Xifeng Water Town Tourism Resort

Xifeng Water Town Tourism Resort

Xifeng Water Town Tourism Resort is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Xifeng Water Town Tourism Resort is a comprehensive tourism resort invested and built by Xiaogan Xingjingyuan Ecological Agriculture Development Co., Ltd. The project is located near Weiyao Reservoir in Xihé Town, Xiaonan District, Xiaogan City. With its exceptional water resources, it lies adjacent to Huangxiao Road on Provincial Highway S310, south of the G70 Han-Shi Expressway, and east of National Highway G107. It is 12 kilometers from downtown Xiaogan, 4 kilometers from the Yangdian Toll Station on the G4 Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway, and 32 kilometers from Wuhan Tianhe Airport. Its traffic and geographical advantages are very pronounced.

The Xifeng Water Town project has a planned land area of approximately 2,000 mu (about 133 hectares) and is being developed in three phases. The project is built to the standards of a national 4A-level scenic area, integrating farming folk experiences, historical celebrity culture, wetland education tours, outdoor amusement experiences, and water leisure sports into a comprehensive leisure tourism resort.

The main construction contents of the project include the Winding Flower Path Scenic Area, Xiao De Culture Park, Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Square, Folk Culture Commercial Street, Farming Culture Museum, Xifeng Lodge, Tu Renshou Memorial Hall, wetland sightseeing, fruit-picking experiences, boat rides, adventure bases, shooting and archery, zip lines, bumper cars, horse racing tracks, go-karting, and other amusement facilities.

Xihé Town in Xiaogan was originally named Xifengpu, also referred to as “Xifengpu” in old records. Nearby are Rufen Village, Rufen Ridge, and Chizishan Mountain. Legend has it that in ancient times, when Nüwa was mending the sky with stones, she accidentally dropped a lump of glue-like mud used for sealing joints onto Minji, forming a square platform—this was the ancient Phoenix Platform. Later, a tall parasol tree naturally grew there, resembling a grand canopy, which attracted a pair of phoenixes to nest in the tree. They bred and produced nine eggs, from which nine fledglings hatched. They summoned hundreds of birds to pay homage to the phoenix, singing in harmony. The nearby Rufen Ridge and Chizishan were places where the young phoenixes often flew and foraged. The Qing Dynasty’s Guangxu-era *Xiaogan County Annals · Historical Sites* state: “In the fourth year of the Yonghe era of Emperor Mu of Jin (348 AD), a phoenix laid nine eggs on the eastern ridge… also called Rufen Ridge.”

Coincidentally, in the spring and summer of the third year of the Ming Hongwu era (1370 AD), a group of migrants set out from Yuzhang (present-day Nanchang, Jiangxi) and arrived at a small village east of Xiaogan City in Hubei. Among them was a young couple with two boys; the man, in his 30s, had thick eyebrows, large eyes, phoenix-like gleaming gaze, a face like a bright moon, and a gentle voice. He introduced himself as Li Xifeng, originally from Yuzhang, a descendant of a scholarly family. Skilled in agriculture, poetry, the calendar, and traditional Chinese medicine, he also understood yin-yang and numerology. As Xifeng looked around, he saw that the area was backed by the majestic Wusheng Pass, shrouded in clouds like a locked gate; to the east lay the verdant Double Peaks like a painted screen, veiled by misty waterfalls; to the west were the ancient Yunmeng Marshes, with rising clouds and radiant light; and to the south were the Jianghan misty wetlands, with moonlight veiling the river crossings. To the north, fishermen’s songs drifted through willow-draped villages, yellow calves roamed the plains, and fishing boats glowed under the moon—a true paradise on earth. So he built a cottage here and made a living through farming, fishing, and woodcutting. The Xifeng couple were hardworking, kind-hearted, generous, and got along harmoniously with their neighbors. Later, they set up a private school at home to teach the children of villagers, instructing them in the classics, histories, and various schools of thought, fostering a strong academic atmosphere and virtuous local customs. Whenever villagers fell ill, they provided herbal remedies and cared for them devotedly. People from surrounding areas benefited greatly and spoke highly of them. From then on, the Li family flourished and became a prominent clan.

Confucius said, “The wise find joy; the benevolent enjoy longevity.” Xifeng passed away one midnight at the age of 84, during a storm with howling winds and mournful bamboo and pine trees. By dawn, birds gathered in flocks, circling and crying mournfully above his cottage, reluctant to leave. Soon after, the sky cleared, and a giant, colorful bird descended from the radiant clouds, landing atop the cottage. Its feathers shimmered brilliantly in the light, and with a loud cry that echoed across the land, the villagers gathered to see—it was a phoenix. They believed it to be Xifeng transformed, and thus held him in high reverence, spreading the story rapidly throughout the region. To commemorate his great virtue and good deeds, people called the bird “Xifeng” and the place where he lived “Xifengpu.” Since there was a small river west of the courier station, it was also called Xihépu. In and around Xifengpu, many legends and relics about the phoenix remain to this day. Places such as Rufen Village, Rufen Ridge, and Chizishan in Xihé Town, Fenghuang Port and Phoenix Platform in Minji Township, Fenghuangzhai in Pengxing Township, Fenghuangdi, Qifenglou, and Fengxiangji in Yangdian Town all record the beautiful legends of the phoenix and preserve many scenic spots.

After Xifeng, the area became a hub of talent and tales. The miracle of “three scholars within ten li, two top examinees in one examination” took place here. In the thirteenth year of the Qing Tongzhi era (1874 AD), Huang Zhaojin from Da Huangwan in Tongchang Village passed the martial arts imperial exam and was appointed as a second-class military jinshi; in the same year, Tu Renshou achieved the literary jinshi degree, was selected as a shujishi (imperial scholar), and later served as an imperial censor; Qin Yingkui also ranked first in the metropolitan examination and was awarded the jinshi degree, serving as an editor in the Hanlin Academy. Their residences were no more than ten li apart, and all three achieved either literary or martial jinshi degrees in the same examination year, becoming a celebrated tale locally. People saw it as an auspicious sign. To honor their achievements and inspire future generations, they raised funds to build a temple called “Sanyuan Palace” (Temple of the Three Yuan). Thereafter, locals prayed at Sanyuan Palace for their children’s success in exams, and students heading to provincial or metropolitan exams also visited to pray for passing all three levels. Those who succeeded erected flagpoles at Sanyuan Palace to proclaim their victory. Within a few years, the area outside Sanyuan Palace was lined with numerous flagpoles, gaining widespread fame and bustling with worshippers. Among the three, Tu Renshou, known as the “Iron-Faced Censor” and “Master of His Generation,” stood out. As a censor, he fearlessly remonstrated against the powerful, earning praise as the “Lone Wind of the Western Terrace”—another phoenix, surely no coincidence. Thus, people say Xiaogan is the hometown of the phoenix, and the people of Xihé are its descendants.

Xifeng Water Town Tourism Resort highlights farming culture and water town wetlands as its two main features, alongside historical celebrity culture, outdoor amusement experiences, and water leisure sports, making it a comprehensive tourism resort.