Where does the "border town" in Shen Congwen's works refer to?

When I wrote this article, I felt inexplicably nervous, because this is the hometown of the writer Shen Congwen. Writing here feels a bit like trying to do what I want, but I really like it. I had to write it down.

The water of the Tuojiang River flows slowly under the stilted building, and the love between Cuicui and Nuosong is also growing secretly. This small town located at the junction of Jishou, Hunan and Tongren, Guizhou, was once praised by the famous New Zealand writer Rewi Alley as the most beautiful small town in China. With a longing for this small city, I boarded the train to Jishou. From Jishou to Fenghuang, I still need to transfer to a bus at the bus station. The ticket is about 10 yuan. After about 30 minutes, I arrived at the bus station in Fenghuang.

When you leave the bus station, just like other places, there are "illegal" tricycles and motorcycles waiting for you. Here you can fully feel the hospitality of the Hunan people. Although this small town is not big, it still takes a long time to walk from the bus station to the center of the ancient city. Finally, a simple young man was chosen and "went into town" on his motorcycle.

The inn I booked is in the center of the ancient city, only a few steps away from the former residence of literary giant Shen Congwen. Now I can fully accept the influence of culture. In Fenghuang, the best inns are not in the central city, but on the edge of the Tuojiang River. When I went, it was on the eve of May Day, less than ten days before May Day. But the houses on the riverside here have already been booked. Moreover, houses along the river are usually about twice as expensive as other places. The advantage of living there is that you can enjoy the quiet ancient city and the slowly flowing river at night, and your inner fatigue is relieved a lot.

On the eve of May Day, the rainy season has not yet arrived in Fenghuang or even Jiangnan, but the afternoon I arrived. As soon as we got off Xiaomo, it started to rain for a while. Fortunately, I brought an umbrella. I quickly walked into the booked "Biananhuakai" inn. It was a small inn with a very charming atmosphere. The owner was also very enthusiastic and there was a little cat. Originally, I booked a double room, but later the boss told me that the double room was booked by someone else and he changed me to a standard room. I don’t know which couple or young couple made the reservation. Anyway, it doesn’t matter that I’m single, but it’s a bit of a waste for me to stay in a standard room. After all, if there is an empty bed, it’s hard to find one...

After taking a nap, I got up and started moving. Only then did I realize that night had slowly begun to fall. At this time, my stomach began to protest. After all, after running around all night, I was already hungry. My hungry stomach and I searched for a place on the street that could provide him with food. Before coming here, I had heard a lot about Phoenix's specialties, blood duck, ginger candy... But these are just snacks and cannot satisfy me who is so hungry at the moment. Continuing to walk along the street, I found a small restaurant that was very popular, so I walked in. When I walked in, I found that the seats were almost full, so I walked up to the second floor. The view was really good. The layout of this small restaurant is also very unique, with wooden chairs and tables. The only drawback is that the price is a bit expensive, and the bowls and chopsticks also cost money.

Unique tables and chairs

After dinner, I thought about going back to rest today. I was really tired during the day. Walking along the street where I lived, I saw a wine shop not far away. One of my hobbies is drinking, so I can’t miss such a unique winery. On the recommendation of the boss, I bought glutinous rice wine. The wine is stored in a plastic gourd. Of course, you can also choose a real gourd, but there is a fee for that. When I left, the boss didn't forget to say: "This wine may not look sweet, but it is very strong, so drink less." ’ After I got back, I opened it and took a couple of sips. It didn’t taste too good, it was a little sweet, but it was refreshing. In the moment of excitement, I forgot the boss’s instructions and drank the whole pound of the glutinous rice wine I bought...

I had already drank a lot of glutinous rice wine, and it felt a bit like "Mo Xiao Farmer's wax wine is muddy"

As a result, we got up very late the next day and started walking along the Xiangjiang River. Taking advantage of the sunshine, you can see the main sculpture of the Phoenix Ancient City - a phoenix that wants to spread its wings and fly.

