This route covers Changtan'gang Tourist Resort, Laojia Village, Zhushan Village (a national key village for rural tourism), Zhushan Xiangju (a tourist homestay inn), the Miao New Year Festival celebrated in Huayuan County (Shibadong Village, a national key village for rural tourism, a beautiful leisure village in China), Fenghuang Ancient Town, the Farms’ Boat, Hong Bridge, Nanhua Mountain and Snow & Sunny (a five-star tourist homestay inn).
Introduction to major rural scenic areas (projects)
Changtan’gang Tourist Resort
Based on Changtan’gang Hydropower Station in Fenghuang County, Changtan’gang Tourist Resort integrates natural scenery, cultural landscapes and ethnic customs, and is a reservoir type water conservancy scenic area. It complements the surrounding scenic areas like Fenghuang Ancient Town. The reservoir has a boundless expanse of blue water. The natural scenery along the 30-li (15-kilometer) waterway is picturesque.
20 kilometers away from Fenghuang Ancient Town, Laojia Village is located in the north of Shanjiang Town, Fenghuang County.
Inhabited by the Miao people, it is one of the ancient villages with the best preserved original ecology and historical buildings in Fenghuang County. It is included on the “List of Traditional Chinese Villages” and awarded the title of the “Characteristic Tourism Village in Hunan Province”.
Zhushan Village
Zhushan Village, inhabited by the Miao people, is situated in the east of Machong Township of Fenghuang County, and is one of the first batch of traditional Chinese villages.
In recent years, relying on the styles and cultural resources of the Miao Village, Zhushan Village has built nine tourism industrial complexes integrating sightseeing, folk customs, leisure and vacation, and characteristic homestay inns.
It has won the titles of the “Poverty Alleviation Exchange Base in China”, the “National Key Village for Rural Tourism”, the “Culture and Tourism Poverty Alleviation Demonstration Village in Hunan Province”, etc.
Zhushan Xiangju
Zhushan Xiangju is located in Zhushan Village, Machong Township, Fenghuang County. It is equipped with complete smart facilities. Tourists can enjoy Chinese and Western food, coffee and tea, and have a barbecue here. Living in the homestay inn, you can soak up the natural beauty of the river and lake of Changtan’gang Tourist Resort.
As a national intangible cultural heritage item, the Miao New Year is one of the most solemn traditional festivals of the Miao people in Huayuan County, Hunan Province.
The celebration features such traditional folk custom activities as playing Miao drums, singing Miao songs, making glutinous rice cakes and performing dragon lantern dances to celebrate the harvest. During this Spring Festival holiday, some people chose to spend the Miao New Year with the Miao people together in Shibadong Village of Huayuan County.
As a national historical and cultural city, Fenghuang Ancient Town is one of the first batch of tourism-oriented counties in China and a national 4A tourist attraction.
The ancient town was built in the 43rd year during Emperor Kangxi’s reign of the Qing Dynasty (1704). It was praised as the most beautiful little town in China by Rewi Alley, a famous writer from New Zealand. It is as famous as Lijiang Ancient Town in Yunnan Province and Pingyao Ancient Town in Shanxi Province.
Specialties: Xiangxi Smoked Bacon, Xiangxi Beef, Xiangxi Rice Tofu, Fenghuang Duck with Duck Blood Cakes, sour corn, Xiangxi Pickled Radish and Xiangxi Rice Noodles.
Creative products: Xiangxi Golden Tea, Fenghuang Snow Tea, Xiangxi Glutinous Rice Cake, Fenghuang Ginger Candy, Miao Silver Ornament, Tujia Brocade, Xiangxi Batik, Xiangxi Wood Carving and Xiangxi Bamboo Weaving.
Changtan’gang Tourist Resort is 14.2 kilometers away from Fenghuang Ancient Town, and it takes about half an hour by self-driving.
Laojia Village is 25.1 kilometers away from Fenghuang Ancient Town, and it takes about 40 minutes by self-driving.
Zhushan Village is 36 kilometers away from Fenghuang Ancient Town, and it takes about one hour by self-driving.
Zhushan Xiangju is 32 kilometers away from Fenghuang Ancient Town, and it takes about 52 minutes by self-driving.
Shibadong Village is 75 kilometers away from Fenghuang Ancient Town, and it takes about one hour and 11 minutes by self-driving.