Fenghuang (Phoenix) Ancient Town, an old town developed in Qing Dynasty, is as yet being kept in its unique appearance with 300 years passed. The antiquated town is situated in the southwest of Hunan Province, China, flanking the prefecture-level urban areas of Huaihua toward the southeast and Tongren (Guizhou) toward the west. It is 37km(about 50 minutes' driving) far from the closest city-Jishou City, 430km (around 5 hours' driving) far from Changsha, 250km (around 3 hours' driving) far from Zhangjiajie. Covering a zone of 1.8 km, an antiquated city is a gathering place for Miao and Tujia ethnic minority.

Positioning as the best-antiquated town in China, Fenghuang Ancient Town is a manual for individuals to know the past life in the pre-modernization period. The wooden houses and stone streets are the regular scenes here. When touring in this town on a dim day, you will truly discover why it is so renowned and well known constantly. The view after rain or in the foggy morning is more like a Chinese conventional painting instead of a genuine world.

It was worked in 1704 and has 300 long stretches of history. Fenghuang antiquated town was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on March 28, 2008, in the Cultural classification. This antiquated town was viewed as the most delightful town in China by New Zealand author Rewi Alley.

Fenghuang Ancient Town can be partitioned into two sections. One is the old town while the other one is the new town. The old one inclines toward slopes and faces the completely clear Tuojiang River streaming through the city, and it is the fundamental vacationer zone in the province. The new town is the typical local location for neighborhood individuals.

What to See in Fenghuang Ancient Town

The normal working in Fenghuang is called Diaojiaolou which is a novel wooden house worked along the waterway bank. When seeing from a separation, the houses look like holding tight the stream.

This plan is to shield the house from the flooding circumstance in Tuojiang River in the old-fashioned. The southern Great Wall, a piece of the Ming Great Wall, is a special scene here. In the Ming Dynasty, the Southern Great Wall was worked for keeping the nearby Han Chinese from the intrusion of the Miao minority. While these days, Miao individuals have turned into a piece of Chinese ethnic gatherings and get well with Han individuals. So Fenghuang Ancient Town is likewise a place to encounter the Chinese ethnic culture.

There remain 20 old roads, many old paths and sections and more than 200 old common living arrangements here, including Huangsiqiao Castle, Xiangxi Border Walls, Chaoyang Palace, Lifespan Palace, Heavenly King Temple, Former Resident of Shen Chongwen, Former Resident of Xiong Xiling, and numerous other previous living arrangements of superstars and verifiable and social locales.

In the event that time permits, you may visit them one by one. Be that as it may, an extra charge will be charged to visit these previous living arrangements or verifiable and social locales. Another intriguing activity would take a pontoon journey along Tuojiang River. Extending askew from the northwest to southeast of the town, Tuojiang River is an existing power of the neighborhood individuals. Here in its waters ladies wash their garments and the men angle with their nets, while on the bank sustenance is set up similarly as it has for a considerable length of time. What's more, taking a pontoon is a decent method to perceive how Diaojiaolou building remains along the waterway and draw near to the nearby life.

The ethnicity shades of Tujia and Miao individuals are additionally one of the major pulls in. You will see some old ladies wearing their ethnic ensemble, remaining close to the paths and offering fortes.

Scenic Spots in Fenghuang Ancient Town

• Yang Ancestral Memorial
Yang Ancestral Memorial is situated in the upper east side of Tuojiang River, inside Fenghuang Ancient Town Scenic Area, in the southwest of Huangnan Province, China. It was initially inherent 1836 amid the reign of Daoguang Emperor in Qing Dynasty, and now it is the main and very much protected Ancestral Memorial in Fenghuang Ancient Town. It covers a zone around 770 square meters.

The detailed structure and significant outline make Yang Ancestral Memorial as an extraordinary working till now. Entire of this family sanctuary includes the extraordinary ethnic characters and the high incentive in the design field. This sanctuary is a wood-made yard with two stories, comprising of the door, musical show arranges, hallways, principle corridor and auxiliary rooms. It is emphatically demonstrating the neighborhood custom and cutting craft of engineering. As of now, it is the social site under the province level security.

• Tuojiang River
Xiangxi Tuojiang River is the mother stream of the Fenghuang Ancient City, a little city under the purview of the Tujia autonomous Prefecture of Hunan Province, outskirts northern Guizhou Territory and eastern Chongqing Municipality. It streams around the old city mass of Fenghuang gradually, sustaining the general population of the town for ages. Tuijiang River has an aggregate length of131 kilometers, 96.9 kilometers of which moves through Fenghuang territory. Tuojiang River is encompassed by and mirrors numerous story wooden places of the Tu minority's style (known as " Diaojiaolou") in Fenghuang old town. These many years' structures add more hues to Tuojiang River.

