Fengsheng Ancient Town

Fengsheng Ancient Town

Fengsheng Ancient Town is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Fengsheng Ancient Town is located in the southeastern border of Chongqing, now part of Banan District. It was initially established as a market town during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties and once served as an important post station on the route from Chongqing Prefecture to Nanchuan and Fuling. The old streets of the town are lined with two- to three-story wooden shophouses built with mortise-and-tenon structures. Behind the shops are mostly courtyard homes with black-tiled gray brick walls, whose eaves, lintels, doors, and windows are often adorned with theatrical stories, fish, insects, birds, and beasts, showcasing a typical Huizhou architectural style—a feature rarely seen among the many ancient towns in Chongqing.

Due to its long history and profound cultural heritage, Fengsheng Ancient Town was named one of the first 20 “Historical and Cultural Towns” in Chongqing by the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government in April 2002. In February 2005, the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government approved the “Fengsheng Town Ancient Town Protection Plan.” Since 2002, the Fengsheng Town People’s Government has successively formulated protective measures and invested substantial funds to preserve the ancient town and improve infrastructure, attracting thousands of visitors seeking history and tranquility. On December 23, 2008, it was awarded the title of “China’s Historical and Cultural Town” jointly issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the National Cultural Heritage Administration, with an official unveiling ceremony held the following day. “China’s Historical and Cultural Town” is the highest-level national designation for historical and cultural heritage in China.

Explore: Photograph watchtowers, stroll through old streets, listen to resonant stones, and observe tidal springs

Along the old streets of Fengsheng Ancient Town stand centuries-old wooden courtyard buildings. The small yards feature black-tiled gray brick walls, carved beams, painted rafters, and doors/windows decorated with theatrical stories, fish, insects, birds, and beasts.

In the high mountains and dense forests not far from Fengsheng Town, dozens of watchtowers and gunports from the late Qing and early Republican periods stand tall. These watchtowers are built three to six stories high, with each floor covering 80–150 square meters. Each is equipped with observation holes and firing ports. To this day, over ten such structures remain well-preserved and inhabited, including Qingyang Tower, Crossroads, Academy Street, Wenfeng, and Xinglong Bay.

Purple Cloud Resonant Stones, mostly found on the eastern and western slopes of Fengsheng Town, were named after being discovered by monks from Ziyun Temple. According to the Qing-era “Baxian Annals”: “Resonant stones are produced here, containing red kernels inside. When shaken, they produce a sound like jade sand.” The stones are hollow inside, with small solid pebbles or liquid substances that create sounds when shaken.

“Tidal Spring Cave” is located about 1 kilometer east of Fengsheng Town. At the bottom of the cave lies an underground river, with the widest point of the river surface reaching 10 meters. It cyclically exhibits a process of ebb tide—return tide—flood tide. The water level rises by about 1.5 meters every half hour, with each tidal cycle lasting approximately 1.5 hours. When the river water recedes to its lowest level, a sudden “boom, boom” sound of rushing water is heard. The water then surges back from downstream with great force, causing the river level to rise sharply by 20 centimeters within 3 seconds, and the river surface suddenly widens. Shortly after, it quickly recedes, returning to its original level in just a few seconds, with several cubic meters of water vanishing in an instant. There are six to seven such surging tidal phenomena within one tidal cycle.

Eat: Preserved pork, dried tofu, farmhouse dishes

Today, Fengsheng Ancient Town still retains some original, folk-style handicraft workshops, such as handmade steelyards, hand-cotton fluffers, brooms made from sorghum tassels, traditional Chinese medicine shops, smoked dried tofu, preserved pork, handmade noodles, old-fashioned revolving chair barbershops, and many antique carved utensils preserved in ancient residences. Among them, smoked dried tofu, preserved pork, and handmade noodles are must-try delicacies.

“Smoked tofu has many ways to eat, cold-mixed or stir-fried too. When friends come by surprise, serve it with wine right away.” This folk rhyme is widely circulated in Fengsheng Ancient Town, Banan District, singing the praises of the town’s famous smoked tofu. This local smoked tofu originated in the late Qing Dynasty and has a history of over a hundred years.

The processing of smoked tofu follows a very traditional method: first, select plump, glossy soybeans, then soak them in warm water for several hours, rinse, grind into slurry, filter, boil, coagulate with brine, and mix in seasonings like pepper salt. Finally, the tofu is boxed, pressed, shaped, placed in the oven, and smoked with more than ten kinds of local aromatic firewood for 3–5 hours before it’s ready to eat.

In addition to the century-old smoked tofu, Fengsheng Town also offers farmhouse cured pork, tofu pudding rice, pigeon soup, and other delicious dishes.