What to see in Fenghuang, China: the city of the Phoenix

fenghuang, also known as the City of the Phoenix or Phoenix Ancient City in English, is a picturesque town more than 1.300 years old, as it was founded during the Qing dynasty (221-206 BC). Here highlights the traditional architecture of their houses, built predominantly of wood and stone. These structures, called "Diaojiaolou", are houses raised on stilts next to the Tuojiang River. Fenghuang is an essential destination in your free route through China if you are going to visit zhangjiajie, since both are within the province of Hunan and just an hour by train. In this guide, you will discover what to see in Fenghuang and the best things to do to enjoy one of the most beautiful ancient towns in China.

10 things to see and do in Fenghuang, China

First of all, you should keep in mind that the reality is that Fenghuang is a city, not a town. However, Its tourist attractions are concentrated in the historic center which can be easily explored on foot. Below, we share a list of things to do in Fenghuang that you can perfectly do in one day. Of course, we highly recommend spending the night here, since the city is especially beautiful at night. Let's go with the list!

1) Cross the Tuojiang River on its stone bridge, what to do in Fenghuang

One of the most iconic activities in Fenghuang is cross the Tuojiang River by jumping over the stones that act as a bridge. We do not recommend this experience for clumsy people, as you can easily slip. When we went in the morning it was possible to get around without much problem, although there are many people wanting to take photos and you must be patient. When night came there was even local control so that you could only cross in one direction and return over its neighboring wooden bridge on the other. Furthermore, the drivers have a megaphone and don't let you stop to take even a photo.

2) Travel the Tuojiang River by boat

Sail down the Tuojiang River in a traditional boat It is one of the essential things to do in Fenghuang. Besides, the best way to escape the overcrowding that the city suffers at night, since you can barely walk and there is live music in every bar. From the water you can appreciate the traditional architecture of its wooden houses and enjoy the shows that the city offers from the river. As, for example, some locals dressed in typical costume who stand on platforms in the middle of the river, projections on its walls, lighting on its bridges, among others. The journey lasts about 20 minutes and leaves you next to the Wanming Pagoda, then you have to walk back.

3) Admire the Wanming Pagoda, places to see in Fenghuang

The Wanming Pagoda is one of the most beautiful buildings to see in Fenghuang. If I'm not mistaken, you can climb to the top. We enjoy your architecture at night from the small boats traveling along the Tuo Jiang River. Furthermore, as you see, they illuminate it completely in white tones. Surely a must visit What to see in Fenghuang.

4) Cross the Hong Bridge or Rainbow Bridge, things to see in Fenghuang

El Rainbow bridge It is also known as the Hongqiao Bridge It is famous for its distinctive architectural design (fully covered) and historical value. another plan What to do in Fenghuang is to walk along it to have panoramic views of the city, as well as visiting the stalls that sell crafts and local food. If you take the boat tour, you will pass under this and other beautiful bridges in Fenghuang during the crossing.

5) Walk along the Fenghuang wall, its gates and pedestrian streets

La Fenghuang wall and its ancient towers or gates (east, west, north and south) are witnesses of the city's history. Although some of these structures have been restored or rebuilt, they maintain their historical importance and are undoubtedly points of interest to see in Fenghuang. Likewise, walking through the pedestrian streets behind the wall will take you to discover its craft shops, markets and restaurants. Mainly, take note of the Dongzheng Street Shopping, although as we tell you in the YouTube video, There are different suggested routes to explore its historic center on foot.. You will see it on the maps that are distributed throughout its streets.

6) Buy some crafts from the Miao, unique things to do in Fenghuang

The Miao ethnic group is one of the largest ethnic minority groups in China and has a significant presence in Fenghuang. You can find some on the street selling their own crafts like the lady we see below. They usually wear this big turban and, as you see, the features are somewhat different.

7) Rent a traditional Miao costume, something curious to do in Fenghuang

Additionally, another fun activity that many Chinese tourists do is rent a traditional Miao costume. Then touch photo shoot next to Fenghuang sites to see. Suit rental stores usually also offer makeup and hair services. This is something that you will see in all the cities of China with the different traditional costumes such as Xi'an or Beijing.

8) Climb the Wind Bridge or Fengyu Bridge for panoramic views

Another of the bridges to see in Fenghuang is the Wind bridge (wind bridge) that stands out for its main pagoda from which you can have panoramic views of the Tuo River and see the girls trying to find the best framing for their photos dressed in traditional costume.

9) Visit the Yang family's house or Tian's family's house

The houses of the Yang family and the Tian family are Well-preserved examples of traditional architecture to see in Fenghuang. These historic houses can be visited or simply appreciated from the outside.

10) Go to Fenghuang or Phoenix Square, another iconic place to see in Fenghuang

La Fenghuang Square, Plaza del Fénix or Culture Square is the heart of the city, where numerous cultural events and activities are held. Here you can get away from the most touristy areas and feel the most local essence of the city. We are amazed by the different dance groups that form in its square at night. Like someone going to a dance class, but in the middle of the street and with different music themes (you can see it in the YouTube video below). Besides, In the middle of the square you will find the famous statue of the phoenix that gives its name to the city. We recommend taking Dongzheng Street from the East Gate and you will arrive directly.

