Brielf Introduction to Fenghuang Old City
Xiangxi & Fenghuang Index 
 
Tour to Fenghuang 

Stilted houses 

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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