Fenghuang, a famous city of historical and cultural significance, a small,
picturesque, mountain surrounded, and with unique culture city. To
Jishou 53Km, Huaihua 92KM, Zhangjiajie 280KM.
Fenghuang county, covers an area of 1783 sq KM, with population of 367000,
with many ethincs such as Miao, Tujia, Han, Hui people etc. It
boasts a wealth of cultural accumulation of Hubei and Wushan areas due to
its location between the 2 different cultural areas of southwest China's
ethnic minorities and east China's Chu and Han groups. Fenghuang town is a
wonderful example of what villages were like prior to the onset of
modernization. Fenghuang is so picturesque that it is a very popular
excursion for Chinese artists to be there for pictureing, painting,
filming etc.
And its ancient city was built in 686 in Tang dynasty, it former named
Weiyang, and in ancient time, its location was in today's Huangsiqiao town
about 24Km from present-day Fenghuang, ever was a main military camp. The
city moved to its present site during about 1368-1644, and its major
inhabitants were soldiers, sent to quell Miao ethnic minority
"riots" by Ming Dynasty government. And most of the wooden
buildings in the city were built by Miao and Han people in Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911), the ancient architectures have been kept intact, including
the primitively simple and tranquil slabastone or flagstone paved streets
and the stilted houses with strong local flavours on the river
banks.
The red sandstone city wall stands on the river bank, about 2Kms long, and
the original city wall built in Kangxi reign has collapsed. The eastern
and northern gates kept well, but no traces now for the southern and
western gates.
The attractive events are the Bianbianchang fair among the Miao group's
young people, the Miao villagers' singsong contest in antiphonal style,
flower-drum dance with coloured silk as their strong sound. And also the
Suona Horn performance in the liquor service and the singing at the
village entrance attract your eyes, and you can enjoy the Siyueba
(08April) festival with singing and dancing around flowers by the
moonlight.
Stilted House
With upturned eaves and corners, the stilted houses are connected by
corridors on three sides. There are wooden balustrades protruding over
water. Usually the stilted houses have 2 stories both paved with wooden
slabs with windows for fresh air and sunlight which decorated with such
patters of 2 phoenixes worshipping the sun, the lions playing with
embroidered balls as well as the peony and other flowers and plants
decrations, which simple, unsophisticated, graceful, good-viewing and
functional.
In the day time and on the docks at the foot of the stilted houses, many
women washing clothes and their washing wooden clubs are sounding and the
splashing water stirring the ripples on the river.
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