Fenghuang (Phoenix) Ancient Town – Charming Town in Dreams

Located in the southwest of Zhangjiajie in Hunan province, Fenghuang Ancient Town or Phoenix Ancient Town is reputed as "the most beautiful town in China" and "Town in a Picture". Built in 1704, this old town was given the title of the "National AAAAA Tourist Attraction" for its charming scenery of multiple ancient sites of towers, bridges, streets, and other buildings as well as the rich culture of Miao, Tujia and other 26 minority ethnic groups.

You may be attracted by the simple but charming customs which are written in The Border Town to come to visit the place. But once you get here, you will find her charm is not limited to this. You can stroll on the bluestone paved lanes after the rain; take a boat to cruise on the Tuojiang River and appreciate the 100-year-old stilted buildings; climb on the ancient gate towers and feel all the vicissitudes of the ancient city; watch the old woman washing clothes on the river banks calmly; or sit alone near the window in a coffee bar silently enjoying the exquisite scenery and letting your thoughts drift...... These may be the secrets of the charms of the ancient town.

It used to be a gathering place for politicians, warlords, chieftains, Miao minorities and bandits, which can be considered as a standard barbarian place. But just a town hidden in mountains like this emerges the premier of the Republic of China Xiong Xiling (熊希龄), the famous writer Shen Congwen (沈从文) and the painter Huang Yongyu (黄永玉)in the past hundred years, making the ancient city as bright as a pearl, dotted with the customs of western Hunan. Visiting this about 10 square kilometers wide ancient town, you will love it immediately and discover the mystery of its profound culture.

The scenery of Fenghuang Ancient Town in the early morning is quite exquisite. The ancient town has not yet woken up at 6:00 - 7:00. The thin morning fog permeates the whole city. Take a stroll in the quiet ancient town, breath the fresh air will make you indulge. Usually there would be fewer people in the early morning, so it is a good time to capture the beauty of Fenghuang with your camera. The night scene of the Tuojiang River is also charming and intoxicating, especially after rain. Nanhua Bridge and mountain top near Shawan are good places to take the nightview. Other recommended shooting places are Tiojiang Rock, Wanming Tower, Phoenix Hong Bridge, Diaojiaolou and Big Waterwheel, etc.

Top 2 Explore the Stilted-houses Full of Tujia Minority Charm

One of the highlights of the ancient city is the antique stilted buildings that are full of the charm of Tujia Minority. However, nowadays, most of the stilted buildings along the riverside have been gone. Only left dozen of old houses rely on the slender feet of wooden pillars standing in the river, holding up the rich history of the town.

Top 3 Stroll at Lanes and Valleys in Fenghuang on Rainy Days

Famous Chinese Poet Dai Wangshu once wrote such a scene: Walk on a long lane in the rain, meet a lilac like girl holding an oil-paper umbrella, footsteps tapping on the stone-paved valleys. Such a poetic scene is hard to find nowadays. Fortunately, you can still find such lanes in Fenghuang Ancient Town.

Top 4 Watch the Lively Dragon Boat Racing in Dragon Boat Festival

There is a saying that goes like: “Fenghuang will still exist without the jumping rock, without Duocui Lou, but must not without dragon boat racing and catching ducks in the Dragon Boat Festival. Because if there is no dragon boat race, Cuicui will not meet Nuosong, and there will be no The Border Town written by Shen Congwen. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, the old town is very lively. Local people would team up to take the dragon boat race. Tourists also have chances to catch the ducks.

Top 5 Take a Man-drawn Ferry at Biancheng Chadong Town

Take a famous Lala ferry (拉拉渡) crossing the river streets in Chadong Town. In the novel The Boarder City, Cuicui’s grandfather was a ferry boat drawner. During the old days, it was free for people to take laladu across the river, but nowadays you need to pay a little.

There are more top things to do in and around Fenghuang Ancient Town awaiting you!