Sculptures in Fenghuang Ancient City, Phoenix spreading its wings

Under the stilted buildings, the Tuojiang River, the mother river of Phoenix, also flows. On a small bridge in Fenghuang, you can clearly see the early morning sunshine shining on the earth. When traveling to many places, one of the fun things is to get up early in the morning and watch the sunrise. Traveling is a hard job, requiring getting up early and running around, but as long as you see the ray of sunshine in the morning, you will understand that all the hard work and dedication are worth it.

Sunshine taken from the small bridge

After leaving the small bridge, you can walk all the way to the former residence of the literary giant Shen Congwen. It has also become one of the must-visit destinations for many artistic young people and literature lovers. When Shen Congwen was in primary school, he, like you, skipped school and caught bugs. He also met the girl he loved and was too shy to speak. Thanks to the matchmaker, they had a good story. Shen Congwen died of illness in Beijing. After his death, his ashes were transported back to his hometown of Phoenix for burial. His heroic soul rests forever on the hill south of Fenghuang. At the foot of the mountain, the Tuojiang River flows, and the fishermen are fishing and doing business in an orderly manner. This literary giant could always see his relatives in his hometown. After crossing the ancient street, we came to his cemetery. In front of the cemetery, Huang Yongyu inscribed a sentence, "A soldier either dies on the battlefield or returns to his hometown." It summarizes Shen Congwen's life. He was born in the border city of Phoenix, became a master in Beijing, and returned to his hometown after his death. On the edge of the Tuojiang River, there is a prose "Wet Missing" written by Shen Congwen's granddaughter Shen Hong in memory of her grandfather, "Grandpa, one day I will send you back, gently, back to your land and your scenery. In the wind and rain, in the transparent sunshine, in the transparent water, there is my wet longing, forever and ever." This sentence has become a sentence that I often think of when I miss Phoenix. When I arrived at Congwen Cemetery, I didn't take any photos out of respect for the deceased, but I still took a few photos at the former residence.

There is an endless stream of visitors to Shen Congwen’s former residence

The water of the Tuojiang River has nurtured the people of Phoenix and made the beauty of Phoenix unique. It combines the agility of an ancient city and water. There are many photo spots around Tuojiang River, and you can also rent traditional Miao costumes. Many girls who come here will wear Miao costumes and take photos. It also leaves beautiful memories of youth.

Girls taking pictures in Miao costumes

There are many bridges on the Tuojiang River, including the large Fenghuang First Bridge and Second Phoenix Bridge, as well as small wooden bridges and ones similar to plum blossom piles. Column bridge. Walking across the bridge, you can also feel the "sigh of the dead" and beautiful imagination brought about by the Tuojiang River flowing day and night. The water of Tuojiang River has nurtured kind-hearted Phoenix people and Xiangxi people. Here, people earn their own living, and even the elderly and children come out to find errands. On the edge of the Tuojiang River, I met grandparents and grandchildren picking up mineral water bottles. While contributing to environmental protection, it also gives you an extra source of life.

The little girl was very beautiful and cute. When she saw me taking pictures of her, she turned away embarrassedly

Many people said that Fenghuang, like other ancient cities, is heavily commercialized. But what I want to say is that sometimes commercialization is not necessarily bad, because it provides more convenient services to tourists. She also did not delay her experience of the ancient city. Sitting on the edge of the Tuojiang River in the evening or morning and looking at the water of the Tuojiang River can trigger countless reveries. Traveling around the world, Phoenix Travel has brought me wonderful memories and related people. Phoenix brought me a wonderful encounter, although we didn't end up together in the end. But those days of encouragement are still unforgettable. I believe it will become a lifelong memory for me. Encourage me when I am in trouble and spend wonderful afternoons with me.

Standing on the bridge that looks like plum blossom piles on the Tuojiang River, you can see the slow flow of the Tuojiang River

For a time, Fenghuang Ancient City was on the hot news due to tolls, flooding and other reasons. I was also worried that this century-old city would suffer disasters that would be difficult to recover from. There is also news about heavy rainfall in Hunan this year. Fortunately, they all survived. Thank you for the wonderful memories, I will definitely go again if I have the chance. Go to the place where we first met; go drink glutinous rice wine; go stay overnight by the Tuojiang River...