Confucian TempleCONFUCIAN TEMPLE
(文庙; Wén Miào MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Wenxing Jie; 文星街 )
This 18th-century walled temple and shrine to the celebrated sage is now a middle school.
Cháoyáng TempleTAOIST TEMPLE
(朝阳宫; Cháoyáng Gōng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 41 Wenxing Jie; 文兴街 )
Features an ancient theatrical stage and hall, and is now home to a silver-forging training centre.
Three Kings TempleBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(三皇庙; Sānhuáng Miào MAP GOOGLE MAP )
Great views of town, colourfully carved dragons, and thousands of lucky charms await up stone steps.
Outside the City Wall
The north bank of the river offers lovely views of Fènghuáng’s diàojiǎolóu (吊脚楼; stilt houses). Cross by stepping stones (跳岩; tiàoyán) – best navigated when sober – or the wooden footbridge (木头桥; mùtóu qiáo).
Wànmíng PagodaPAGODA
(万名塔; Wànmíng Tǎ MAP GOOGLE MAP )
This elegant and slim pagoda was built during the reign of Emperor Jiaqing. It cannot be climbed, but is gloriously illuminated at night and makes for simply beautiful photographs.
Huángsī Bridge Old TownVILLAGE
(黄丝桥古城; Huángsī Qiáo Gǔchéng ¥20)
A Tang dynasty military outpost 25km from town. The Southern Great Wall bus continues to here.
Southern Great WallARCHITECTURE
(南方长城; Nánfāng Chángchéng ¥45)
The Ming dynasty defensive wall, 13km from town, once stretched to Guìzhōu province. Take bus 2 from Nánhuá Gate to its terminus at Tǔqiáolǒng bus station (土桥垅车站; Tǔqiáolǒng chēzhàn), from where you can catch a bus here.
4Sleeping
Fènghuáng is stuffed with guesthouses (客栈; kèzhàn). River-view rooms come at a premium, but may also be a bit damp. All places have wi-fi, but reception can be bad in many rooms, so check first. Look for the sign 今日有房, which means 'rooms available'; book ahead for weekends and holidays. Many guesthouses only come with squat toilets. Using air-con costs an extra ¥20 at a lot of guesthouses.
oA Good YearGUESTHOUSE$
(一年好时光; Yī Nián Hǎo Shíguāng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0743 322 2026; 91 Huilong Ge; 迴龙阁91号 r ¥100-130; aW)
There are just 10 rooms in this sweet, wood-framed inn on the river; all have balconies, showers and TVs but six have fantastic river views (¥130), with swings on their balconies. Staff are friendly and the location is quiet and secluded, tucked away a fair distance along Huilong Ge.
Shí'èr Hào Shíguāng HostelHOSTEL$
(十二号时光国际青年旅舍, Shí'èr Hào Shíguāng Guójì Qīngnián Lǚshě MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0743 350 0302, 137 6210 6759; 12 Zhongying Jie; 中营街12号 dm ¥47, r ¥118, with private bathroom ¥158; aiW)
Friendly, laid-back hostel with a quiet, back-alley location on historic Zhongying Jie. All rooms come with squat loo.
Border Town International Youth HostelHOSTEL$
(边城国际青年旅舍; Biānchéng Gúojì Qīngnián Lǚshè MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0743 322 8698; 45 Hongqiao Zhonglu; 虹桥中路45号 dm ¥35, d ¥70-90; ai)
Named after a novel by Fènghuáng’s famous son Shen Congwen, this hostel is a five-minute walk south of the Hóng Bridge. The pricier doubles are especially spacious, and those on the top floor have great views of the old town. Squat toilets.
Běiyīmén LǚshèGUESTHOUSE$$
(北一门旅舍 GOOGLE MAP ; %0743 366 6508, 153 0743 8250; 32 Laoying Shao; 老营哨32号 d ¥288-388; aiW)
This modern guesthouse has seven comfortable and tastefully decorated rooms with balconies overlooking the river. Bathrooms are small and there's a bar down below.
Phoenix Jiāngtiān Holiday VillageHOTEL$$$
(凤凰江天旅游度假村; Fènghuáng Jiāngtiān Lǚyóu Dùjiàcūn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0743 326 1998; Jiangtian Sq; 虹桥路江天广场 s/d/tr/ste ¥658/688/858/1098; aiW)
The only proper hotel by the old town, Phoenix has decent, good-sized rooms, but bathrooms are small and there are no river views. Discounts are the rule, with singles and doubles being reduced to ¥298, except at the busiest times.