Tuojiang River is the mother river of Fenghuang Ancient Town, and  Tuojiang River Boating (沱江泛舟) is surely the must-do highlight of this charming attraction. Taking a boat along the river, you can see the stilted buildings, the Longevity Palace, Wanming Tower, Duocuilou Building, etc. along the banks to feel like being away from the noisy world. As the boat slowly floating, the water plants shake the bodies in the gentle wave, and get the time slower down to nearly cease. You will feel like a part of Fenghuang Ancient Town beautiful like a landscape painting.

If you enjoy boating at night, you can appreciate the strings of various red lanterns outside the antique windows reflecting on the clear river, which is so harmonious and elegant that it can be found in those excellent ancient Chinese poems.

Stilted Building Group (Diaojiaolou)

In the ancient city, the stilted building groups which stand on the edge of the Tuojiang River and with a history of 100 years are one of the most striking and spectacular views in Fenghuang. The most concentrated, tidy and beautiful stilted building groups are on both sides of Rainbow Bridge. The area around Huilong Pavillion has the most spectacular diaojiaolou group. There is one of the highest and fairest stilted buildings - Duocui Building (夺翠楼) stands out among all. Unfortunately, the number of old stilted buildings facing the river is slowly dwindling.

The best way to appreciate the stilted building is to admire it closely from the Tuojiang River by taking a wooden boat and photography the stilted buildings and its reflection in the river. In the early morning before sunrise, the river mist plus soft light is one of the best times to produce good pictures. Or go to the New Bridge during the night and overlook the dim lights of the stilted buildings. If you are interested, stay one night in a stilted building inn beside the Tuojiang River, leaning against the window to look at the scenery of banks. It is also very intoxicating.

Facing the North Gate Tower of Fenghuang Ancient Town, the Stepping Stone (跳岩) is a unique channel connecting the two sides of the river which is formed by two rows of independent square stone piers. Like its name, crossing the river through the Stepping Stone, you need to jump each step, and crystal clear Tuojian River flows under your feet. How exciting! This is also one of the most popular shooting spots in Fenghuang. In the early morning mist, the picture of an old woman dressed in Miao nationality dress walking and jumping over a rock with her basket on her back is frozen here. Standing on the rock jumping, behind is the vast Tuojiang River. The beauty of the scenery makes people nostalgic.

Phoenix Hong Bridge (凤凰虹桥), also known as The Rainbow Bridge, is at the center of Fenghuang Ancient Town and was built in 1368 AD. Standing on the building, you can  enjoy the picturesque scenery of the banks of Tuojiang River. Particularly at night, when the lights are all shining along the river, you can appreciate the amazingly charming night view, with the water flowing gently, cool wind blowing away, musical sound floating by, and the reflection of lights dyeing the river into a wonderful world. You will seem to be over 600 years ago in ancient China. Moreover, since the art building is designed into 2 floors, you can buy something from the stores on the first floor and  admire the fantastic works of calligraphic and painting on the second floor.

Formerly, there were four gate towers in Fenghuang Ancient Town. Nowadays, only the east, north and west gate towers still exist. Amonge three gate towers, the East Gate Tower and the North Gate Tower are the most popular two, which are suitable for taking nostalgic photos and resting under the hole of the gate when you are tired. For those tourists who don’t like killing time in bars, they can come to the city towers to listen to songs sung by wandering singers.

The East Gate Tower (东门城楼) is the oldest one in Fenghuang. It is 11 meters high and has 8 gun holes above the gate. Perhaps the display items such as weapons, forts and layout drawings in the tower will not make you feel very impressed, but when you step on the tower and overlook from the watchtower, you can still feel the vicissitudes of the ancient town.

The North Gate Tower (北门城楼) was first built in the Ming Dynasty. In the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, it was the office site of the leader of five villages. Go downstairs from the gate, you will reach the bank of Tuojiang River. Hongqiao Bridge and Tuojiang Bridge are located on the east and west sides respectively. You can also cross the river by jumping through the Stepping Stone, and reach the other side of the river quickly.

