The document provides information about the Phoenix Ancient City located in Hunan Province, China. It is situated within an autonomous area for the Miao and Tujia ethnic minorities. The city square is surrounded by mountains and was the site of an unsuccessful Miao rebellion in the 1800s. The document includes over 50 photos that depict various aspects of life in the city, including architecture, people, crafts, food, the river, bridges, and cultural events.

1. First created 25 Nov 2016. Version 1.0 - 31 Mar 2017. Daperro. London.
Phoenix City
All rights reserved. Rights belong to their respective owners.
Available free for non-commercial, Educational and personal use.
A Unesco Heritage City in China
鳳凰古城

2. The Phoenix Ancient city (Fenghuang), is situated inside a Minority Autonomous area of Miao ( 苗族 ) and Tujia ( 土家
族 ), in Western Hunan Province in south China.
Geographic Location

3. Miao Minority 苗族
A Miao woman in traditional dress was making bunches of flowers, in the town’s square. The Miao ( 苗族 ), often known
as Hmong in part of Southeast Asia, migrated to Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand form China. Others saw the
Hmong as a distinct ethnic group within the Miao minority family. In 1990 China, the Miao population was put at 7.4m,
nearly tripled in the last 40 years. The largest concentration of Miao is in Hunan Province, China.

4. Tujia Minority 土家族
.
A group of Tujia people was entertaining tourists. The Tujia ( 土家族 ) are a very large minority group in China.
Numbering around 8 million, living mainly in Hunan, Hubei and Guizhou provinces in China. Tuija, meaning the
‘indigenous people’ in Chinese, have a very long history. Their origin maybe traced back some 1200 years and beyond,
possibly to the ancient Ba people ( 巴 ), who lived some 2500 years ago in Szechuan today.

5. The City Square
The main city square is surrounded by maintains, in fog. The county was the centre of the unsuccessful Miao Rebellion in
1854-73, during the Qing Dynasty. It have led to the Miao diaspora in Southeast Asia, in the last two centuries.

6. Main square - The library
This is the town’s library overlooking the main square.

7. Shops built on steep slope, overlooking the main square.
Main square - Shopping mall

8. One of the main street in the town, lined with shops.
Main street view

9. Traditional timber houses, with its point-up eaves on the roofs.
Architecture elements

10. Toddler with a snack. The children are well dressed and care for.
People - Toddler

11. Two blind street musicians were making a living, walking down the main street...
People – Blind musician

12. The main street in the town.
Main street view

13. Main street view
A woman with a child carrying a weaved basket on her back. It is the traditional shopping basket.

14. Special food
Preserved pigs’ heads for the dinner table, not much of a pig is wasted..

15. Traditionally Chinese wines were fermented in these large-mouth jars and sold on by weight to wine drinkers or for cooking.
Alternatively, wines can be packaged into bamboo bottles for sales. A popular Chinese wine would be the Rose Wine..
Chinese wines

16. Snacks
Street food of small crabs and shrimps in batter on sales in the street.

17. These are fruit of Calabashes (not to be confuse with the bottle gourd), which are hard and hollow. They are grown from
trees, for used as bottles, utensil and musical instruments.
Calabash

18. A tradition hat and a raincoat. In this
case the raincoat was made from hemp,
but very often raincoats were also made
from bamboo leaves.
Raincoat

19. Main street view
Firecrackers going off in the middle of the main street for celebrating some occasions.

20. City’s wall
The city’s wall with houses built right to it. The city gate can be seen further up the street. It was historically a significant
garrison town between ethnic groups.

21. This is a traditional Chinese theatre, with an elevated stage, for Chinese opera performance, while the open space below
the stage is for the musicians.
The Theatre

22. Two screen panels, blocking prying eyes
into a residential courtyard.
Entrance Screens

23. The courtyard of a traditional ancestral hall for the remembrance of the past family members of a clan.
Ancestral Hall

24. A pretty, well dressed and well mannered little girl who wanted to sell us her weaved grasshoppers. She never pestered us
but following us quietly. I asked why she was not at school. She said her school had finished and her mom sent her out to sell
weaved grasshoppers. Our group bought all her weaved grasshoppers, sending a happy girl back home to her mom.
People - Weaved Grasshopper seller

25. View of the river
At the centre of the town is two stepping stone bridges connecting the two sides of the river. It is a main sight of the town..

26. River bank
The river bank was lined with restaurants and bars for the tourists.

27. A young woman in traditional Miao costume, modelling for the tourist.
People - Modelling

28. Crossing the river that divides the town.
Stepping stones walk way

29. River view - Residential houses
These are the residential houses for towns people.

30. A multi-level covered bridge is one of the town’s landmark. Because the city is located in a mountainous region where fog can
linker much longer, before dissipated.
River view – The Covered Bridge

31. A multi-level covered bridge, with a restaurant on top.
River view – The Covered Bridge

32. The bottom level, is full of shops on the covered bridge.
The Covered Bridge

33. Passing under the covered bridge.
River view – The Covered Bridge

34. An enclosed wall, built around a group of houses, maybe the home of a wealthy family.
River view - Wealthy residential area

35. River view - Houses by the River
Houses along the river bank.

36. River view - Pagoda
A fairly typical seven stories pagoda. The word pagoda was a French translation from Vietnamese word.

37. Laundry by the river . The river is also the main water supply to the town.
River view - Laundry

38. Women selling their crafts and souvenirs to the passing tourists..
Crafts and goods

39. River view - Traditional Bridge
A traditional bridge spans across a boat house..

40. Fashionable young women with high heels doing laundry by the river.
River view - Laundry

41. River tour
Young men standing by, offering tourists for a river view tour.

42. River view
The leisurely river view tours.

43. The narrower street, with most shops are selling to the tourists. There are no motor traffic in the old city..
Narrow street

44. Bringing up a family under the night light.
People - Raising a family

45. Caring for the environment
Removing litters and rubbish from the river.

46. The town is built on the banks of the Tuo Jiang river, with houses built on stilts
River view

47. All rights reserved. Rights belong to their respective
owners. Available free for non-commercial and personal
use.
The End
Music – Everlasting Love by Takako Nishizaki and
Henry Shek Shanghai Philharmonic orchestra.

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