China diaries: Feng Huang

Its been nearly two years since I moved to China to pursue my master's degree. In that time, the extent of my wanderlust within mainland China has been confined to Hunan Province, within which my university is located. And not necessarily by choice though. China is so large, teeming with boundless sights, foods, and things to discover. It is a wonder I have not ventured further by now. I have had to, at first, deal with the overwhelming on-slight of complications that come with navigating a new environment, a new culture, a new language, and a completely new study system leave alone a different legal system taught almost entirely in Mandarin. Within that mess, Feng Huang was a welcome escape, worth every bit of inconvenience it took to get there. I've been to this beautiful gem twice, once alone and then on a visit with my mother, as children like to do to indicate that they are grown enough to handle entertaining their parents in their "new domain".

A little history...

Feng Huang is a small city within the district of Xiangxi, a little to the western borders of Hunan Province, China. Its most famous attraction is the Ancient City of Feng Huang 凤凰古城. "Fenghuang" or 凤凰 loosely translates into "phoenix", the mystical bird of rebirth and longevity. The phoenix has deep significance in Chinese culture. Its two characters represent a harmony of the male and female, Feng (风）the male and Huang (凰）the female, and therefore often associated with matrimony and a harmonious lifelong partnership. It was also the symbol of ancient Chinese emperors.

This ancient city has long since been a thriving hub for trade and culture, being home to a range of ethnic minorities like the Miao, Tujia, and Dong, whose cultures lend a colorful vibrancy and life to the city. Nestled along the banks of the Tuo Jiang River with breathtaking mountains rising like protective guardians in the background, the city thrives as a tourist destination. For someone who is hypersensitive to color, the beautiful color palette of the bright reddish-brown hues of the high gabled wooden houses against the regal jade made by the river and the forested mountains provides an unforgettable feast for the eyes.

Like its name, the Phoenix Ancient City has sustained its charm through years of change, as it continues to be rebuilt within the rapidly changing modern China. Its traditional cultures and distinguishing features are kept alive by the locals that still live within its historical walls.

To do...

I highly recommend wandering around aimlessly

The riverside houses are built in the traditional way, on stilts, packed together, with a maze of cobblestone alleyways on the interior that gives surprising discovery of shops, museums, temples, and hole-in-the-wall type restaurants at every turn. The air smells of a mixture of sugar and ginger, which builds up the anticipation of rounding a corner and discovering a shop with men pounding and stretching ginger candy. Whether you are wandering through the streets and shops, hesitating on the bridges on the river, or taking a boat ride, Feng Huang is a place for everyone to marvel at.

Souvenirs, books, and food

The shops sell ethnic-style specialty crafts, like embroidered goods, teas, candies, silks, and other cliche souvenirs that you expect to find in most tourist places in China. I loved stepping into the bookshops and tea shops along the river, and simply walking up and down the bridges that cross over the massive river. Cafes and restaurants are plenty too, from tiny ones selling Chinese street food to larger ones, that tend to larger groups of diners as is common in China, to western-type shops like McD or a Starbucks, the interior crafted to mimic Chinese culture.

Do indulge the locals

Let them coax you in for a random street dance, placing a flower crown on your head, dressing you in ethnic garb, or weaving colorful thread into your hair. It was interesting letting the 阿姨 （ayis-a Chinese term for an older woman) figure out my kinky hair.

Enjoy the spectacle of the floating umbrellas in the streets and the sounds created by the churning of the massive water wheels in the river.

Time to visit...

Spring going into summer, between the months of May and July are spectacular for a spring-summer visit when the weather is nice. Although festivals and holiday periods are terrible for the flocks of Chinese and foreign tourists, a number of festival-like activities are held in the streets that add to the splendor of the atmosphere.

an artisanal black tea shop with blocks upon blocks of traditional packed tea sold in blocks

ginger candy shop

Staying...

Fenghuang city is littered with various staying options, from the expensive to the affordable all within walking distance of the Ancient city. A good option is to arrive in the city just before the evening and put up in one of the hotels outside the city's center. This way you can enjoy the night glamor and lights of the riverside in the Ancient city, and the calm refreshing daytime walking, eating, and shopping.

Although the city, like most sites in China, suffers a slight superficiality that is adopted from renovation and capitalism, in the Government's bid to draw in revenues from tourism, it is still a remarkable experience. The essence of the place as a hub of trade and thereby the development of Chinese civilization, technology, and culture are still present in its landscape, its inhabitants, and in its shire longevity.

From Fenghuang,

PAT.

PS. This post was reposted from an older site that I abandoned not so long ago. It was originally posted in 2018. The photos (forgive their low quality) are taken from two different trips, on an ancient camera phone.