The Former Residence of Shen Congwen (沈从文故居) was constructed in 1866 AD by the grandfather of Shen Chongwen. Since it shows the handwriting, manuscript, remains and portrait of Mr. Shen and exhibits the life story of this great writer in China, this former residence has become the most shining spot of Fenghuang Ancient Town. For that reason, it is a great chance to visit the living place of Shen to feel the remaining traces of the litterateur and the spirits of this master. Furthermore, you can go to this over 100-year old building of typical characteristics in late Qing dynasty to appreciate the exquisite decorations everywhere filled with antique charm. To get the code of Fenghuang Ancient Town, the Former Residence of Shen Congwen is the first choice in your tour in the old town.

The Former Residence of Xiong Xiling (熊希龄故居) is one of the must-see places in Fenghuang Ancient Town, because you can see the living environment and imagine the scene of daily life of this great Prime Minister in the Republic of China (1912 AD -1949 AD). On the east side of the courtyard is a woodshed, inside where there are a stone mill and a stone pestle, etc., and Xiong preferred playing in this woodshed and often learned how to push the mill and other skills about process the food, which not only shows the diligent and thrifty value of the host but also indicates the moral of experiencing the hardship of people’s life of Xiong in his childhood. Moreover, entering the main hall, you can appreciate a pair of couplet that express the great aspiration of serving people and the giant contribution of cultivating talents for the Chinese nation of Xiong.

The Yang’s Ancestral Hall (杨家祠堂) is the only one in Fenghuang Ancient Town among all the 24 halls in Fenghuang County, and it is said families named Yang in Fenghuang Ancient Town are all the descendants of generals of the Yang family who devoted their sincere royalty to protect the emperor and the country in Song dynasty (960 AD – 1276 AD) and left very respectable reputation till now. Built in 1836 AD beside the ancient city wall at the northeast town, Yang’s Ancestral Hall was constructed super delicately with the bright local national features. Visiting this ancestral hall, you can enjoy the fancy hollowed-out carving patterns on the doors, windows and eaves, etc. Besides, at the stage in the ancestral hall, there is a pair of wood carving patterns in front of and above the old stage, which tells about the free love of a pair of a young man and woman who finally live in happy after experiencing many difficulties. And since the free love between men and women were not allowed in the period of the construction of Yang’s Ancestral Hall, you can come here to feel their romantic love and their great efforts.

The Fenghuang Ancient City Museum (古城博物馆) used to be the 100-year-old residence of Chen Baozhen family, the former important official of the late Qing Dynasty. It is located next to the "Phoenix City" archway on the Dongzheng Street of Fenghuang Ancient Town (about 150 meters north from the former residence of Shen Congwen). The collection includes historical materials such as relics and pictures of the Chen Baozhen family, as well as numerous mineral specimens and paleontological fossils. It is worth looking at the "The Stele of Lunyin Sealing Imperial Edict" and the wolf leather cushion given by the Guangxu emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Besides, you can also enjoy the arts of Mr. Lei Yutian, the founder of the museum, such as "A Scenery of Fenghuang Ancient Town (凤凰城小景)" and "Herald Spring (报春图)", etc.

The Longevity Palace (万寿宫) enjoys pleasing sightseeing like a splendid natural painting of elegant mountains and waters with high pavilions. Going to the out area of the east gate, you can admire this fabulous view. Constructed for about over 300 years, the Longevity Palace was keeping expanding its scale into the present grand area. You can visit this place to see the specially designed decorations and the exquisite carvings on the groups of buildings. Since this palace was built by the people from Jiangxi province, you can imagine the hard time of these Jiangxi people who immigrated from in Yuan dynasty (1271 AD – 1368 AD) living in a strange place and know about their thriving efforts of getting along with the local residents in Fenghuang Ancient Town.

