Xiangxi! Xiangxi!
Where is Xiangxi?
Xiangxi, that is the concrete picture of life that everyone longs for deep in their hearts.
Many tourists have set foot in Phoenix, and they are all fascinated by the world written by Mr. Shen Congwen.The ancient village in his works is like a fairyland on earth, not stained by the smell of worldly copper. It sings in a low voice like a poem, not ostentatious or wild, but expresses the deep emotions in a gentle tone.
Since then, this dreamlike resort has become a touch of tenderness on the land of Hunan, which is in sharp contrast to Hunan’s hot style.
It has the lingering love story between Nuo Song and Cuicui in “Border Town”, and also the prosperous Chang’an city in Maomao’s heart in “Sword and Sword III”.
This land not only attracts the attention of Chinese tourists, but also makes friends from other countries dream about it.
New Zealand writer Rewi Alley once lovingly praised Phoenix as the most charming small town in China.
Fenghuang Ancient City is built near the water and depends on the water.
For this reason, the air in Phoenix is often filled with light mist, intertwined with the light, as if time is flowing, making people intoxicated and dreamlike.
No wonder some people call Phoenix a mysterious and mysterious place with its own fairy spirit.
It is not easy to ask where the scenery in Phoenix is the most charming, because the beauty of Phoenix is reflected in every place, and together they create this fairyland.
In the early morning, when the first ray of sunlight shines on the stilted buildings standing beside the river, they seem to be covered with golden coats and shine brightly.
On the river, small boats rowed gently, making ripples, and the ancient city quietly woke up from people’s sleep.
Tuojiang River, the mother river of Phoenix, flows quietly against the city wall, nourishing the children of the ancient city for generations.
Take a awning boat, listen to the melodious call of the boatman, go down the river, cross the Hongqiao, and come into view such scenic spots as the Wanshou Palace, Wanming Pagoda, and Duocui Tower. The Tujia stilted buildings on both sides of the strait have gone through hundreds of years of vicissitudes, but they still stand, giving people a sense of wonder. People have a feeling of being away from the hustle and bustle and returning to the tranquility of the Jiangnan water town.
Tiaoyan, as one of the important passages in and out of Fenghuang Ancient City, not only connects the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, but also becomes a unique scenery in Fenghuang.
In the early morning, the girls of the Miao family carried laundry baskets and walked lightly across the river to wash clothes. Their laughter and splashing of water intertwined together to form a beautiful picture.
Hongqiao spans the Tuojiang River and is a landmark building in Fenghuang Ancient City.
It is like an overlapping landscape, traveling through the past and present, witnessing the vicissitudes of Phoenix.
If you want to follow Shen Congwen’s footsteps, you might as well go to Shen Congwen’s former residence to find out.
Here, you can feel the passing shadow of the master and taste the phoenix style in his paintings.
In front of the former residence, young tourists often crowd in front of the book counter, vying to buy Shen Congwen’s works, hoping to appreciate the charm of Phoenix.
When night falls, red lanterns and bright lights complement each other, adding a bit of mystery and charm to the beautiful ancient city of Fenghuang.
Different from the night views of Lijiang and Yangshuo, Fenghuang Ancient City is nestled beside the tranquil Tuojiang River. The reflection of the river makes the colorful ancient city more dreamy and blurry.
A day in Phoenix seems to go by in a flash, making people want to stay for a few days and savor the charm and style of this fairyland.
Furong Town
I discovered earlier that the names of the ancient towns in western Hunan are all poetic and picturesque, with long lasting charm.
There is a phoenix dancing gracefully in front, and a graceful hibiscus behind.
However, the Furong Town we see today was called Wangcun in the past.
Later, because the movie “Furong Town” was filmed here, it was renamed Furong. Like a blooming flower, it attracts the attention of countless tourists.
Although they both belong to ancient villages in western Hunan, the styles of Furong Town and Fenghuang Town are quite different.
Phoenix is like a quiet beauty, while Furong Town is like a young girl full of energy.
There is an advertising slogan in Furong Town that is quite vivid: “A thousand-year-old town hanging on a waterfall.”
Above the waterfall and on the top of the cliff, there are layers of stilted buildings towering into the clouds, hanging on the top of the waterfall. It is a unique cave and unique.
Waterfalls, clear water, green trees, green mountains, blue sky, white clouds, stilted buildings…
These beautiful elements are intertwined together to build the beautiful Furong Town today.
However, the spectacular appearance can only allow us to appreciate the beauty of the ancient paradise. If we want to truly appreciate the charm of Furong Town, we need to go deep into the ancient town.
Step onto the bluestone of the “Five Mile Long Street”, stroll to the corner, and visit the free and open Folklore Museum.
The museum displays Xizhou copper pillars, precious historical relics of the Tujia people, which make people feel the profound historical heritage of this land.
Walking through the Water Curtain Road and visiting the Youyang Palace, an architectural building of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it feels like traveling through time and space and reliving the scenes in the movie “Furong Town”.
Try the rice tofu that Liu Xiaoqing sold back then, which adds a different style.
Compared with some well-known ancient towns, Furong Town seems a bit low-key.
There still seems to be an unprepared feeling here, and there are even no street lights in some alleys.
However, it is this feeling of being separated from another world that makes Furong Town particularly rare among many ancient towns.
It is like an incomplete gem, waiting for us to discover its unique charm.
Qianyang Ancient City
The ancient city of Qianyang, although its name is rarely known, contains thousands of years of vicissitudes and stories.
It is a dazzling treasure of the ancient city during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It bloomed 1,400 years earlier than Dayan Ancient Town in Lijiang and 900 years earlier than Fenghuang Ancient City.
