Fenghuang Ancient Town

　　   The most distinctive feature of Fenghuang Town’s old street is its winding lanes and the Ming and Qing dynasty houses that line both sides. Traditional handmade papermaking and forging crafts are still practiced here as they were in the past. Along this east-west ancient town stretching over 2,000 meters, more than 60 well-preserved residential buildings from the Ming and Qing periods remain. A small stream covered with stone slabs runs along the main street, while another stream crosses the town perpendicularly, forming a cross-shaped water system.

　　   The buildings along the old street consist mainly of shops in the front and residences in the back. Shop fronts are typically made of durable walnut or varnished wooden planks, coated with earth lacquer to give them a clean, shiny finish; the doorsteps are adorned with carved stone floral designs. The shopfronts are less than ten feet wide, but the residences extend back thirty to forty meters. It is said that both the number of shop bays and the depth of the houses reflect the wealth of their owners at the time. The wooden structures of Fenghuang Town’s residences are delicate and exquisitely designed, with good resistance to rain, moisture, and fire, featuring many characteristics of southern Chinese architecture compared to traditional northern homes.

　　   Today, Fenghuang Town is relatively small, mainly consisting of a simple old street bustling with people. It's perfect for leisurely strolling without high expectations — a relaxed way to experience the traditional life and local market culture. There are several silkworm cocoon spinning workshops in the town. The silk products here are made from locally produced wild silkworm silk, which is more durable than mulberry silk. Even today, local women still spin, dye, and weave the silk themselves, though production is minimal. Nearby mountains also hold ruins of an ancient mountain stronghold. The age-old trade of blacksmithing is also still preserved. Overnight stays are available in the town. At night, standing on the hill to the east of town, you can look down on the web-like network of streets illuminated by lights, with the brightest spot being the central section of the “S”-shaped old street.

　　   The History of Fenghuang Town—

　　   Fenghuang Town is nestled against mountains and near water, where three rivers—the Shechuan, Zao, and Shuidigou—converge. As early as the Tang Dynasty, a market began to form here. In the early years of the Qing Shunzhi era, merchants from Henan, Hubei, and Sichuan were drawn by the area’s developed water transport and settled here to trade. By the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, shops, banks, and trading businesses filled the streets, forming 32 major merchant establishments. Fenghuang Town became an important commercial hub south of the Qinling Mountains, connecting the Yangtze River and Yellow River water systems. Northern mountain produce and local specialties were transported here by caravan and on foot, then shipped south via waterways, while silk and rice from the south came upriver and were then carried overland across the Qinling Mountains into the Guanzhong region. Later, with the decline of water transport and the improvement of road infrastructure, Fenghuang Town gradually lost its former prominence. Nevertheless, many old workshops and traditional crafts such as papermaking mills, blacksmith shops, and silk shops are still preserved in Fenghuang Town and the surrounding areas, with faint traces of ancient life remaining in the daily lives of locals. The ancient buildings in Fenghuang Town were generally constructed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, predominantly following Huizhou architectural styles and built mainly as courtyard homes. They remain well-preserved to this day and are a provincial-level

　　   “Ancient Residential Architectural Complex” cultural heritage site.