Visit the Former Residence of Shen Congwen to feel the trace of the great Chinese writer, and then visit the East Gate Tower (东门古城楼). Next, appreciate the view of Fenghuang Ancient Town at the Rainbow Bridge Art Building and visit Chongde Hall (崇德堂). Then, go to Yang’s Ancestral Hall to see the fancy buildings. After that, learn more about the culture and history of the tourist attraction in Fenghuang Ancient Town Museum. And then, visit the Former Residenc of Xiong Xiling to feel the spirit of the great Prime Minister in the Republic of China. Finally take a boat to enjoy the view along the Tuojiang River and appreciate the Longevity Palace.

2 day In-depth route

Fenghuang Ancient City belongs to the subtropical monsoon climate. The ancient city is located in the low heat area of Western Hunan, with an annual average temperature of about 12 - 16℃. The hottest time is from July to August, the average temperature is around 24 - 27℃, and January is the coldest month with an average temperature of 1.7 - 4.3℃. There will be only 10 days in a year and the highest temperature would exceed 35 degrees. Fenghuang is located in the low-rain region on the east side of the Yunann-Guizhou Plateau. The annual average rainfall is only about 1300 mm.

Best Time to Visit Fenghuang : Fenghuang Ancient Town has a mild climate and is suitable to travel in all seasons. Visitors may immerse in the foggy Tuojiang river in the morning of spring, feel the dam rain enveloped the whole town in March and April. From May to September is the peak season in Fenghuang. The banks of Tuojiang River were bustling with singing and dancing during the night. There are also fresh kiwifruit and wild chestnuts for you to try. Even though winter is a little cold in Fenghuang, with fewer people, Fenghuang in winter will offer guests a different feeling. If lucky, you may have a chance to see the snow-wrapped Phoenix Ancient City.

Dressing Tips : Starting from early April, temperatures start to rise in Fenghuang Ancient Town, but there is a big difference in temperature between the morning and night, so it's best to take a thin overcoat with you. There will be some rainfall in March and April. Don’t forget to take umbrellas or rain gear with you. In summer, short sleeved shirts and shorts would be enough. With few climbing ways, there is no need to wear sneakers, comfortable sandals are recommended, therefore you can also have fun with water in summer. However, the ancient city was mostly paved with stone roads, females better not to wear high heels here, especially stilettos. Fenghuang Ancient Town starts to get cold in November, but not suddenly. The temperature is usually around 5 - 10℃. Although it won't rain all the time, but also there are seldom sunny days, visitors need to wear cotton-padded clothes during this time. From December to next February, it will be cold in Fenghuang Ancient Town. In the mountain area, the temperature is likely to be lower than 0℃, snow is possible. Visit the ancient town in winter, you need to equip yourself with down jackets, thick overcoats, sweaters, thermal clothes, and other subsidiaries like scarfs and gloves, etc.

Fenghuang Ancient Town is situated in the Southwest of Tujia-miao Autonomous Prefecture of Xiangxi in Hunan and about 330 km from Changsha and about 230 km from Zhangjiajie. At the southwest edge of Hunan province near the east part of Guizhou, it’s about 175 km from one of the main highlights in Guizhou province - Fanjingshan.

There are several effective methods to reach Fenghuang Ancient Town, including taking high-speed trains to Fenghuanggucheng Railway Station (also named Fenghuang Ancient Town Railway Station 凤凰古城站) and flights to Tongren Fenghuang Airport (铜仁凤凰机场). Additionally, driving or taking a coach are viable options. For more detailed information, you can check in How to Get to Fenghuang Ancient Town & Train Station Guide.

