization period. The wooden houses and stone roads are the typical scenes here. When sightseeing in this town in a misty day, you will really find why it is so famous and popular all the time. The scenery after rain or in the misty morning is more like a Chinese traditional painting rather than a real world.
No.1: Tuojiang River Cruise
Tuojiang River is the mother river of the Fenghuang Ancient City, a small city under the jurisdiction of the Tujia Autonomous Prefecture of Hunan Province, borders northern Guizhou Province and eastern Chongqing Municipality. It flows around the ancient city wall of Fenghuang slowly, nurturing the people of the town for generations. Tuijiang River has a total length of 131 kilometers, 96.9 kilometers of which flows through Fenghuang area. Tuojiang River is surrounded by and reflects multiple-storey wooden houses of the Tujia Ethnic's style (known as “Diaojiaolou”) in Fenghuang ancient town. These hundreds of years' buildings add more colors to Tuojiang River.
It is an interesting thing to take a boat cruise along Tuojiang River. Stretching diagonally from the northwest to southeast of the town, Tuojiang River is a life force of the local people. Here in its waters women wash their clothes and the men fish with their nets, while on the bank food is prepared in much the same way as it has for centuries. And taking a boat is a good way to see how Diaojiaolou building stands along the river and get close to the local life.
No.2: Yang Ancestral Memorial
Yang Ancestral Memorial is located in the northeast side of Tuojiang River, inside Fenghuang Ancient Town Scenic Area, in southwest of Huangnan Province, China. It was originally built in 1836 during the reign of Daoguang Emperor in Qing Dynasty, and now it is the only and well-preserved Ancestral Memorial in Fenghuang Ancient Town. It covers an area about 770 square meters. The elaborate structure and considerable design makes Yang Ancestral Memorial as an outstanding building till now.
Whole of this family temple features the special ethnic characters and the high value in architecture field. This temple is a wood-made courtyard with two floors, consisting of the gate, opera stage, corridors, main hall and subsidiary rooms. It is strongly showing the local tradition and carving art of architecture. Currently it is the cultural site under the county-level protection.
Taking a boat cruise along Tuojiang River is a must-do for most tourists. Stretching diagonally from the northwest to southeast of the town, Tuojiang River is a life force of the local people. Here in its waters women wash their clothes and the men fish with their nets, while on the bank food is prepared in much the same way as it has for centuries. And taking a boat is a good way to see how Diaojiaolou building stands along the river and get close to the local life.
No.3: Former Residence of Shen Congwen
The Former Residence of Shen Congern is situated in No. 10 on Zhongying Street in Fenghuang Ancient Town. Featuring the Xiangxi architectural style as one of the national cultural heritages in Hunan province, the house is an outstanding culture relic in this town. This residence is the birthplace of Shen Congwen.
Shen Congwen, a great master of Chinese literature, left his childhood memory in this residence since 1902 to 1917. With a modest size, the wooden houses are roofed with dark gray tiles. The courtyard is paved with dark gray stone slabs with a large water vat in the middle. Shen’s original written essays, pictures and other works of him are exhibited in eight rooms separately.
The residence is a typical spacious ancient courtyard with special tectonic style of Ming and Qing Dynasties. It was constructed over 100 years ago by Shen Congwen's father when serving in the Qing imperial government. The yard has passed down from generation to generation, experiencing historical vicissitude, and all the glory and honor have passed away with the time. Finally, it was listed as the key culture relic under provincial protection in 1991. Displaying the calligraphy work, manuscript and the portrait of Shen Congwen, the place has become one of the most popular cultural landscapes of Phoenix Town.
According to its architectural style, this residence is a south courtyard which is different from northern ones. This Xiangxi architecture was built in Qing Dynasty, so people can trace the architectural style in that period from it. the Former Residence of Shen Congwen consists of 11 chambers with delicately-carved windows and a courtyard paved with red bricks.
No.4: The Ancient East Gate
The Ancient East Gate is a scenic area located in the east side of Fenghuang Ancient Town. And it was originally called Shengheng Gate as one of the four town gate in Fenghuang Ancient Town. The East Gate Tower is close to Tuo River, built in the 54 year (1715) during the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1616 AD-1911 AD).
Taking the front gate in Beijing City as example, the East Gate Tower is a two-storied architecture. The lower section of the town gate is made of the mauve sandstone, and the upper section is made of the old bricks. It is 3.5 meters wide and 4 meters high. It looks like a semi-arch. The frame structure of the tower is a combination of the "beam supporting structure" and the "through type timber frame".
Travel Tips
Add: Fengfhuang County, Xiangxi Tujia & Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Hunan Province
Entrance Fee: CNY 148
Opening Hours : 08:00-18:00
Duration of Visit: half day tour