Travel Notes on Phoenix Ancient City in Zhangjiajie, Hunan

All distant places have a temptation for us, either from beauty or legend. Even if the scenery in the distance is not satisfactory, we don’t need to care, because it is really a charming mistake.

Zhangjiajie

Zhangjiajie cannot be described as beautiful, but as shocking. The description is more appropriate. The uncanny workmanship of nature is the most suitable and has always been a dream. Like the nature of Zhangjiajie, there are not many traces of artificial carvings. Even if the situation calls for it, it is nothing more than an excellent imitation of "nature", blending in with the natural scenery.

The air here is pleasant. The air is filled with fresh oxygen, making people take a deep breath. Fog permeates the air of the forest, and the mountain peaks and trees are all hidden in the mist, looming and graceful. It looks a bit ethereal in the haze, as if you are in a fairyland, making people stretch out.

Since I am alone if the mountains don’t come, then I will go to the mountains. It is said that "it is easy to go up the mountain, but it is difficult to go down the mountain", but in Zhangjiajie, the opposite seems to be the "truth". Listen to Director Chen who has practical experience. In order to reduce travel fatigue, there is no mountain climbing in Zhangjiajie. After a few minutes of cable car ride, the towering peaks are gradually overlooked. In the gradient perspective, there is a kind of quiet indifference, lacking the sense of majesty brought by raising the head.

The journey about the mountain really begins when we reach the top and it begins to descend.

If you don't get what you want, you may be overcome. Keep looking up, but can't reach it.

Everyone seems to have a persistent desire to compete with themselves. They are afraid that they will not be able to go down halfway up the mountain, so they work hard all the way to the bottom of the mountain, stopping several times during the process, especially those with 45 degrees. On the stone steps at the corner, my heart was beating fast and my legs were weak, as if I was about to fall backwards if I was not careful. Life seems particularly small, with a suffocating sense of urgency. They stared carefully at the steps beneath their feet.

Finally, I stood at the foot of the mountain and looked up at the familiar peaks. All the close-up views that were originally clear became distant and blurry, and seemed strange, as if I had never been there before. Did the climber conquer the mountain, or did the mountain conquer the climber? Everything seems to be just personal imagination, a sensory judgment.

After spending two days in Zhangjiajie Mountain, I realized that I have seen many scenery over and over again. "See mountains as peaks, they are different near and far." Just because I like to see them clearly and see them in person, I feel that this trip is worth it. In fact, "how can I tell, only living in this mountain, through all these clouds?" is also an intriguing scenery, but everything is ignored in the pursuit of perfection.

Mountain climbing is a challenge that allows people to learn how to advance and retreat, learn to compromise, and feel the joy of "experience".

Furong Town

Arrive at Furong Town, the so-called thousand-year-old Tujia ancient town—its rise and fall are only due to a movie.

My stay in Furong Town was very short, only more than an hour. I haven’t finished watching Wuli Long Street, but I have seen the ancient Tujia Diaojiaolou. I didn’t feel the simplicity of the Tujia people, but I experienced the unexpected but developed folk customs.

Although the houses in the town are still old and even a little decadent, the town has become increasingly prosperous due to the constant flow of tourists. "New wine in old bottles", the seemingly quaint stilted buildings have long been occupied by shops. Many shopkeepers are wearing local ethnic costumes, and the dazzling array of items can be regarded as ethnic customs and local characteristics, but they are all products of commercialization. There are only gourds and bamboo tubes used to store rice wine, which gives it a somewhat simple feel. However, after tasting the seemingly sweet things, you realize that some things are "only to be viewed from a distance, not to be laughed at".

Just like "He who has not visited the Great Wall is not a true man", now that he is in Furong Town, he must try the famous food here - "Liu Xiaoqing Rice Tofu".

However, there are signs like "Authentic Liu Xiaoqing Rice Tofu" everywhere in Qingshi Alley, which really attract people's attention, so it doesn't matter whether it is authentic or not. In front of a house, there is a large signboard with black and gold fonts, which reads "Liu Xiaoqing's Authentic Rice Tofu Shop, No. 113, Furong Town." The sign stopped, two long tables were put together, a few benches were placed aside, and under the eaves in front of the house, there was a rice tofu shop. Sit down and order the famous rice tofu. I don’t know if it is managed well by the owners or if it is commercialized. In less than 1 minute, a bowl of "Authentic Liu Xiaoqing Rice Tofu" was served on the table. At first glance it looks pretty good: red pepper, scallions, white tofu, golden flower.