Get to Fenghuang Ancient Town

By Train: Since the opening of Fenghuanggucheng Station (approximately 25 minutes’ drive from Fenghuang Ancient Town) to the public in 2021, high-speed trains have become the most popular choice for reaching Fenghuang Ancient Town. These trains run daily from various cities, including Zhangjiajie (about 1 hour), Changsha (2 – 3.5 hours), Wuhan (about 4 hours), Zhengzhou (about 6.5 hours), Beijing (about 10 hours), and others.

By Flight: Tongren Fenghuang Airport is 38 km west from Fenghuang Ancient Town, which takes less than an hour by car/taxi. It has opened about 13 domestic airlines from cities in our country, like Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu, Guiyang, Nanning, Libo, etc.

By Coach: Visitors may also take a coach to get to Fenghuang County first and then transfer to Fenghuang Ancient Town by taxi or car (Fenghuang County is about 3km away from the ancient town). There are coaches from Zhangjiajie, Wulingyuan, Changsha, Tongren, Jishou and Huaihua, etc. to Fenghuang Chengbei Bus Station (城北汽车站).

Airport/Train Stations to Fenghuang Ancient Town: Visitors can transfer to Fenghuang Ancient Town by private car, taxi or bus-transfer from Tongren City. ( Be careful of taxi rip-offs )

Get around by Foot: Fenghuang Ancient Town is a small town, attractions and highlights in the town are concentrated. Therefore, it’s a place suitable to measure on foot. Wandering around alleys and lanes in the ancient town, visit some former residences of celebrities and rest under the ancient gate tower. What a pleasure!

Get around by Boat: Taking a boat and rafting on the best part of Tuojiang River is another way to explore the city. It’s the best way to admire the stilted house groups in the town and immerse yourself in the poetic landscape painting.

Travel with China Discovery (Top Recommended):

Where to Stay in & around Fenghuang Ancient Town

There are many hotels, hostels, inns and folk houses of various standards in and around Fenghuang Ancient Town. You can choose the riverside accommodation to appreciate the night view of Tuojiang River, or choose a better hotel with star standards to have a cosy rest, or you can live in a local folk house to feel the rich culture of Xiangxi people. Know more about where to stay and top hotels in Fenghuang Ancient Town in Fenghuang Ancient Town accommodation guide!

Note: It will be a little noisy staying near the river because there are lots of bars with live music at night.

There are some very meaningful traditional festivals in Fenghuang Ancient Town and if you visit this place during the very time, you are strongly suggested feeling the authentic and lively atmosphere of the local people.  April 8 on the Chinese lunar calendar is the  Ancestral Worshiping Day, Hero Day and  Celebration Festival, which is a traditional jubilant festival of Miao people, and during that day they will worship their ancestors, dance and sing with high emotion and perform a series of shows till the next morning.

Every year at the Dragon Boat Festival, Fenghuang Ancient Town will hold a grand dragon boat race, normally lasting for 3 days. The competition venue is in Shawan Scenic Spot, the bustling area of Huilongge, Tuojiang River. There are dozens of teams participating in the competition, and the number is increasing year by year. After the final round, competition came to the last game - Grab the Ducks. The organizers bought a lot of live ducks and sent them freely from high places. Everyone could grab the ducks and whoever grabbed them could have a delicious duck dinner at night. Tourists can also participate in this funny activity.

And the lunar  June 6 is the  Song Festival of Miao minority. You can see many young men and women dress up and sing their local songs to express their emotion to each other. Therefore, it also is the love pledging gathering of the Miao men and women.

Miaojiang Great Wall, also known as the Southern Great Wall, is the only Great Wall in southern China, built in the Jiajing thirty-three years of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1554). Most of the walls in the place are reconstruction, only a small section of the original Great Wall remains.

Compared with the grandeur and magnificence of the Great Wall in the north, the Southern Great Wall looks more elegant and graceful, but the high and steep wall also can’t be underestimated. It takes about 40 minutes to walk around the wall to enter the scenic area, and the view from the top is quite good. The Great Wall has been built which it claims to be the world's largest goban. Since 2003, five Go matches between China and South Korea have been held here.

