Furong Ancient Town - Charming Old Town on Waterfall

Between the popular tourist destinations - Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang in central China's Hunan Province lies a small town that often reputed as "Thousand-year Ancient Town Hanging on the Waterfall", which is Furong Ancient Town. Once known as Wangcun (王村), Furong Ancient Town was renamed following the success of the eponymous film - Hibiscus (Furong 芙蓉 in Chinese) Town, which was filmed here. Furong Ancient Town is one of the four famous towns in western Hunan with the majestic view of the 40-meter-wide and 60-meter-high waterfall as well as the ancient buildings constructed above the cliff for your enjoyment of the special and grand spectacle.

Furong Ancient Town has a history of more than 2000 years, where the traditional Tujia architecture is still well preserved. It was first founded by the King Tusi as the capital of Youyang County in 202 BC, during the West Han Dynasty. Till now it has preserved lots of cultural relic sites for your learning of the change and development during the past 20 centuries. Tujia ethnic group is the original inhabitants and also the predominant population in Furong Ancient Town and the buildings perched on the cliff are Diaojiaolou (吊脚楼), which are typical residential houses built by Tujia people. Adorned with colorful decorations and intricate carvings, they offer visitors a glimpse into the Tujia way of life.

Furong Waterfall is the premier natural beauty and a must-see in Furong Ancient Town. Furong Town is surrounded by lush mountains and graced by water on three sides, with the magnificent Furong Waterfall cascading through its center and plunging into the Youshui River. With a drop height of 60 meters and a width of 40 meters, it is the largest and most breathtaking waterfall in western Hunan province. You can get there from both inner and outer areas, and there is also a path behind the waterfall. Walking behind the hanging water screen of Furong waterfall is like placing yourself in a crystal palace. The two levels of water floating through the village and flying from 60 meters cliff is quite spectacular, especially in rainy season from June to August. Visitors can even hear the soothing waterfall sound from 10 miles away.

At the entrance of Furong Waterfall, there is a rock cave that is a relic site of the early native Tujia ancestors. According to the local record, a group of people escaping from the central war came here to survive and the cave was big enough to accommodate thousands of people at that time. Though the cave is now much eroded by water for thousand years, visitors are still amazed by how big the cave was to hold thousands of people back then.

The Tusi’s Residence next to Furong Waterfall is another highlights in Furong Town. Tusi’s Residence also known as Flying-water Village, it is a group of stilted buildings and the side of the residence is cliff with waterfall in front of it and pouring down, very breathtaking. Building on the cliff makes it easy to defense the invasion, during the ruling of Tusi, those Diaojiaolou buildings were soldiers’ dormitory in fact. Nowadays, a mix of Tujia, Miao and Han people reside here.

Furong Town lies on the riverside of Youshui River with surrounded by wonderful scenery of green mountains. You will see winding paths and Tujia Diaojiaolou buildings by the river after coming into the township. The highest altitude of the town is 927 meters, and the lowest is 139 meters. The most majestic complex was built by a rich chieftain of the Tujia minority for summer resort, where you can enjoy the beautiful view of the ever-flowing stream, breathtaking waterfall and the both sides of cliff, as well as the unique view from the bottom of the Tujia Diaojiaolou buildings perched on the high cliff. If time allows, you can stay at one of those local houses and experience the tranquility that it has to offer.

Displayed in Xiangxi Folk Scenery Museum of Wangcun in Furong Town is Xizhou Bronze Pillar, which is listed in cultural sites under the national protection as historic evidence of political and military history of Tujia people. In 940, Ma Xifan, the ruler of the State of Chu, and Peng Shichou, the prefectural governor of Xizhou (the southeast of Yongshun County nowadays), made peace after years of war. They cast a 2,500-kilogram bronze pillar as evidence, and engraved the history of the war and the terms of reconciliation on the pillar.

Xizhou bronze pillar that marks of peace witnessed the agreement of ceasefire between the two states of Chu and Xizhou in history. It is regarded as a sacred object by Tujia people. The original pieces corroded and sank into water long time ago, what you can see today is a duplication version with a length of 2.98 meters. It is hollow with round lower end and octagonal upper end. The eight sides of the pillar were engraved with more than 2,600 words. Its special shape and rich inscriptions are of great significance to the study of ancient culture and nationality of western Hunan province.

Wuli Street is a 2500-meter-long winding street paved by green flagstones with many traditional shops and wooden houses lined on its both sides to take you back to the old days. With a history of over 2,300 years, it has witnessed the history of Furong ancient town since the time when it was still a transportation hub both on land and via water. Walk along the Wuli Street, you can still see local people continuing their trade around this golden water and land gate.

