First created 25 Nov 2016. Version 1.0 - 31 Mar 2017. Daperro. London.

Phoenix City

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A Unesco Heritage City in China

鳳凰古城

The Phoenix Ancient city (Fenghuang), is situated inside a Minority Autonomous area of Miao ( 苗族 ) and Tujia ( 土家族 ), in Western Hunan Province in south China.

Geographic Location

Miao Minority 苗族

A Miao woman in traditional dress was making bunches of flowers, in the town’s square. The Miao ( 苗族 ), often known as Hmong in part of Southeast Asia, migrated to Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand form China. Others saw the Hmong as a distinct ethnic group within the Miao minority family. In 1990 China, the Miao population was put at 7.4m, nearly tripled in the last 40 years. The largest concentration of Miao is in Hunan Province, China.

Tujia Minority 土家族

. A group of Tujia people was entertaining tourists. The Tujia ( 土家族 ) are a very large minority group in China. Numbering around 8 million, living mainly in Hunan, Hubei and Guizhou provinces in China. Tuija, meaning the ‘indigenous people’ in Chinese, have a very long history. Their origin maybe traced back some 1200 years and beyond, possibly to the ancient Ba people ( 巴 ), who lived some 2500 years ago in Szechuan today.

The City Square

The main city square is surrounded by maintains, in fog. The county was the centre of the unsuccessful Miao Rebellion in 1854-73, during the Qing Dynasty. It have led to the Miao diaspora in Southeast Asia, in the last two centuries.

Main square - The library

This is the town’s library overlooking the main square.

Shops built on steep slope, overlooking the main square.

Main square - Shopping mall

One of the main street in the town, lined with shops.

Main street view

Traditional timber houses, with its point-up eaves on the roofs.

Architecture elements

Toddler with a snack. The children are well dressed and care for.

People - Toddler

Two blind street musicians were making a living, walking down the main street...

People – Blind musician

The main street in the town.

Main street view

Main street view

A woman with a child carrying a weaved basket on her back. It is the traditional shopping basket.

Special food

Preserved pigs’ heads for the dinner table, not much of a pig is wasted..

Traditionally Chinese wines were fermented in these large-mouth jars and sold on by weight to wine drinkers or for cooking. Alternatively, wines can be packaged into bamboo bottles for sales. A popular Chinese wine would be the Rose Wine..

Chinese wines

Snacks

Street food of small crabs and shrimps in batter on sales in the street.

These are fruit of Calabashes (not to be confuse with the bottle gourd), which are hard and hollow. They are grown from trees, for used as bottles, utensil and musical instruments.

Calabash

A tradition hat and a raincoat. In this case the raincoat was made from hemp, but very often raincoats were also made from bamboo leaves.

Raincoat

Main street view

Firecrackers going off in the middle of the main street for celebrating some occasions.

City’s wall

The city’s wall with houses built right to it. The city gate can be seen further up the street. It was historically a significant garrison town between ethnic groups.

This is a traditional Chinese theatre, with an elevated stage, for Chinese opera performance, while the open space below the stage is for the musicians.

The Theatre

Two screen panels, blocking prying eyes into a residential courtyard.

Entrance Screens

The courtyard of a traditional ancestral hall for the remembrance of the past family members of a clan.

Ancestral Hall

A pretty, well dressed and well mannered little girl who wanted to sell us her weaved grasshoppers. She never pestered us but following us quietly. I asked why she was not at school. She said her school had finished and her mom sent her out to sell weaved grasshoppers. Our group bought all her weaved grasshoppers, sending a happy girl back home to her mom.

People - Weaved Grasshopper seller

View of the river

At the centre of the town is two stepping stone bridges connecting the two sides of the river. It is a main sight of the town..

River bank

The river bank was lined with restaurants and bars for the tourists.

A young woman in traditional Miao costume, modelling for the tourist.

People - Modelling

Crossing the river that divides the town.

Stepping stones walk way

River view - Residential houses

These are the residential houses for towns people.

A multi-level covered bridge is one of the town’s landmark. Because the city is located in a mountainous region where fog can linker much longer, before dissipated.

River view – The Covered Bridge

A multi-level covered bridge, with a restaurant on top.

River view – The Covered Bridge

The bottom level, is full of shops on the covered bridge.

The Covered Bridge

Passing under the covered bridge.

River view – The Covered Bridge

An enclosed wall, built around a group of houses, maybe the home of a wealthy family.

River view - Wealthy residential area

River view - Houses by the River

Houses along the river bank.

River view - Pagoda

A fairly typical seven stories pagoda. The word pagoda was a French translation from Vietnamese word.

Laundry by the river . The river is also the main water supply to the town.

River view - Laundry

Women selling their crafts and souvenirs to the passing tourists..

Crafts and goods

River view - Traditional Bridge

A traditional bridge spans across a boat house..

Fashionable young women with high heels doing laundry by the river.

River view - Laundry

River tour

Young men standing by, offering tourists for a river view tour.

River view

The leisurely river view tours.

The narrower street, with most shops are selling to the tourists. There are no motor traffic in the old city..

Narrow street

Bringing up a family under the night light.

People - Raising a family

Caring for the environment

Removing litters and rubbish from the river.

The town is built on the banks of the Tuo Jiang river, with houses built on stilts

River view

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The End

Music – Everlasting Love by Takako Nishizaki and Henry Shek Shanghai Philharmonic orchestra.

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