The ancient town of Fenghuang is located in the southwest part of the western Hunan Autonomous Prefecture. It is named so because one of the mountain is shaped like a flying phoenix which in Chinese is called Fenghuang. Fenghuang ancient town has a history of over one thousand years. It is surrounded by mountains and Tuojiang River runs through.
Since ancient times, Fenghuang ancient city has been inhabited by Miao and Tujia people with a total area of 1759 square kilometers.
Its history can be dated back to Ming dynasty. At that time, it was built as Wuzai Chief Division. Latter in Qing dynasty, it was known as Phoenix Division. In 1913 it changed its name into Fenghuang County. The typical ancient southern architectural style makes it unique. Fenghuang is famous for its description in Shen Congwen’s novel “The Border Town”, which depicted a vivid picture of Western Hunan. The New Zealand writer Louise Rewi Ally also names it one of the most beautiful town in China. In 2001, it was listed as one of the national historical and cultural cities by the Sate Council.
The beautiful scenery contributed to the birth of genius. According to statistics, from 1840 to 1875, during 36 years, there were more than 110 provincial chief commanders, so on. After the Republic of China, a group of great men were born here. They are Xiong Xilin, who was the first prime minister, as well as politician state men, educationalist and philanthropist, Shen Congwen, a famous writer who twice won the nomination of the Nobel Prize in Literature for his masterpiece of “The Border Town”, Huang Yongyu, the outstanding artist, especially good at drawing Lotus flower. Fenghuang Stars to the world.
There are four Fenghuang Cities in the world, wandering in Shen Congwen’ work The Border Town, plunging into the painting Lotus of Huang Yongyu, evading in the back basket of Song Zuying, the last walking in the travels of Rewi Alley.
The small city is full of Paul Simon affection voice—The Scarborough Fair, following with his old guitar. The little girl with a basket full of colorful flowers is hawking for sale. Every street smells the faint scent. Fenghuang City becomes a big garland. She has forgotten completely that once she was called as Widows City. More than7000 Miao men went to Jiashan, Zhejiang Province to resist the Japanese aggression in 1937. The force is called Division 128. That mutilated commander was Gu Jiaqi, a local Fenghuang citizen. He commanded this powerful army and attacked the enemy tens of thousands miles away, but he also kneed down at Hongqiao crying for his dead fellows and 7000 young wives and old mothers. In that winter mourning apparels and paper flowers filled the city together with the snow. They were as white as the Wild Chrysanthemum which that little girl is selling.
