The Pearl of Western Hunan - Phoenix Ancient City Travelogue 湘西明珠—凤凰古城旅行游记 25

In the afternoon of 25 May 2021, we finished our visit to Furong Town, a famous place in Hunan Province, and travelled more than 100 kilometres by bus to the long-awaited Phoenix Ancient City, the Pearl of Western Hunan Province.
The ancient city of Phoenix is located in the southwestern part of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Hunan Province and is a typical multi-ethnic area. It is one of the top ten cultural heritages in Hunan and is comparable to the ancient cities of Lijiang in Yunnan and Pingyao in Shanxi, and enjoys the reputation of "Pingyao in the north and Phoenix in the south".
The ancient city of Phoenix is a national historical and cultural city, built in 1704 in the forty-third year of the Kangxi era. It has survived more than 300 years of hardships and vicissitudes, but its ancient appearance remains. In 2009, it was awarded as a national 4A-class tourist attraction, and in 2017, it was awarded as one of the top ten most popular ancient villages and towns.2021年5月25日下午，我们结束湖南名胜芙蓉镇的游览，坐大巴行驶100多公里的路程，来到向往已久的湘西明珠—凤凰古城。
凤凰古城位于湖南省湘西土家族苗族自治州的西南部，是典型的多民族聚居区。凤凰古城是湖南十大文化遗产之一，能与云南丽江古城、山西平遥古城媲美，享有“北平遥、南凤凰”之名声。
凤凰古城是国家历史文化名城，始建于清康熙四十三年（1704年）。历经300多年的风雨沧桑，古貌犹存。城内青石板街道，江边木结构吊脚楼，有朝阳宫、古城博物馆、杨家祠堂、沈从文故居、熊希龄故居、天王庙、大成殿、万寿宫等建筑。2009年，获评为国家4A级旅游景区。2017年，获评最受网民喜爱的十大古村镇。
这次凤凰古城之旅，我们不仅欣赏了凤凰城的古朴风貌，还领略了沱江两岸风情万种的夜景夜市，让人大开眼界。

The ancient city of Phoenix was built in the forty-third year of the Kangxi era (1704) and has survived over 300 years of hardship.
凤凰古城始建于清康熙四十三年(1704年)，历经300多年的风雨沧桑，古貌犹存

A cluster of hanging foot towers along the Tuo River沿沱江边而建的吊脚楼群

The ancient city of Phoenix is one of Hunan's top ten cultural heritages, comparable to the ancient cities of Lijiang in Yunnan and Pingyao in Shanxi, and enjoys the reputation of "Pingyao in the north and Phoenix in the south".凤凰古城是湖南十大文化遗产之一，与云南丽江古城、山西平遥古城媲美，享有“北平遥、南凤凰”之名声

The Tuo River is the mother river of the ancient city of Phoenix沱江是古城凤凰的母亲河

Hongqiao, formerly known as the Reclining Rainbow Bridge, also known as the "Rain and Wind Tower", was built in the early Ming dynasty, and is the centre of the ancient city of Phoenix.虹桥 原名卧虹桥，又称“风雨楼”，建于明洪武初年，是古城凤凰的中心

Wanming Pagoda, located on the north bank of the Tuojiang River, with the revered Change and the Hongqiao Bridge. The tower was built on the site of a paper furnace. It was built in 1988 on the initiative of the famous painter Huang Yongyu, with public funding and government support.
万名塔，位于沱江沙湾北岸，与遐昌阁、虹桥相映。万名塔建立在字纸炉的遗址上。由著名画家黄永玉于1985年倡议，群众集资，政府扶助，于1988年建成

The Rainbow Bridge is an ancient road bridge, first built in the Tang Dynasty, and was the only way for Qinzhou to enter the then Wuzhai Divisional City虹桥是一座古道桥梁，最早建于唐代，是乾州进入当时的五寨司城唯一的必经之路

With its slightly slim, straight body and three small pavilions at the end of the bridge, this ancient city in the wilderness has the timeless beauty of a Jiangnan garden.风桥略显纤瘦的平直桥身，尾首桥身三座小亭，不经意间这世外山野古城，也有了江南园林的隽丽灵秀

Walking along an alleyway in Phoenix Square, you see a photo wall with the words 'Phoenix City' inscribed by former Premier Zhu Rongji.沿着凤凰广场的一个巷子前行，看到了一个照壁，上面有前总理朱镕基题写的“凤凰城”三个大字

Phoenix at night, a city of fire and silver flowers凤凰古城的夜晚，火树银花不夜城

The Miao family's beautiful girls苗家阿妹的风彩

The ancient city of Phoenix is a typical multi-ethnic area凤凰古城是典型的多民族聚居区

The ancient city of Phoenix at night, with all its lights and dances夜幕下的凤凰古城，灯红酒绿，歌舞升平

Ancient buildings with strong Miao architectural features in the ancient city of Phoenix凤凰古城具有浓郁苗族建筑特色的古建筑群

The Tuojiang Hanging Foot Tower is one of the ancient architectural clusters with strong Miao architectural features in the ancient city of Phoenix沱江吊脚楼是凤凰古城具有浓郁苗族建筑特色的古建筑群之一

The ancient city's weathered past and the youthful avant-garde and fashionable past coexist on both sides of the Tuo River in a colourful picture古城的风雨沧桑和年轻人的前卫、时髦并存，在沱江两岸展现出绚丽多彩的图画

The historical buildings of the ancient city of Phoenix, with their flying eaves and arching arches, are rich in ancient charm and reflect the deep ethnic cultural heritage of the city.凤凰古城的历史建筑，飞檐斗拱，浓浓的古意古韵，透出古城深厚的民族文化底蕴