5Eating
Fènghuáng has plenty of cheap, tasty street food – everything from kebabs to spicy dòufu (tofu), homemade ginger sweets (姜糖; jiāngtáng) and duck-blood sausages. Look out for evening shāokǎo (street barbecues) on the north side of Hóng Bridge. If you crave fast food or an easy coffee, KFC is on Hongqiao Donglu.
oMiss Yang RestaurantHUNAN$$
(杨小姐的餐厅; Yángxiǎojiě de Cāntīng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 45 Laoying Shao; 老营哨45号 mains ¥30-80; h10am-midnight)
Specialising in local cuisine, particularly that of the Miao and Tujia people, such as Tuó River fish (沱江小鱼; Tuó Jiāng xiǎoyú), this intimate restaurant serves tasty delights in an atmospheric upstairs setting of varnished-wood furniture and colourful cushions. It also does a classic Jiāngxī chicken stew called sān bēi jī (三杯鸡), and its cured pork (腊肉; là ròu) dishes are superb.
There's also the spicy fish and sour cabbage soup (酸菜鱼; suāncaìyú) and tǔdòu fěn (土豆粉), a rice-noodle dish from neighbouring Guìzhōu province. You'll also find classic home-style dishes on the menu: the fried aubergine (家常茄子; jiācháng qiézi) is lovely. Downsides: the beer is expensive, service is both dilatory and unenthusiastic and there's no wi-fi. Photo menu.
Soul CafeITALIAN$$
(亦素咖啡; Yìsù Kāfēi MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 17 Huilong Ge; 回龙阁17号 mains ¥35-65; h8.30am-11.30pm; W)
This upmarket cafe serves proper coffee (from ¥25) and the setting is lovely, with sofas, comfy chairs, lampshades everywhere and river views, but the food is overpriced (and toast in the breakfast sets comes without butter, which costs a further ¥20). If you want to push the boat out, there are imported wines, Cuban cigars and hookah pipes (¥90).
8Information
Bank of ChinaBANK
(中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; Nanhua Lu; 南华路 )
You can change money at this branch on Nanhua Lu, a short walk from the Nánhuá Gate Tower.
Kāimíng PharmacyPHARMACY
(开明大药房; Kāimíng Dàyàofáng GOOGLE MAP ; 132-1 Hongqiao Zhonglu; 虹桥中路132-1号 h7.30am-10pm)
Round the corner from China Post.
People’s HospitalHOSPITAL
(人民医院; Xīn Rénmín Yīyuàn GOOGLE MAP ; %0743 322 1199; Hongqiao Zhonglu; 虹桥西路 )
Southwest of the old town.
Tourism Administrative Bureau of FènghuángTOURIST INFORMATION
(凤凰旅游中心; Fènghuáng Lǚyóu Zhōngxīn GOOGLE MAP ; %0743 322 8365; h6.30am-6pm)
Off Wenhua Sq.
8Getting There & Away
Buses from Fènghuáng Bus Terminal (凤凰汽车客运总站; Fènghuáng Qìchē Kèyùn Zǒngzhàn) include the following:
AChángshā ¥140, five hours, hourly 7.30am to 5.30pm
AGuìyáng ¥160, seven hours, one daily, 3pm
AHuáihuà ¥40, three hours, hourly 8am to 6pm
AJíshǒu ¥22, one hour, frequent 6.30am to 7.30pm
AZhāngjiājiè ¥80, 4½ hours, hourly 8am to 5pm
There are also frequent buses to Tóngrén (铜仁; ¥25, 1½ hours, 8am to 4pm), from where you can change for Zhènyuǎn in Guìzhōu province.
There’s no train station in Fènghuáng, but you can book tickets at the train ticket booking office (火车代票处; Huǒchē Dàipiàochù GOOGLE MAP ; %0743 322 2410; 12 Hongqiao Zhonglu; 虹桥中路12号 h7.55am-10pm) south of Hóng Bridge.
8Getting Around
Local bus 1 goes from Fènghuáng Bus Terminal to Nánhuá Gate Tower.
