Fenghuang (Phoenix Town)

Ming-Qing town on the Tuojiang River in western Hunan. Stilted wooden houses, stone bridges, lit dramatically at night.

Fenghuang ('Phoenix') is a small Ming-Qing town in western Hunan, on the Tuojiang River. The wooden stilt houses (diaojiaolou) along the riverbanks, the stone bridges, and the dense lane network make it one of the more atmospheric old-town tourist destinations in central China. Heavily commercialised; nightly illumination of the river houses is the canonical photograph. Multi-hour drive from Changsha; combine with Zhangjiajie for a 5-day western Hunan trip.