The well-preserved Wuli Street winding through the whole town, flanked by many shops with boarded doors and stilted Tujia buildings. Walking through the traditional shops and old wooden houses with green tiles on both sides of the street strongly featured by local architectural style, it's something really unique that make you feel to be in the ancient times. The slate street winds its way to the ferry pier, through the alleyway with shops and restaurants and you will get to the pier of Youshui River. From the pier you can enjoy a great view overlooking the falls with Furong Waterfall and Tusi Palace on your left side.

Furong Ancient Town divided into two areas: inner area and outer area. Outer area is free to visit, and inner area requires ticket. The ticket is valid for 2 days, and the price is 108 RMB per person.

Best Time to Visit Furongzhen

The warmer months from April to October, especially the rainy season usually starting around June are the best time to visit Furong Ancient Town. When the rainy season comes, you will have a wonderful view of the Furong Waterfall. If you visit here in winter from November to February, it would be quite cold and sometimes even snow.

Delicacies in Furongzhen

In Furong Ancient Town, be sure to try the local specialty - rice tofu, a home-cooked snack made with soy sauce, oil and vinegar. Rice tofu is rich in nutrients, neutralized by acid and alkali, which is helpful to lose weight and beautify the skin. Also, on Wuli Street, you will find many small shops selling ginger candy, which is a very delicious specialty. The candy is made from ginger, brown sugar, water and other raw materials together in an iron pot. It smells fragrant and bites crispy.

Local Customs in Furongzhen

Furong Ancient Town is not only a place with long history, but also a tourist resort that combines natural scenery with primitive ethnic customs. Surrounded by green mountains and clear water, the town is full of winding alleys, the Tujia stilted wooden houses, and streets paved with flagstones, which all reflect simple folk customs of the local Tujia people. Just immerse yourself in Tujia culture by attending traditional performances, such as vibrant dances and soulful folk music, etc.

Hotels in Furongzhen

Due to remote geographical location, inconvenient transport and lack of promotion, Furong Ancient Town is not overcrowded than Fenghuang Ancient Town that stuffed with tourists. As there is more peaceful, it is highly recommended to spend at least one night here if you have enough time. It’s stunning at night and there are lots of hotels nearby the waterfall, most of are inns, where you can have a fantastic view of the waterfall and village from a distance. Especially when the evening comes, the lights up and Furong becomes an even more amazing sight to see! You can also stay in local Tujia Diaojiaolou houses to experience the tranquil and peaceful atmosphere in the town.

Furong Ancient Town is located in Yongshun County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan Province. Usually, you need to get to Zhangjiajie first, then transfer to Furong Ancient Town by private car, train or bus. Useful transportation guide from Zhangjiajie to Furong Ancient Town is for your referece. Since Furong Ancient Town is also close to Fenghuang, most travelers will extend their trip to Fenghuang Ancient Town.

• About 50 km away from Laosicheng Tusi Site for 1 hour by car
• About 80 km away from Zhangjiajie downtown for 1.5 hours by car
• About 115 km away from Fenghuang Ancient Town for 1.5 ~ 2 hours by car

If you want to get rid of hustle of public transportation and troublesome navigation, you can book a private tour package which covers sightseeing, dining and transfer from us. Our local tour guide and driver will escort you to Furong Ancient Town with speed and convenience, and take care of all the details. You just need to focus on sightseeing. More detailed information, please feel free to contact us >>

Zhangjiajie to Furong Ancient Town

There are over 10 high-speed rail lines from Zhangjiajie to Furong Ancient Town every day, from early morning to evening. Only half an hour, you can go directly from Zhangjiajie West (zhangjiajiexi) Station to Furong Town (furongzhen) Station, where is about 5 km from Furong Ancient Town for just 10 minutes. There are just a few buses everyday from Zhangjiajie to Furong Ancient Town. You can take the direct shuttle bus from Zhangjiajie Central Bus Station, which takes about 1 hour to Furong Ancient Town.

Furong Ancient Town to Fenghuang

Every day from morning to night, there are also about 10 high-speed rail lines from Furong Ancient Town to Fenghuang Ancient Town. You can get to Fenghuang Ancient Town (fenghuanggucheng) Station directly from Furong Town (furongzhen) Station, which takes about 0.5 ~ 1 hour. Then transfer to Fenghuang Ancient Town from Fenghuang Ancient Town Station for about 10 minutes.

How to Plan a Furong Ancient Town Tour

Although a little more out of the way than Zhangjiajie, Furong Ancient Town is a great place to visit if you want to see a rare and unusual place in Hunan province. Due to be approximately halfway between the popular tourist destinations of Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang Ancient Town. Travelers usually combine Furong Ancient Town with the hot tour itinerary of Zhangjiajie - Furong Ancient Town - Fenghuang Ancient Town - Changsha.

As you know, there are many stunning attractions in Zhangjiajie City worth 3 to 5 days’ visiting. If you have more time, you can also pay a visit to the famous Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Fenghuang Ancient Town, Laosicheng Tusi Site, etc. The transportation to each site would be a little complicated and it is recommended to use our private car service with experienced driver taking to the destinations you want to go.

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