The Untold Story of Fenghuang Ancient Town

Source: Mai An | Báo Lao Động

Fenghuang is an ancient town located in Fenghuang County, western Hunan Province, China. This place was built by the poetic Tuojiang River more than 1,000 years ago, but still intact the typical culture and architecture of thousands of years ago.

According to recorded history, from the Tang dynasty of 686, the Fenghuang was built and then under the Ming - Qing (period 1368 - 1644) quickly became a major political, cultural and military center.

Fenghuang is inhabited mainly by Miao, Tujia and Han people. All of the great ancient architectures of the Fenghuang that have been preserved so far are mostly built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), completed by the Han and the Miao.

People often go to the riverbank to wash vegetables and fruits before selling them. In Fenghuang Ancient Town, every 5:00 am, the people living in the old town often bring their clothes to wash along the sides of the Tuojiang River. Although most homes have washing machines and dryers, people here often wash their clothes by beating them with a pestle. The sound of clothes pounding often resounds in the quiet space in the misty mornings. Perhaps with the ancient town from the simplest things like that are associated with the Tuojiang River

The people of Fenghuang mainly produce their own traditional products and sell them on the spot, so from food to souvenirs, they all have a unique feature of the ancient town, unmistakable.

In addition, the Tujia people (土家族) make paper flower lamps with the pistil of a small candle, so that visitors can drop it into the Tuojiang River. They believe it is a way to be able to nurture their dream and make it come true.

An interesting point is that people in the city often go to the riverbank to bathe, wash, wash vegetables and fruits before selling them in the market. And it seems that bathing in the river every morning or every afternoon has become a familiar ritual of the locals here.

The Tuojiang River is associated with the name Fenghuang—Phoenix, where the riverbed is the habitat of countless different species of algae and moss, making the river water like a green shirt. If standing from above, looking down, Tuojiang River looks like a young woman following the ancient street, the banks are connected by beautiful and slender wooden bridges.

Fenghuang Ancient Town not only attracts tourists by the scenery itself but also by the idyllic life of the local Tujia-Miao people.

Source: Lao Dong Magazine
https://laodong.vn/di/chuyen-chua-ke-ve-phuong-hoang-co-tran-619123.ldo

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