Fenghuang Brief

FENGHUANG ANCIENT TOWN

Fenghuang, Phoenix in Chinese, is a small county renowned for its natural beauty, rich history and culture as well as colorful ethnic customs. It is located in Western of Hunan Province China.

Ethnic People Groups
Western of Hunan is a mountainous area in which many ethnic groups live, including Miao, Tujia, Hui, Yao, Dong, Zhuang and Han etc. The main groups are Miao and Tujia.

 

Happy tourists dress up as Miao Ethnic People, Fenghuang Ancient Town, Hunan, China
Happy tourists dress up as Miao Ethnic People, Fenghuang Ancient Town, Hunan, China

 

Xiangxi Culture
In Western of Hunan, the chain of mountains runs up and down, rivers densely distributed and trees abundant. This unique geographic environment, together with the condition that many ethnic groups live here, has given birth to Xiangxi Culture. Their stilt house is unique, elegant, close to rivers and mountains, and abundant in trees (Xiangxi = Western of Hunan where Xiang is shorter name of Hunan).

Stilt House
Some houses in Fenghuang Ancient Town is typical stilt houses by Tujia Ethnic People. The stilt house, this kind of folk residence is built on the stilts of different heights, is usually built beside the river or in steep mountain areas.

The stilt house is usually divided into two parts, the front part and the rear part. The front part is a storied building built on the ground and similar to the fence-style building, while the rear part is a bungalow. In front of the house is a corridor formed by wood balusters with a height of about 1 m. Suspended windows were equipped in some houses for rest and enjoying cool.

 

Traditional old stilt houses in Fenghuang Ancient Town, Hunan, China
Traditional old stilt houses in Fenghuang Ancient Town, Hunan, China