Feng Huang is
Chinese for 'phoenix', the mythical bird which is a good omen and
symbolizes longevity. When consumed by fire, Feng Huang will be reborn
from the flames. Feng Huang Cheng gets its name from a legend that two
of these fantastic birds flew over the town and found the town so
beautiful that they hovered it, reluctant to leave. It is very famous ancient town and make contribution to China tourism.
Fenghuang
Town is located on the western edge of Hunan Province and next to
Guizhou. Claimed to be one of the two most beautiful towns in China,
Feng Huang Cheng sets an example of what villages were like before the
start of modernization. In the town dozens of lanes are paved with
stones that run between the wooden houses built on stilts. Generations
of local people have stepped on the lanes and worn them down bit by bit.
Mist envelopes the town in the early morning or after a rain, creating a
charming picturesque scene of Southwest China.
But Feng Huang Cheng's charm goes beyond the natural beauty which attracts tourists for China tour deals.
This ancient town has a history of 1,300 years and it has a number of
old gardens as well as distinctive residential buildings, elegant
bridges and mysterious towers and pagodas. In Feng Huang Cheng, tourists
can also have a glimpse of the Great Wall. This section of the Great
Wall was built in the Ming Dynasty (1573-1620) to defend against the
local Miao minority ethnic group, which defied the central government at
that time.
But
today the Miao people live with local Han people. Visitors will find a
large array of handmade items in the local shops, including silver
accessories, homemade textiles, and batik fabric. Food here also has
local flavor and pickled red peppers are a local delicacy.
Highlights
The
ethnic Miao people have a recorded history of at least 5,000 years.?
Most of the Miao people live in highlands.? Legend goes that the
ancestors of the Miao people originally lived in plains which were
richer in resources.? Due to tribal conflicts, they retreated to these
high hills and rebuilt their homes here. This ethnic group has been a
war-stricken and pain-stricken people.? Their miserable history has
helped shape the Miao characters of perseverance, cautiousness, and
optimism. You can learn more about the minority in the old town via your popular China tours.
The Southern Great Wall, Huangsi Bridge, Shizhai—all these places have been stricken by wars in history.
During
the Ming Dynasty, the ethnic Miao people living on the borders of Hunan
and Guizhou provinces were classified into two groups. They frequently
rebelled against the central government because they could hardly stand
exorbitant taxes and levies and official oppressions on them. To appease
the people living in these border areas and to suppress rebellions, the
central government spent approximately 2,000 kilograms of silver (then
used as money) to construct a great wall to separate the two groups of
Miao people. Later the government of the Qing Dynasty further lengthened
the great wall between the two Miao groups. This wall is now known as
the Southern Great Wall.
Address: Tujia-Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Xiangxi National Rating: AAAA
Traffic Route: Take
a train to Jishou and then switch to a bus for Feng Huang Cheng. There
are two shuttles buses that go to Feng Huang Cheng everyday, at 11 am
and 3 pm respectively.
For more about the others, you can check out China travel guide.
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