Hóngjiāng Old Town 洪江古商城
%0745 / Pop 60,783
This little-known town (洪江古商城; Hóngjiāng Gǔ Shāngchéng) boasts an extraordinary history as a Qing dynasty financial and trading centre, due to its fo
rtuitous location at the confluence of the Yuán (沅江; Yuán Jiāng) and Wū (巫水; Wū Shuǐ) Rivers. At one time it was the main opium-distribution hub in southwest China. Dating as far back as the Northern Song dynasty, the surrounding city is mostly modern now, but the past lives on in the remarkable old town, which is still home to a few thousand people. When arriving or departing by bus, look out for the delightful old white pagoda on the south side of the river to the west of town.
1Sights
The old town can be visited in half a day. It spreads in a maze of alleys running uphill from Yuanjiang Lu (沅江路) – a road running close to the riverbank – but can be accessed from all sides.
Admission to the old town includes guided two-hour tours in Chinese. If you enter via any of the alleys connecting to the main roads, you may get in for free, but you won’t be allowed into the notable buildings without a ticket and you may also be stopped by a random ticket-checker and directed to the ticket office.
The old town undulates in a delightful, higgledy-piggledy, often steep, maze of narrow stone-flagged alleys and lanes. Many of the less important buildings remain in a charming state of dilapidation, but a consistent program of restoration is underway. English and Chinese signposts point the way to the more notable buildings, most of which have been fully restored, and there's a metal map on a board at the heart of town for you to consult. Notable buildings include the tax office, an opium shop, a brothel, a pharmacy, a newspaper office, ancestral halls, courtyard homes of prominent merchants as well as several guildhalls (会馆; huìguǎn), including the superb facade of the Tàipíng Palace (太平宫; Tàipíng Gōng).
Liú YuánHOUSE
(留园 )
The Liú Yuán is a magnificent old house – it's now lived in by several families, but it used to belong to a wealthy merchant and is named after the garden in Sūzhōu; it stands in front of a colossal courtyard. Most buildings are of the yìnzǐwū (窨子屋) style, characterised by a series of adjoining courtyards, high exterior walls and concave roofs. You can enter many to admire their interiors; look out for the numerous Tàipíng Gāng (太平缸), huge water vats for putting out fires.
4Sleeping
Wǔlíngchéng HotelHOTEL$$
(武陵城酒店; Wǔlíngchéng Jiǔdiàn %0745 766 6717; 40 Xinmin Lu; 新民路40号 d ¥298-588, ste ¥1288; aiW)
Uphill along Xinmin Lu and set back from the road up some steps, this place is quite a smart choice, with well turned-out staff, a restaurant, and rooms that are clean, tidy and well presented. The hotel is almost at the junction with Xingfu Xilu, towards the post office. Rooms are regularly largely discounted.
8Information
Bank of ChinaBANK
(中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng 318 Xinmin Lu; 新民路318号 )
Changes foreign currency, if you ask politely. It's around 400m downhill from the Wǔlíngchéng Hotel.
Hóngjiāng Old Town Ticket OfficeTICKET OFFICE
(off Yuanjiang Lu; 沅江路 ¥140; h8am-6.30pm)
The official entry point to the old town is here. You can try to enter by any of the other side alleys off Yuanjiang Lu, but you may be stopped by one of the wandering ticket collectors who will direct you to the main ticket office.
8Getting There & Away
Don’t confuse Hóngjiāng Old Town with Hóngjiāng City (洪江市; Hóngjiāng Shì), the town on the railway 30km west. The old town is most easily reached via the town of Huáihuà (怀化).
Buses from Huáihuà:
AChángshā ¥150, four hours, frequent 7.30am to 6.20pm
AFènghuáng ¥39, one hour, frequent 7am to 6pm
AHóngjiāng Old Town ¥18, 90 minutes, half-hourly 6.30am to 6pm
AJíshǒu ¥52, two hours, eight daily
Buses to and from Fènghuáng use Huáihuà West Bus Station (汽车西站; Qìchē Xīzhàn) at 80 Huaixi Lu, which is walking distance from Huáihuà train station – turn right out of the train station, walk down Yingfeng Dajie (迎丰大街) and then turn right at the roundabout along Huaixi Lu (怀西路).
Buses to and from Chángshā and Hóngjiāng old town use Huáihuà South Bus Station (汽车南站; Qìchē Nánzhàn).
Local bus 12 links Huáihuà's train station and South Bus Station.
Buses back to Huáihuà (6.30am to 6pm) from Hóngjiāng old town leave from the bus station (416 Nanyue Lu; 南岳路416号 ). It's a 15-minute walk to the old town across the bridge from the bus station, or a ¥5 taxi ride.
