Fenghuang, Xiangxi, Hunan, China
凤凰古城 · Fènghuáng Gǔchéng
A river town in the hills of western Hunan, where wooden houses on tall stilts lean over the green Tuojiang, stepping stones cross the water and a covered bridge joins the two banks. It began as a Qing garrison on the edge of the Miao lands, and became famous through the novels of Shen Congwen, who was born here.
Photo: Chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
In the early Qing (1644–1912), the government built a fortified town here to watch over the Miao people of the hills, and soldiers, officials and traders settled along the river. The Miao and Tujia still make up much of the county; their silver, embroidery and festivals fill its streets.
Shen Congwen, born here in 1902, wrote this river and its boatmen into "Border Town" (1934), one of the best-loved Chinese novels. The New Zealand writer Rewi Alley called Fenghuang one of the two most beautiful small towns in China. Since 2016 there has been no ticket to enter the old town.
The old town is free to walk in. A combined ticket covers nine sights, among them the houses of Shen Congwen and Xiong Xiling, the city gate tower and the Hong Bridge; river boats are extra.
| Part | Ticket |
|---|---|
| Old town, riverside and stepping stones | Free |
| Nine-sight combined ticket | 128 yuan, valid 3 days |
| Boat on the Tuojiang | About 85 yuan |
A line of square stones crosses the Tuojiang just above the Hong Bridge. Stop halfway across: on one side the stilt houses rise on their wooden legs straight out of the water, on the other the red sandstone city wall and the North Gate tower; downstream the covered bridge and, beyond it, the white pagoda.
After dark the whole riverbank lights up and the bars along it play loud music; come back at dawn, when the river is misty and quiet and women wash clothes on its steps.
"The whole town is old." The riverside core is old, but many houses were rebuilt or raised after floods and for tourism; Shen Congwen's town was smaller and quieter.
"You still need a 148-yuan ticket." The entry charge was dropped in 2016; only some houses and museums charge.
We searched Chinese sources first for this list, then English ones.
The old town is small enough to walk in a few hours; stay a night to see it at dawn.
The red sandstone gate towers and the stretch of wall along the river, built in the Qing.
Two ways across the river near the gate: square stones and a narrow plank bridge.
Wooden houses on the east bank, their back rooms carried over the water on posts. Many are now inns.
The covered bridge in the middle of town, rebuilt in its present form in the 1990s; from its upper floor there is a view up and down the river.
A small courtyard house in a lane in the old town, where he was born; it shows his manuscripts and photographs.
A white pagoda on the riverbank, and on the hill beyond, the writer's grave: a natural stone carved with his words, "Following my thoughts you can understand me; following my thoughts you can understand people."
Shen Congwen published "Border Town" in 1934; the same year Agatha Christie published "Murder on the Orient Express".
| Year | Here | Elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | Xiong Xiling is born in Fenghuang | The Franco-Prussian War begins |
| 1902 | Shen Congwen is born | The Second Boer War ends |
| 1934 | "Border Town" is published | Agatha Christie publishes "Murder on the Orient Express" |
| 2016 | Entry to the old town becomes free | The Olympic Games are held in Rio de Janeiro |
One line to remember: stilt houses over a green river, the border town of Shen Congwen's novel.
These are stories people tell about this place. They are legends, not history, and each one says where it comes from.
The town is named after a hill to the south-west shaped like a phoenix; the story goes that a phoenix flying south looked down, found the river so beautiful that it stayed, and turned into the mountain.
Source: A local story of Fenghuang
Later, people who live here will be able to add the stories they grew up with, and say which of these they have heard.
Last checked 2026-11-12. Free entry and the nine-sight combined ticket from 2026 Sina guides; boat price from Ctrip (2026).
Checked 2026-11-12
Opening hours are given in the local time of the place. Prices are in the local currency. The figure after ≈ is approximate, at exchange rates checked on 9 November 2026, in .
Stand at the site, sign in, press the button, and collect its stamp. Your browser will ask to use your location. It is sent to us once to confirm that you are at the site; we keep how far you were from it, not the spot where you stood.
Your stamps are saved to your account, so they follow you to any device. Checking from a browser cannot rule out every false location; stricter checks arrive with the app.
Photos here show the place, not people. Each one is credited to the visitor who took it and appears after our team has looked at it. A photo with you in it belongs under “I am here”.