Mid-Autumn Festival: Fenghuang

Saturday, September 13. We have "soft seats" on the train (similar to airplane seats, with reclining backs). I actually manage to get some sleep. We leave Zhuzhou at about 9 p.m. on Friday and arrive in Jishou at 6 a.m. today. After using the public toilets, we find a bus to Fenghuang (20 yuan). There is a beautiful little boy (about 2) on the bus with his parents so I spend most of the trip watching him, fascinated to hear him speaking Chinese. If I could speak Chinese as well as he does, I'd be thrilled!!

Fenghuang. The Phoenix city, also occasionally referred to as the Venice of China, is awash with Chinese tourists, even at 7 a.m., just as the real Venice would be (although not just with Chinese tourists). However, it is a beautiful small city, and it looks like what one would expect a city in China to look like, as opposed to all the modern, concrete look-alike urban centers that have sprung up everywhere (see Changsha, Zhuzhou, Jishou, Yueyang). It is built on both sides of the Tuo River, with little canals running through it here and there.

A wooden sign tells us (in English) that Fenghuang, originally called Zhengan, was established in 1203 AD. I assume that most of the buildings from that time were wooden and do not survive, although nothing is said about this. Beginning in 1556, buildings were made of brick (I see only a few of these), and in 1715, they began using stone (still prevalent).

On the south side of the river, we see the remains of the ancient city walls, looking down upon the Wooden Foot Bridge and the Stepping Stones (which you can also use to cross the river). We take the stairs down to the river and continue along the bank until we reach the North Gate Tower. We climb up to the Tower and wander around and around lots of small picturesque streets (lined with a lot of little tourist shops or stands, a lot of them run by the Miao minority group). We wind up on a market street, bustling with activity and people earning a living in the midst of tourism. We finally arrive at the "Rainbow Bridge" (Hong Qiao bridge), a graceful covered bridge, the interior of which is lined with yet more shops!

We cross the river on the covered bridge and walk along the north side of the river, looking back at the multitude of buildings on stilts that are on the south bank. It is amazingly beautiful. It seems as though I am taking photos around every turn. So many buildings have distinctive roof ridges, adorned with carvings of fish and other creatures. We pass the Wanming Pagoda, built right on the edge of the river.

The rest of the group goes for a boat ride down the river (not through the town) while I wait on a bench in the shade, watching reflections in the water. A very peaceful time. The reason I don't go on the boat ride is that it entails crossing another stepping stone sort of bridge, and with my back pack I'm not feeling too confident about doing it. I have my larger back pack on my back and my small black "backpack" on my front and it's just a little too much. The idea of all of that (plus me) landing in the river is daunting! Also, there is no guarantee that while I'm crossing the stones in one direction, someone won't be coming in the other direction, requiring a balletic transfer of positions on the stones! I could do it if not loaded up with stuff.

We meet up again back in the town and find a nice place for lunch with a lovely view overlooking the river. More wandering around to see a few more "landmarks" (the Queen of Heaven Temple being one) and wind up at Phoenix Square, a wide open expanse of white with a huge bronze phoenix in the middle. We continue our stroll past the Confucian Temple and wind up back at the old city walls. We have absolutely perfect weather today, sunny and in the 80s. It's quite warm but not oppressive.

By this time, we have seen most of Fenghuang on foot (carrying backpacks) and we're tired. So we decide (after using the "Beverage Release Center," the term Ashley has coined for the toilets!) to get back to Jishou and make our way to Dehang tonight so we can start hiking early in the morning. A nice driver with a van/mini-bus that will hold all of us offers to drive us to Jishou for 15 yuan each. This is such an amazing deal that we jump on it. However, on the way back to Jishou, there is a huge traffic tie-up due to construction as well as an accident, so the driver ends up asking where we are ultimately going. Actually, this is what we think he's asking because of course, he's speaking Chinese and we're trying to piece together his meaning! Anyway, to make a long story short, we say we are going to Dehang, and he offers to drive us! We ask "how much," and he says 10 additional yuan per person. Well, we are thrilled. And, in fact, at this point, we have no idea how lucky we are.

The drive to Dehang is first along a river and then around some twisty mountain roads. There are no passing zones in China. The way people pass is to honk their horn loudly so anyone coming around a curve will hear you! And they pass ALL THE TIME. It's a very noisy trip, to say the least. We pass terraced farmland and lots of haystacks, then begin to see the sheer rock faces of the karst mountain formations, characteristic of this area, which are very striking and beautiful.

We have to stop at a gate house to pay our 60 yuan each as the entry fee to Dehang (I assume this is to keep the crowds down), but finally we reach the small village. We clamber out of the van, which the driver has parked on the main square right in front of a hostel. This is great, we think. But it gets better. Our driver will not leave us until he is sure we have a place to stay. The hostel is full, so he leads us to another small establishment also on the main square. Also full. So the next thing we know, he's leading us down a street and across a small bridge to another hotel. And, glory hallelujah, they have room for us. (At this point, we're thinking we may have to settle for chicken coops.) The seven of us crowd into two rooms (hey, it's cheaper that way!), which have squat toilets, of course, but also have perfectly acceptable shower arrangements. So we ask the price (80 yuan per room) and we are all set! Our driver finally leaves, and we thank him profusely by giving him a bunch of cigarettes (apparently this is what is done in China instead of tipping).

The next excitement is registering as "Temporary Residents" with what must be the village's only policeman. We have to show our passports and fill out a form in duplicate. This is quite tedious and takes some time as there are seven of us. And a little nerve-wracking because Ashley and Kelly have brought only copies of their passports, not the actual passports themselves. We are wondering if this is going to be a problem, but we manage to slide by with it (although the policeman gives poor Kelly a hard time). Sidebar: Later that night, we are all in bed and hear someone shout "Open the door!" and each of us thinks that the policeman has come back and is calling at the door of the other room. Turns out it was a movie.

Finally we finish the registration, and the owner of the hotel very nicely leads us back down the street to recommend a place for dinner. We have the usual assortment of vegetables and tofu. Afterwards, to a small grocery store to buy water etc. As we are walking back to the hotel, we see the almost-full moon rising over the mountains. This is a long weekend (holiday on Monday) because of Mid-Autumn Festival; the full moon is actually tomorrow.

Shower and fall into bed.