Enshi Tusi City

Enshi Tusi City

Enshi Tusi City is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a World Cultural Heritage site.

Enshi Tusi City, also known as Mowei Tower, is located 1.5 kilometers from the city center of Enshi, the prefectural capital. It is a cultural heritage and architectural garden-style folk scenic area. It was developed by the Ethnic Affairs Commission of Enshi Prefecture in line with the development strategy of building an "ecological tourism prefecture and ethnic culture park" proposed by the Enshi Prefectural Committee and the People's Government of Enshi Prefecture. Designed by the Suzhou Institute of Landscape Architecture and built by local folk artisans, it is a group of ancient-style Tusi manor buildings in the Tujia region. It is the largest, most magnificent, uniquely styled, and most beautiful landmark project representing Tusi culture in the Tujia area nationwide. It was named and inscribed "Enshi Tusi City" by Fei Xiaotong, then Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and renowned sociologist.

Enshi Tusi City is situated in the northwest of Enshi City, in a small place called Duishanwan. It is 500 meters from the municipal government seat. The site includes 12 scenic areas and over 30 attractions such as the Gate Tower, Dong-style Wind and Rain Bridge, Linjun Shrine, Drill Ground, Tujia residential houses, the Tusi King’s Palace—Jiujin Hall, city walls, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Hundred Flowers Garden, White Tiger Statue, Recumbent Tiger Iron Bridge, Tingtao Tea House, and Ethnic Art Garden.

The Tujia people have a long history and are descendants of the ancient Ba people. The Ba people originally lived in the Jianghan Plain area. Later, as the Chu people grew powerful and conflicts arose between the Chu and Ba, the Ba people were defeated. They retreated to the region now known as the Qingjiang River, historically called the Yishui River, and moved westward along the Yishui, extending their influence to eastern Sichuan. During the Spring and Autumn Period, they established the first slave-state of the Ba people, the Ba Kingdom. In 361 BC, they were conquered by the powerful Qin State. Some Ba people retreated to the Wuling region, which spans Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, and Guizhou, and integrated with local tribes, eventually forming the Tujia ethnic group. The Tujia people refer to themselves as "Bizi Ka" or "Beijin Ka." During the Song Dynasty, the Ba people living in this area were called "Turen" (local people), and later the Tujia referred to incoming Han people as "Kehua" (guest families) and themselves as Tujia.

The Tusi system was a political management system in Chinese feudal history whereby the central dynasty governed ethnic minority regions with a degree of autonomy under central authority. The Tusi system in the Tujia region began in the Yuan Dynasty and ended in the 13th year of the Yongzheng reign during the Qing Dynasty with the "abolition of Tusi and establishment of direct governance" (Gaitu Guiliu). It lasted through the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties for over 450 years. The relationship between the Tusi and the central feudal dynasty was that the Tusi paid tribute and pledged allegiance to the central court, while the central court granted them titles and allowed self-rule. Tusi-controlled lands were not part of the official map of the central court, and their populations were not registered under the central household system, giving them full authority over life and death within their domains. The Tusi king was essentially the local emperor.

The Tusi system in the Enshi Tujia region underwent changes through different dynasties. The Yuan Dynasty established 29 Tusi offices, the Ming Dynasty had 31, and the Qing Dynasty had 20. The jurisdictions of these Tusi covered areas south of the Qingjiang River in today’s Enshi Prefecture, as well as parts of present-day Changyang and Wufeng counties, which now belong to Yichang.

The last Tusi of Enshi was Qin Yuding. After the royal city was relocated to the banks of the Gongshui River, the Qin family experienced a revival. Starting with Qin Tianfu, the Tusi throne was passed down for twelve generations over a period of more than 300 years. By the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty, Qin Yuding inherited the position of Tusi of Enshi. He was the last Tusi of Enshi and also the most tyrannical ruler among the Shinan Tusi. After him, the Tusi system was abolished. Qin Yuding was fierce and unruly by nature, mischievous in his youth and disobedient. The Shinan Tusi and Rongmei Tusi were related through marriage in earlier times, forming an in-law relationship.

Address: No. 138 Tusi Road, Enshi City

Type: Folk Village

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visit Duration: 2–3 hours

Phone: 0718-8458166

Opening Hours:

8:00-17:00

Information Source: Official Website of the People’s Government of Hubei Province