• Ancient East Gate
Antiquated East Gate is a beautiful territory situated in the east side of Fenghuang Ancient Town. What's more, it was initially called Shengheng Gate as one of the four town entryways in Fenghuang Ancient Town.

The East Gate Tower is near Tuo River, worked in the multi-year (1715) amid the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1616 AD-1911 AD). Taking the front door in Beijing City, as an illustration, the East Gate Tower is a two-storied engineering. The lower area of the town entryway is made of the mauve sandstone, and the upper segment is made of the old blocks. It is 3.5 meters wide and 4 meters high. It would appear that a semi-curve. The edge structure of the pinnacle is a blend of the "pillar supporting structure" and the "through sort timber outline".

• Former Residence of Shen Congwen
The previous Residence of Shen Congwen in Fenghuang Ancient City includes the Xiangxi design style as one of the national social legacies in Hunan territory.

Arranged in No. 10 on Zhongying Street in Fenghuang Ancient Town, the Former Residence of Shen Congwen is an extraordinary culture relic in this town. This habitation is the origination of Shen Congwen. The home is a normal open antiquated yard with the extraordinary structural style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It was developed more than 100 years back by Shen Congwen's dad when serving in the Qing royal government. The yard has gone down from age to age, encountering authentic change, and all the radiance and respect have passed away with the time. At last, it was recorded as the key culture relic under common security in 1991. Showing the calligraphy work, original copy and the representation of Shen Congwen, the place has progressed toward becoming a standout amongst the most prevalent social scenes of Phoenix Town.

Shen Congwen, an extraordinary ace of Chinese writing, left his beloved memory in this habitation since 1902 to 1917. With a humble size, the wooden houses are roofed with dull dim tiles. The yard is cleared with dull dim stone pieces with a huge water vat in the center. Shen's unique composed expositions, pictures and different works of him are shown in eight rooms independently. As indicated by its building style, this home is a south patio which is not the same as northern ones. This Xiangxi engineering was worked in the Qing Dynasty, so individuals can follow the structural style in that period from it. the Former Residence of Shen Congwen comprises 11 chambers with carefully cut windows and a patio cleared with red blocks.

How to Get to Fenghuang Ancient Town

The most effective method to Get to Fenghuang Ancient Town In spite of the fact that there is no air terminal or prepare station in Fenghuang County, it is very advantageous to go to Fenghuang from close-by urban areas like Changsha, Huaihua, Jishou, Tongren, and Zhangjiajie.

The closest airplane terminal Fenghuang Airport in Tongren City is just 34km far from Fenghuang County and the closest prepare station in Jishou City is just 50km away. In the wake of landing at Fenghuang Airport or on the other hand Jishou Train Station, vacationers may take a transport or maneuver to Fenghuang County. Additionally, Zhangjiajie Airport/prepare station, Changsha prepare station/Bus Station/Airport, or Huaihua Train Station are likewise regularly utilized as exchange stop for Fenghuang County.

From Changsha: There are a couple of mentors leaving for Fenghuang consistently, from Changshan West Bus Station (长沙汽车西站) or Changsha Zhuran Bus Station(长沙株潭汽车站). As its timetable may change now and then, you may check the transport timetable and book the transport tickets upon your entry in the transport station.

From Huaiyuan: There is some fast prepare going amongst Huaihua and some different urban areas, such as Shanghai, Changsha. Upon your landing in Huaihua, you have to exchange to Huaihua West Transport Station to get a mentor to achieve Fenghuang, which will take 1 hour as it were. What's more, the mentors set off at regular intervals from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm.
From Zhangjiajie: You may take a mentor at Zhangjiajie Bus Station(near Zhangjiajie Train Station) to get to Fenghuang specifically. Be that as it may, there are just a few mentors leaving for Fenghuang consistently. So you need to reserve a spot as right on time as could be expected under the circumstances.

From Tongren: close to Tongren Train Station, there are immediate mentors leaving for Fenghuang, which keeps running from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm every day and takes around 1 hour as it were.

Note: every one of the transports/mentors from different spots will touch base at the North Bus Station of Fenghuang New Town(凤凰新城北汽车站), which still takes around 5 minutes' heading to get to the antiquated town zone. You may walk or take a nearby maneuver to arrive.

Travel Guide

【Best time to visit】: From April to late October is the best time to visit. November to March is quite cold.

【Accommodation in Fenghuang】: There are a lot of choices for accommodation in Fenghuang, from well-equipped hotels to economic hostels. If you only accept well-equipped hotels, you can find them around the ancient town scenic area, within walking distance to the ancient town. If you want to save money and stay inside the ancient town scenic area, you can book a hostel inside the ancient town. There are a lot of hostels inside which is operated by local residents.

To learn more about Chinese and Chinese food, we can learn with a native Chinese teacher. I recommend teacher Mary, the Chinese teacher I met when I was an exchange student in Shanghai. cchatty.com/teacher_268