This seemingly unknown ancient city actually carries the rich history and culture of Western Hunan and can be called the veritable “No. 1 Ancient Town in Western Hunan”.
The reason why I yearn to set foot on the stone road in the ancient city of Qianyang is not only because of its long history, but also because of the poetic sentiment of “a heart of ice in a jade pot” written by Wang Changling, which is enough to make people dream.
It is low-key and restrained, silent and profound, like a secret realm isolated from the world, waiting for exploration by those who are destined to do so.
Here, there is no hustle and bustle of other ancient towns, only a rare sense of comfort and tranquility.
Unlike those ancient towns with bustling traffic and crowds of people, the ancient city of Qianyang is more like a reclusive master who has no fight with the world and enjoys happiness alone.
It lacks the commercial atmosphere of a well-known ancient city and has more of the unique tranquility and simplicity of a small town, which makes people yearn for it.
Wandering through the streets and alleys of Qianyang Ancient City, I saw only sporadic tourists along the way, and most of the shops were closed, as if the entire ancient city was leisurely enjoying the tranquility.
Occasionally, you can see two or three octogenarians sitting in front of the door and looking at us outsiders quietly, as if they are telling the story of the ancient city.
As I walked through this thousand-year-old city, I didn’t dare to make any noise or move fast, for fear of disturbing the tranquility and beauty.
Every step was taken carefully, for fear of missing any detail and every intimate contact with this ancient city.
Here, I seem to have traveled through time and space, traveling with the ancients, talking to history, and feeling the unique charm of this ancient city.
Xiangxi, going to the world
○ Aizhai Bridge
Aizhai Bridge, standing proudly between heaven and earth, has won four world’s best crowns in one fell swoop.
People can’t help but marvel at the charm of China’s infrastructure, which is actually the best in the world.
In the depths of the Dehang Grand Canyon, a majestic and large suspension bridge appeared in the sky, like a steel dragon winding and hovering on the top of the canyon, flying in the air, and majestic.
This bridge is extraordinary and has directly won four world first honors.
The main span is 1,176 meters long, and the design of the suspension bridge across the canyon is ranked first in the world;
For the first time, it adopts an innovative structure in which towers and beams are completely separated, setting a new world record again;
The “rail cable sliding method” is used to erect steel truss beams, which is a superb technology and the first in the world;
For the first time, it adopts rock anchor sling structure and uses carbon fiber as prestressed reinforcement. It is technologically advanced and unparalleled in the world.
The magnificence of this bridge cannot be described in words. Only by being there can you appreciate its majesty and magic.
○ Guzhang Red Stone Forest
Guzhang Red Stone Forest is the only red carbonate rock forest scenic spot in the world formed during the Cambrian period. It is a masterpiece of nature and a testimony of time.
Thinking back to 500 million years ago, this place was once a magnificent ocean with rough waves and boundless vastness.
As time goes by, although the blue waves have disappeared, countless traces of time have been left on the stone forest, witnessing the vicissitudes of earth’s history.
Today’s red stone forest is surrounded by dense trees, full of green and vibrant.
The stone forest has different shapes, some are like silk ribbons, some are like flowers in bloom, some are like animals playing, and they are all lifelike.
Walking there, you feel like you are in a fantasy world, which is breathtaking and marvels at the uncanny workmanship of nature.
Traveling through this strange stone forest, one cannot help but be in awe of the magical charm of nature and full of respect for the tenacity and tenacity of life.
Taste of Xiangxi
When talking about the taste of Xiangxi, the words “spicy” and “smoky” are always inseparable.
Spicy is the favorite taste of Hunan people. It is straightforward, without any pretense, and is pure and enthusiastic.
The rice tofu stir-fried with chopped chili peppers seems to have stolen the soul of rice, making people want to stop eating. It only takes a moment to finish a bowl of rice.
Strolling through the streets of western Hunan, you can see bacon hanging on doors everywhere, which shows the local people’s love for this incense.
After being smoked for a long time, the bacon turns yellow and red, and hangs in the wind outlet. After a year and a half, it becomes increasingly dark and shiny.
When eating, gently scrape off the outer layer of grease, cut into thin slices and stir-fry over high heat, or steam slowly over fire. The texture melts in your mouth, fat but not greasy. After swallowing, the smoky flavor lingers in your mouth. It lingers for a long time, as if you are in the mountains and forests of western Hunan, feeling the gifts of nature.
In addition to these mainstream flavors, Xiangxi also hides many special delicacies.
For example, blood cake duck is a special delicacy in Fenghuang Ancient City.
The duck meat is delicious, and the blood cake is carefully made from duck blood and glutinous rice. It tastes like glutinous rice cake. It is stewed with the duck meat, making it soft and delicious, which is endless aftertaste.
However, compared to the delicious blood cake, the duck meat seems to be slightly inferior.
The steaming rice dumplings on the street are the representative desserts of Western Hunan.
The fragrance of mugwort leaves has penetrated deeply into the glutinous rice. When you bite it, it springs to your teeth without sticking to your teeth. It is sweet but not greasy, making you intoxicated.
Walking into Xiangxi, it seems that you have entered a world that is easy to satisfy.
The unique ancient villages, the Tujia sauce-flavored cakes, the oil tea handed over by the Miao girls, and the handicrafts woven by the local grandmothers on the street are all fascinating.
There are no bustling crowds here, no annoying and noisy sounds, only its original tranquility and comfort.
The woman walking by the arch bridge walked slowly and went deep into the endless green brick alleys, turning the ancient city into a long and hazy poem.
Simple, quiet and unique, this is Xiangxi, a place you don’t want to leave once you’ve arrived.
Here, we can let go of the hustle and bustle and find inner peace and contentment.