Miao Village is a popular part of the Fenghuang tour nowadays. At present, there are three routes operated by the government, among which the Miao People Valley one-day tour with Shajiang Miao Village is relatively popular due to its combination of natural beauty and Miao culture. Highlights in the Miao People Valley Area include Miaowang Cave, Shanjiang Miao Village, Miao Minority Museum (The Palace of Miao King), etc. You can learn more about Miao minority by seeing Miao costumes, watching Miao people’s singing and dancing performances, and taking part in interactive games such as bamboo pole dancing, etc. If you have enough time, you can stroll around to see the towers and walls of Miao Village, which, though dilapidated and antiquated nowadays, corroborated the strong military defense that the Shanjiang Miao Village once had.

Biancheng Chadong (边城茶峒)

• Address: Chadong Town, Huayuan County, Xiangxi (湘西花垣县茶峒镇)
• Distance from Fenghuang Ancient Town: about 111km driving distance, takes about 2 hours by car

The border city in Shen Congwen’s book is Chadong Town, which lies at the junction of Hunan province, Guizhou province and Chongqing City. Admires of the book - The Border City would come here to visit Cuicui Island, the water dock and stilted buildings in the village. Then take a ferry ride to look for stone rollers and graves of boatmen in the book. Recall the story of The Border City in the beautiful scenery.

• Address: Wang Village, Yongshun County (永顺县王村)
• Distance from Fenghuang Ancient Town: about 118km driving distance, takes 1.5 - 2 hours by car

Once known as Wangcun Village (王村), Furong Town (芙蓉镇) was renamed after the film "Furong Town" starring Liu Xiaoqing, which was filmed here. It is one of the four famous towns in west Hunan. Walk on the “Five Miles Long Street” of flagstone roads to the corner end and visit the Folk Customs Hall to see the precious historical relics of the Tujia minority - Xizhou Bronze Pillar. Then head to the dock to see the iconic Furong Waterfall, pass through the Water Curtain Road and reach Youyang Palace, which was built in the Ming and Qing Dynasty. Re-walk the scenes in the film - Furong Town and taste local typical snacks - rice tofu.

Normally, tourists spend  1~2 days in Fenghuang Ancient Town to visiting the 8 core attractions in the town and nearby attractions such as Furong Ancient Town, South Great Wall, Dehang Miao Village etc.

Most travelers would tour Fenghuang Ancient City with the top highlight in Hunan province - Zhangjiajie, one of the most famous UNESCO world heritage sites in China for 3 to 5 days. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Yuanjiajie, Tianzi Mountain, Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, Tianmen Mountain, Yellow Dragon Cave are here awaiting your exploration.

Then if you still have time, you may extend your tour to the capital of Hunan province - Changsha city for 1 to 2 days to visit famous attractions like Yuelu Mountain, Orange Isle, Hunan Provincial Museum, Taiping Street and try Hunan food and snacks there.

☛ 5 Days Amazing Zhangjiajie & Fenghuang Ancient Town Tour

☛ 6 Days Zhangjiajie Tour with Antique Furong & Fenghuang Ancient Towns

☛ 7 Days Hunan Discovery Tour from Changsha

If you want to have a side trip with nearby province such as Guizhou, Mount Fanjing and Xijiang Miao Village can offer more authentic ethnic experience of Miao and Dong Minority.

☛ 3 Days Amazing Fanjingshan & Fenghuang Ancient Town Tour

☛ 9 Days Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang & Beautiful Guizhou Tour with Ethnic Culture

Apart from destinations in and nearby Hunan Province, visitors are also recommended to have an overall understanding by touring Beijing (3~5 days), Shanghai (2~4 days), Xian (2~4 days), Guilin (3~5 days), Yangtze River Cruises (4~5 days), Chongqing (1~2 days), Chengdu (2~4 days), etc.