Where the Phoenix Rises (Fenghuang County)

Phoenix Town is one of the famous ancient towns in China, dating back to year around 1556. Rewi Alley, a New Zealand born writer, commented that it is the most beautiful ancient town in China. This Phoenix (Fenghuang) Town is located in Hunan where the famous Land of Avatar Zhangjiajie is. There are Ming and Qing style residential buildings, mansions temples, pagodas, bridges and ancient cobbled stone streets. A boat ride along the river, watching the hundred years old stilt houses on both sides of the river banks pass by, is indeed pleasurable. There are a lot of coffee shops, souvenir stores and other arts and crafts stores which is worth a leisure stroll for a lazy afternoon.

It is the land of the Miao and Tu people, and there are Miao villages inside the county. The Phoenix Town is also famous for its street food: there are local snacks of the Miao, Tu and the Chinese. The most popular ones are ginger candies, mixed nuts candies, glutinous rice dumplings, deep fried river shrimp cake and traditional Miao meal.

Watch this Chinese MTV which is shot in Phoenix Town, and look at the beautiful costumes of the Miao girls.