Fúróng Zhèn 芙蓉镇
The road between Jíshǒu and Zhāngjiājiè runs through hills, terraced fields and minority villages, and past rivers and lush, verdant scenery via the Tujia settlement of Fúróng Zhèn (芙蓉镇), an old town (古镇; gǔzhèn) elevated to fame in the 1986 film Hibiscus Town. Until around 10 years ago, the town was simply called Wáng Cūn (王村; Wang Village), before being renamed in honour of the movie. Wandering down the steps of the old riverside town is charming, but the main draw is the gushing waterfall alongside the hamlet, splendidly illuminated come nightfall.
Wandering down the main old village street (admission ¥110), which descends in steps to the wharf and the Yǒu River (酉水) at its foot, is a charming excursion. Historic buildings on the way down include the Guanyin Hall (观音阁; Guānyīn Gé No 105) at No 105 and the Tóngzhù Guǎn (铜柱馆 No 15). The highlight, however, is the Fúróng Zhèn Waterfall (芙蓉镇瀑布; Fúróng Zhèn Pùbù included in old town ticket), which divides the village and can be crossed via stepping stones to the far side, affording the most amazing views of the town, especially at sundown as the lights begin twinkling. Have a camera ready. Note: it's possible to slip into the old town without paying, but you won't be able to enter any of the ticketed sights.
There are numerous hotels and guesthouses where you can find a double room with shower for the night for around ¥100. If you want a room overlooking the falls, you can find rooms for around ¥150.
There are a few restaurants on your left as you walk down the main steps to the river, with tables overlooking the waterfall, which serve up a variety of local and regional dishes, including nationwide home-style fare. Expect to pay around ¥20 to ¥40 for mains.
Most of the restaurants overlooking the falls also double as spots where you can sit back with a beer; they stay open till late, especially during the summer months. Shops selling locally fermented rice wines, costing from around ¥15 for half a jīn (300g), line the path down to the river.
Regular buses (¥25, one hour) run between Jíshǒu north bus station and Fúróng Zhèn from 7.30am to 5pm. Take the bus for Wáng Cūn (王村), the old name for Fúróng Zhèn. Buses (¥30, 90 minutes) run every hour from the bus station in Fúróng Zhèn to Zhāngjiājiè between 7.30am and 5pm.
Essential China
Píngyáo City Tower | MEIQIANBAO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Cuisine
To the Chinese, food is life. Dining is the cherished high point of the daily social calendar and often the one occasion to stop work and fully relax. The only problem is knowing where to begin: the sheer variety on offer can have your head spinning and your tummy quivering.
Peking Duck
Purists insist you must be in Běijīng for true Peking duck roasted to an amber hue over fruit-tree wood. You might as well take their advice as that’s where you’ll find the best Peking-duck restaurants.
Peking duck | VSL/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Dumplings
Set your compass north and northeast for the best jiǎozi (dumplings) – leek, pork, lamb, crabmeat wrapped in an envelope of dough. If you like them crispy, get them guōtiē (fried). Shànghǎi’s interpretation is xiǎolóngbāo – scrummy and steamed.
Xiǎolóngbāo | TAB62/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Noodles
Marco Polo may have nicked the recipe to make spaghetti (so they say), but he didn’t quite get the flavouring right. Noodles range across an exciting spectrum of taste, from the wincingly spicy dàndan miàn (spicy noodles) through to the supersalty zhájiàng miàn
(fried sauce noodles).
Rice noodles with peanuts | FREER/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Dim Sum
Dim sum is steamed up across China, but like the Cantonese dialect, it’s best left to the masters of the south to get it right. Hong Kong, Macau and Guǎngzhōu should be your first stops – they set the dim sum benchmark.
Dim sum | MR.BEAM/SHUTTERSTOCK ©
Hotpot
An all-weather meal, hotpot is ideal for banishing the bitter cold of a northern winter, while in steaming Chóngqìng old folk devour the spiciest variety in the height of summer.
Hiking
If you’re keen to escape the cities into the great outdoors, China’s dramatic variety of landscapes is the perfect backdrop for bracing walks – whether island-hopping in Hong Kong, exploring the foothills of the Himalayas or trekking through gorges in Yúnnán province.
Hong Kong’s Outlying Islands & New Territories
A whopping 70% of Hong Kong is hiking territory, so fling off your Gucci loafers, lace up your hiking boots and go from island to island or make a break for the New Territories, where fantastic hiking trails await.
Lonely Planet China Page 99