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Map of places to see in Fenghuang

Next, we share the map with the main places to see in Fenghuang, China. However, keep in mind that There are maps throughout the city with suggested routes and it is very easy to navigate thanks to the river that always serves as our orientation. Not all tourist attractions appear on Google maps, but we share it with you in case it helps you get an idea.

Where to eat and what to eat in Fenghuang

In Fenghuang you will find wide variety of restaurants and street food. The latter especially at night. We had lunch in one of their Riverside restaurants away from tourist areas. For the night we dared to try street food with the duck neck, chinese style ice cream which are served in squares and also a kind potato and egg pancake fried which was delicious. We warn you that you are going to be amazed by the bugs that are in the different street food stalls, as well as the live frogs in fish tanks (like any fish).

Some of the local specialties are stinky tofu and barbecue skewers. There is also a edible souvenir that you have to try in Fenghuang. Also, hopefully you'll see how they make it live with a hammer in one of their stores. It has peanuts, sesame seeds, walnuts and melon seeds. I leave you a photo of what the package of this one looks like. typical sweet from Fenghuang and we will never know what his name is. We took it to eat on the train to our next destination on this route through China, Chengdu.

How to get to Fenghuang, China

fenghuang It is accessible from several major cities in China. You can take a train or a bus from Changsha, the capital of Hunan. There has also recently been a bullet train from Zhangjiajie, which was the one we took. Once at Fenghuang cheng train station, you can take a taxi to the historic center which will cost you only 24 yuan (about €3). Many travelers usually come from Chengdu (it was our next stop), the bad thing is that there is no direct train. You have to first take a train to Huaihua approx. one hour and then from this city a bullet train to Chengdu (about 4-5 more hours). The same thing happens in reverse if you decide to visit Chengdu first on your route through China and then travel to Fenghuang.

Is Fenghuang worth visiting?

As we see it, it's worth it. visit Fenghuang as long as you combine it with Zhangjiajie, since it is not so easy to get there from other cities in China. As we mentioned at the beginning, it is just one hour by train from Zhangjiajie and just one day will be more than enough to visit the main attractions to see in Fenghuang. Your combination of history, culture, natural and architectural beauty left us fascinated. However, we want to warn you that the city at night transforms and becomes crowded. It seems like an impossible mission to walk through its streets and There are many stimuli of music and lights everywhere. In any case, If you love history and are looking for an authentic Chinese experience, Fenghuang has something for everyone.

Where to stay in Fenghuang

We strongly recommend that you stay as far as possible from the historic center of Fenghuang and its river, but without giving up the views and the short walking distances to get there. As we mentioned before, theThe city is very noisy at night and the pubs have live music at full volume.. Also, there are quite a few mosquitoes next to the river. We are totally right with our Fenghuang accommodation with views, but away from the hustle and bustle. The man who manages this small hotel in Fenghuang picked us up where the taxi left us, helped us with the route around the city and gave us a welcome plate of fruit. The accommodation is called Wang Jiang Reclusive Boutique Inn. We also show you it in the video below.

Video of places to see in Fenghuang, China

To get a better idea of ​​what you can expect on your visit to Fenghuang, we recommend watching this video that shows the main places to visit in Fenghuang and our impressions. Sometimes it is very difficult to summarize everything in an article on our blog. Besides, We better show you the hustle and bustle of the city, the hotel room and the street food we tried. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all the videos of our trip through China.

We say goodbye to you, leaving you our last tip for traveling to Fenghuang and China in general. If you have not yet contracted your eSim with Built-in VPN and unlimited data to access the internet from your mobile, Holafly has it all. Don't even think about traveling to China without data because it will be essential to pay with Alipay and Wechat. Also to use the simultaneous translator, search for restaurants, use maps, etc. Furthermore, as we say, It has a built-in VPN, which will allow you to access social networks and applications prohibited in the country such as Instagram or simply your Gmail email. The whole trip went great for us and we also have a 5% off for all our readers.

We hope this guide to visiting the City of the Phoenix It may be helpful to you and, if we can resolve any other questions for you, we will let you know in the comments! Remember that you have all our China recommendations at your disposal in these articles:

• What to see in Zhangjiajie
• What to see in Shanghai
• What to see in Chengdu and Leshan Buddha
• What to see in Xian and the Terracotta Warriors
• What to see in Beijing and the Great Wall of China
• Recommendations for traveling to China

Ruth González

Hello! I am Ruth, Canarian with a traveling soul. With training and experience in the tourism and digital marketing sector. In this blog I tell you all the tips you need to get to know the most authentic side of Gran Canaria on your own. I also share my travel guides to all the places in the world that I am visiting so that you can discover the destinations like a local and save time planning. In addition to traveling, I love gastronomy and sports. I run and hike in the mountains with my “dog-children” (Silver and Plata). In all these adventures my partner accompanies me, Jorge, which you will also see a lot on this blog.