The color of the soup is no different from ordinary noodle soup. There are some chopped green onions sprinkled in the soup, a little pickled red pepper in the soup base, a little oil floating on the soup surface, and the rest is the protagonist - white rice strips that slide into small spindles. They say: If you don’t take a bite, you will regret it for the rest of your life; if you taste it, you will regret it for the rest of your life. It's time to feast your eyes. After trying it, I really feel the same way.

The only scenic spot that can be seen is Wangcun Waterfall. In fact, this waterfall is not special, it is just in a suitable environment. It complements the simple and unsophisticated Tujia Diaojiao Building, cleverly borrowing scenery and integrating with the surrounding scenery. It looks particularly eye-catching.

The ancient Tujia stilted buildings built against the mountains stand in the green mountains and waters, looming, adding a lot of bewildering beauty. The whole scenic area has dull black and white tones, the freshness of green mountains and green waters, the tranquility of village pavilions, a combination of movement and stillness, and a harmonious combination of sounds and colors. Such colorful yet simple pictures constitute a unique scenery in Jiangnan. In particular, a wine flag fluttering in the wind, picked out by a bamboo pole on a stilted building on the mountainside, makes people think it is a replica of Du Mu's "Jiangnan Spring": "Thousands of miles of orioles are green, and the wine flag is red." South 480 Temple , so many towers in the mist. "Only the last two sentences should be changed to 'Furong has 480 floors and many mountains and rivers.' So in Furong Town, this is the place where I clicked the shutter the most. I just shrank away from the camera, enjoying the beautiful scenery and seeing the beauty here. Commercial folklore. After all, simple life cannot resist the temptation of material things. No matter how beautiful the scenery is, it can't purify people's inner material desires.

Because Xiao He is defeated. The movie "Furong Town" made the town famous, so this ancient town lost its original appearance and was full of a strong modern commercial atmosphere. Fortunately, this town left the eye-catching Tujia style stilted buildings and the eye-catching blue sky. Shiban Lane, the eye-catching Wangcun Waterfall and the "intriguing" Liu Xiaoqing's authentic rice tofu

This is Furong Town, a thousand-year-old Tujia ancient town.

The tour bus circled and bumped along the mountain for several hours and arrived at the last stop of the tour, which was also the stop I was most looking forward to, the Phoenix Border Town in Western Hunan written by Shen Congwen.

The entire ancient city of Fenghuang is located between mountains, and the Tuojiang River meanders in the clear stream. The stilted buildings in Fenghuang Ancient Shawan are built near the mountains and rivers, overlapping each other, and there seems to be no space between the houses. Gaps. If it hadn’t been for a night tour of Fenghuang Ancient City, I would have been confused by the crowded appearance. I don’t know how many alleys there are scattered among them, and how many confusing fireworks are hidden behind them.

Phoenix in the evening is not as soft as a small town in the south of the Yangtze River. Against the background of the setting sun, a little bit of afterglow shines on the cornices and corners of the stilted buildings, giving the dark buildings a little sparkle, a kind of elegance and subtlety that has gone through vicissitudes of life.

As the sun sets, the mountains and fog gradually rise, and smoke grows on the water. The summer heat gradually dissipates, and the slowly seeping water vapor comes towards us. At dusk, the air is already a bit cool. , the ancient city gradually becomes lively. Gray roofs and cornices, dark yellow pavilions, and a clump of dark gray leaves

As night falls, the lights are brightly lit, and the ancient city becomes more and more lively, and the nightlife of Phoenix begins. The life of tourists has begun.

The phoenixes at night are like a thousand beauties, with heavy makeup and mysterious beauty. , the hustle and bustle of cooking smoke on the ancient wall platform, the lazy temptation in the water bar that makes people confused

The ancient city is bustling like a city at night, with neon lights flashing. What is puzzling is that people are everywhere seeking refuge from the world. , but they recreated a noisy world here and continued their worldly life in another world.

It was a pity to see the wooden decorative windows in the hotel beside the Tuojiang River. White gauze curtains and simple balconies look across the river. The meandering water and colorful river lights flicker on the river. Occasionally, I hear the ethereal singing from the bar in the distance, which makes people sleepless.

After a busy night, everything is calm.

In the morning, the sky is dark. This ancient city has long since woken up from its slumber. The river is gurgling, and the sound of horse hooves can be heard on both sides of the Tuojiang River. There were many people swimming in the river in the morning. There are weeping willows on the shore, and pedestrians are whispering in twos and threes. The phoenix in the early morning has the beauty of returning to its original nature, just like the lotus leaf in the clear water, washing away the lead and restoring her original pure appearance.

