A destination that enchants thousands, as beautiful as a swashbuckling film

Traveling to China to Hunan, did you know that the picturesque ancient city of Phoenix shines proudly over the romantic Da Giang River? Dating back more than 1,300 years, the ancient town of Phuong Hoang is a living proof of the cultural beauty, history and traditional values of the Miao ethnic group that have been preciously preserved over time.

I/ Some details about the ancient city of Phuong Hoang and its architecture.

1/ History of the ancient city of Phoenix

Fenghuang Ancient Town is located in Fenghuang County, west of Hunan Province. This ancient city is mainly inhabited by Miao, Tujia and Han people. In contrast to the hustle and bustle of Hunan development, the small city of Phoenix is like a mountain girl still “sleepy” after more than a millennium, with the quiet and peaceful beauty of the old houses close to each other reflecting on it. The Da Giang River creates a useful painting of mountain and water, as if straight out of Kim Dung’s swordsman story.

@daniellecarafoto

According to history, the ancient city was built in 686 during the Tang dynasty and was the cultural, political and military center of the entire region during the Ming – Qing dynasty (1368-1644), at that time the majority of residents They were soldiers. Soldiers were sent to the city to fight the Miao uprisings. However, the typical architecture of the ancient city of Phoenix preserved today was built and completed by the Han and Miao people during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). That is the image of wavy, meandering, seemingly endless rows of yin and yang tiled roofs, covering wooden houses perched precariously on stilts 5 to 7 m high, along the light blue Da Giang River.

Semi-stilt house style in Phuong Hoang ancient town @adrianros_

Each house can be between 2 and 3 stories high, with porches or part of the house’s space protruding outside. The ground floor is for pets, firewood storage, production tools…, the upper floors are for family activities. The house is usually divided into 3 compartments, of which the largest central compartment will be the main living room, where the altar is located, and inside there are bedrooms for the elders of the family. The side compartments will be divided into functional spaces such as heating stove, kitchen, bedroom, hallway… The door of the house opens on the side facing the street, the river side often opens with a window or a balcony. The interiors of the houses usually have many decorative details that represent the religious practices of the Miao people, such as images of the sun, the moon, mountain gods, etc.

This type of architecture is often applied in some areas with complex topographical conditions of rivers and streams and humid climate. If Beijing is famous for the architecture of the Four Hop Institute that follows a strict and standard model, the architecture of Peking Lau in Phoenix Ancient Town is completely opposite, following natural rules and close to human beings. If you pay a little attention, when you come here you will see that the main colors are yellow, white, black or ash. This color is based on pine wood and bricks and tiles fired with locally available clay.

The ends of the walls are sharply curved to both sides @ya_kula

@stenov22

A question arises: the old houses in Phuong Hoang were built close together, in case of a fire, would it be easy for the fire to spread from one house to another? To answer this question, this type of construction uses load-bearing brick gable walls. Brick gable walls are built well above the roof and are graded according to the slope of the roof, with the top covered with shingles. The ends of the wall are sharply curved to both sides, forming a saddle shape, so this detail is called a “saddle” wall. The thick brick walls have good thermal and acoustic insulation, thus ensuring the confidentiality and privacy of each house, effectively solving the problem of the spread of fire from one house to another.

II/ Instructions for moving in and booking rooms upon arrival at Phuong Hoang Ancient Town

– If traveling to China with a stop in Nanning, visitors can purchase train ticket number 2012 to reach Cat Thu Station. When you get off the station, there is a bus waiting to Phuong Hoang, the distance is about 55 km, the ticket price is 15 yuan (about 32,000 VND/person). Traveling by public transport is quite comfortable, but it is advisable to have a translator to communicate in Chinese.

– Motels and hotels in Phuong Hoang cost between 40 and 70 yuan for a double room, the food is rich and varied and there are many shops selling consumer goods and souvenirs. Visitors can contact and recommend hotel rooms at good prices on Chudu24 via the hotline 1900 5454 40.

III/ Fun destination when traveling to China in the ancient town of Phoenix

– Da Giang River:

Doing it next to the Da Giang River @phalexx

– The road along the banks of the Da Giang River.

Path along the Da Giang River @dolandolan.id

– Shops in Phuong Hoang Ancient Town

@vtnu_

– Small alleys

@cristia.tc

Small alleys in Phuong Hoang ancient town @phuongdp

– Bridges: You can find 5 famous bridges: Hong Kieu, Tuyet Kieu, Phong Kieu, Vu Kieu, Van Kieu and 2 bridges that are fashionable among young people: the stone jumping bridge and the wooden bridge.