Fenghuang Ancient Town 凤凰古城Fènghuáng Gǔchéng

Why go to Fenghuang Ancient Town

Fenghuang's old town lines both banks of the Tuo River, with wooden stilt houses hanging over the water, stepping stones across the shallows and covered bridges strung with lanterns. Miao and Tujia heritage shows up in the food, embroidery and silver jewellery. At night the riverfront lights up and the banks fill with music and boats.

The story

The novelist Shen Congwen, whose stories of western Hunan made this region famous in Chinese literature, was born here in 1902 and is buried on a hillside just outside town. His novella Border Town is still the book many Chinese visitors have in mind when they arrive.

What to see at Fenghuang Ancient Town

• Tuo River and stilt houses 沱江与吊脚楼: Wooden diaojiaolou houses on stilts line the banks, best seen from the water on a small rowing boat or from the riverside lanes.
• Hongqiao covered bridge 虹桥: A roofed bridge of early Ming-dynasty origin, with an upper-floor viewing terrace and a favourite viewpoint over the river.
• Shen Congwen's former residence 沈从文故居: The courtyard house in Zhongying Street where the writer was born, now a small museum of his life and books.
• Yang Family Ancestral Hall 杨家祠堂: An 1836 ancestral hall funded by the local general Yang Fang, set round a courtyard with an old opera stage near the town wall.
• East Gate Tower 东门城楼: One of the old town's four gates, built in 1715 beside the Tuo River, with a red-sandstone base and a brick tower you can climb for views over the water and rooftops.

How to visit Fenghuang Ancient Town

Enter the old town from the station by taxi and walk along the river, crossing the stepping stones and Hongqiao, then visit Shen Congwen's house on Zhongying Street. A small rowing boat from the north gate gives the best view of the stilt houses. Half a day sees the main sights; staying a night lets you see the river lit up.

How to get to Fenghuang Ancient Town

Fenghuang has its own high-speed rail station, about an hour from Zhangjiajie, with links on to Huaihua. A short taxi ride covers the last stretch to the old town.

Where to stay

Stay in a guesthouse in the old town itself, on either bank of the Tuo River, to see the lights and quiet early morning. Choose a room away from the bar strip if you want to sleep early.

What to eat

• Miao sour fish soup 苗家酸汤鱼: Fish simmered in a tangy, spicy broth, usually served as a hot pot.
• Ginger candy 姜糖: A sweet, spicy ginger sweet pulled by hand in workshops in the old-town alleys and sold as a souvenir.
• Blood-rice duck 血粑鸭: Duck stewed with glutinous-rice blood cake, a Xiangxi dish found in town restaurants.

Tips for visiting Fenghuang Ancient Town

• Stay a night: daytime is busy with tour groups, while the river is at its most atmospheric at night and early morning.
• Cross the stepping stones (tiaoyan) below the North Gate early in the morning, before the crowds, for the classic photo.
• Pick a riverside guesthouse away from the bar strip if you want to sleep before midnight.

Nearby

• Fanjingshan 梵净山 90 km
  A Buddhist 'pure land' above the clouds, with temples on two rock pinnacles

Also within 30 km: Qiliang Cave 奇梁洞 (under 10 km), Fenghuang Giant Panda Park 凤凰中华大熊猫苑 (under 10 km), Teng Daiyuan Memorial Hall 滕代远纪念馆 (20 km), Huangsiqiao Old Fort 黄丝桥古城 (20 km).

Trips with Fenghuang Ancient Town

• Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang from Changsha: sandstone pillars and a river town 5 days · Changsha, Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang

On the map

Open Fenghuang Ancient Town on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia: Fenghuang County