After getting dressed in the morning, the river was like a mirror, reflecting the ancient city. There is me in you and you in me, showing a kind of silence. The morning light gradually parted the clouds, passed through the clouds and mist, scattered on the tall gray stilts, shone on the old yellow walls, passed through the dark green tree canopy, and cast it on the rippling Tuojiang River. The entire Phoenix is ??bathed in golden sunlight.

Two hours of leisure time is almost enough to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the ancient city during the day. The green mountains are long and the clear water is long. Everywhere is full of ancient ethnic customs, full of the lazy atmosphere of vacation and leisure, and the pace seems to be much slower. When traveling along the river, there are stalls on both sides of the river filled with fragmentary jewelry, handicrafts and souvenirs for tourists to enjoy. Although they are all small things, they are quite distinctive when put together. The rendering of the atmosphere of the ancient city really attracts the attention of a large number of tourists and makes people stop and linger. When you go out to play, you always have to bring something back to commemorate, so you have to be picky and bargain on the price. Unconsciously, money and goods were exchanged, and there were more things in my pocket: simple and old hairpins, a fan with dragons and phoenixes embroidered on a black background, a chain with seedlings regarded as a totem by the Tujia people, colorful puppets, Pillowcase embroidered with delicate phoenix pattern. You can finally find something you like.

The journey was endless and I stole a long time. Shen Congwen once described Phoenix this way: "Either you come to Phoenix with a calm heart, or you can be calm in Phoenix. Otherwise, you will not appreciate the true beauty of this small ancient city." It seems. I came to Phoenix with an unhurried heart.

Walking in the Qingshiban Street of the ancient city, the pavilions and pavilions on both sides of the river overlap each other. From time to time, a touch of scarlet and a touch of plain white appear in the antique shots, which are the red lanterns and white gauze palace lanterns hanging high in the pavilions; the smoke curls up on the stilts, light and long; the blue river meanders from the roots of the ancient city wall. Below, the ferry on the river is swaying, the light bridges in the river are crossing, and the bridge in the river is majestic; on the stone steps on the shore, the Huanyi girls are making clothes, and at the foot of the mountain, the silent white tower. I am thinking, when will I return? Can do it again.

The so-called "Tianbao" is a place with outstanding people. Good mountains and good waters produce talents. Phoenix is ??also a place where celebrities come out in large numbers. Cultural legends such as Imperial Envoy Tian Xingshu, national hero Zheng, Prime Minister of the Republic of China Xiong Xiling, Shen Congwen, etc.

Even if it is just a glimpse of the Phoenix in just a few hours, it is enough.

As the Phoenix journey was coming to an end, people heard a "hearsay" that ruined the scenery. I originally thought that there should be a touching story or mysterious legend behind the name Phoenix. But it is said that the mountain behind the ancient city is like a phoenix with its wings spread. It names itself, but has no words to answer.

Come and go, throw away a regret, break an illusion, and realize a wish. The end of a trip may be a good expectation for the next trip

During the bumpy return journey, the carriage was full of fatigue from the journey, and the words from "Border Town" floated in my mind: "From Sichuan To Hunan, there is an official road heading east. This official road leads to a small mountain town called "Chadong". There is a small white pagoda next to the creek, and there is a man living under the pagoda. A single family with only one old man, one girl, and one yellow dog. "In winter, the collapsed white tower was repaired again. However, the young man who sang under the moon made Cui Cui's soul light up in his dream." , but never returned to Tea Cave."

Tail

The entire four-day trip to Xiangxi didn't last long, but in the blink of an eye, I still couldn't remember what I left behind. . Only when I look at the photos taken during the trip can I feel the real passage; anyway, there are still traces of sunburn on my face. It's still hard to completely fade away after all this time, reminding me that it once existed.

The busy journey makes people who are used to seeing the same scenery, taking the same route, going to the same destination, and even doing similar things feel a bit in a trance, as if they are walking through a dream, suppressed. Not living, but still existing. But, I did experience it. I kept running from one scenic spot to another, taking pictures in scenery that I thought was worth remembering, as if only taking pictures could preserve the reality of the moment's memory. Life is like a dazzling red, dancing with passion like a Spanish dancer's skirt. Every day, the sun is new, but it is also unapologetically hot and the air is baked dry. However, time can slowly precipitate the enthusiasm for traveling, sweating like rain up and down mountains, and tiring from running around on the road. Until you reach the mountain and climb halfway up the mountain; halfway through, the excitement and anticipation at the beginning of the trip quietly fade away.