The Charm of Western Hunan
Everyone interprets travel differently. As a calligraphy enthusiast, a preference for humanities is inevitable. I used to think that I had to do thorough research before a trip and have a perfect plan. However, as I traveled more, I increasingly realized that the importance of攻略 (travel guides) is not as significant as I imagined. For example, many say that without a guide in Zhangjiajie, you might take unnecessary detours. In my opinion, it's completely unnecessary unless you climb from the bottom of the mountain. Another example is that everyone hopes to visit a scenic spot at its optimal time, but often it's a matter of fate and serendipity. Such encounters are actually more satisfying and make you feel that life's surprises are everywhere.
At around 10:30 PM, I left the airport and saw a free shuttle bus to the city's Civil Aviation Hotel. The Yichen Hotel I booked was just 100 meters ahead. The dim streetlights cast long shadows, and the cool air hit me. I was lucky to encounter the widespread temperature drop in North China. The hotel facilities were decent. After consulting the front desk and the travel department, I had a clear plan for tomorrow.
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (ticket 245 yuan, valid for three days). Around 8 AM, I took a taxi from the hotel to the bus station. Zhangjiajie's bus station has multiple routes, including those to Zhangjiajie Forest Park and Wulingyuan. You can board freely. If Zhangjiajie Forest Park is the main entrance, Wulingyuan is like the back door. The advantage of entering from the back door is that there are eco-friendly shuttles for various routes directly inside. No guide's information is as accurate as the shuttle dispatcher's. When I went in, the dispatcher said that at this hour, I could only visit Shili Gallery and Golden Whip Stream. I wondered how that could be, but it turned out I only managed to add Huangshizhai, and he was completely right.
The first stop was Shili Gallery. The small train round trip costs 52 yuan, but walking felt like just over ten minutes—if you don't stop to watch the monkeys. I wasn't particularly impressed by Zhangjiajie's beauty, perhaps because I happened to encounter rainy and snowy weather, so visibility was very poor. Looking at the rows of stone pillars from different angles, it felt like a large bonsai. In terms of grandeur, it's not as majestic and continuous as Huangshan; in terms of steepness, it's not as precipitous and thrilling as Huashan. Forgive my lack of imagination, but I couldn't make out things like the "Tea-Picking Old Man." Of course, Shili Gallery has its own charm—a strong sense of changing scenery with each step, and when you turn around suddenly, the view is especially pleasant.
Returning to the starting point of Shili Gallery, I took an eco-friendly shuttle to the Bailong Elevator. I originally wanted to go straight up and see Mount Hallelujah. I was secretly pleased when I saw few people lining up to buy tickets, but then I noticed many people refunding their tickets. When I asked why, they said they had already queued for three hours and still had to wait another hour to get up. The problem was that coming down would also take that long. I asked the armed guard again, and he said it would also take three hours—too long. So I took the eco-friendly shuttle to Golden Whip Stream. Golden Whip Stream is 7.5 kilometers long and was the filming location for the "White Bone Demon" episode in Journey to the West. Walking along the stream to the end leads to the main entrance of Zhangjiajie Forest Park. Along the way, I met a few tourists, listened to the sound of flowing water, and was surrounded by stone pillars within arm's reach. The mountains in Zhangjiajie are very close, and occasionally monkeys appear. Stopping, walking, looking, and taking photos, it took about one and a half to two hours to finish. Overall, such scenery can be found in Emei and Jiangsu-Zhejiang areas, but the difference is that the mountains here are closer and nearly 90-degree sheer like knife cuts.
I then took the eco-friendly shuttle to Huangshizhai. I heard the cable car there was still running, and I couldn't rest without going up the mountain. There were very few visitors at Huangshizhai. I took the cable car directly. It was snowing on the mountain, and as soon as I exited the cable car, the view was beautiful. Snow fell on rime ice, creating a scene straight out of Avatar. The entire Huangshizhai is like a big circle. Walking around along the path felt like being in a fairyland. Thick clouds and fog blurred vision, and icicles stood proudly on the branches. In Zhangjiajie, it gets dark very late. I went down the mountain around 6 PM, and it was still light. It took about 40 minutes to return to the city.
Puguang Zen Temple (free), known as "Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage," is located in downtown Zhangjiajie. It is a temple from the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, quite ancient (built 7 years earlier than the Forbidden City, 4 years earlier than the Golden Hall of Wudang Mountain, etc.), and is a temple that combines three religions. Historically, it included the Confucian Temple, Martial Temple, City God Temple, and Songliang Academy. I learned from the gatekeeper that it once served as a local school. I discovered this temple by chance in a taxi. The surrounding modern commerce cannot diminish its beauty at all. To get in, I actually tried three times. The temple's dilapidation was expected. The gatekeeper said apologetically that they were waiting for the Bureau of Cultural Heritage to allocate funds for repairs. This probably reflects contemporary attitudes toward ancient architecture and culture. In an era driven by greed and the pursuit of fame and wealth, how many people would stop for it? How many would hold it in reverence?
Xiuhua Mountain Villa, with its doors tightly closed. This villa was founded by Chen Chuhua, the creator of sandstone painting, and is the first private Tujia museum in China. I had wanted to get a glimpse of Tujia culture. It is said that the exhibits all come from fields, mountains, villages, and ancient castles. Unfortunately, perhaps because it was during the Spring Festival, it was closed. I could only take a photo as a keepsake.
One-seventh of the Old Courtyard (ticket 90 yuan), the residence of the Tujia chieftain Tian. Unfortunately, most of it was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, leaving only one-seventh. But this does not diminish its beauty at all. It is a Tujia building with a four-sided courtyard and fireproof walls, combining Tujia gardens and stilt houses. It is a typical Tujia folk residence. Perhaps due to insufficient publicity or the high ticket price, I was the only visitor throughout. But the two hours of the tour were wonderful and educational. This is the charm and essence of Western Hunan.
The admonishing study room: simple eight characters, yet each strikes the heart.
A feature of Tujia architecture: sunlight can penetrate through the roof.
The culture of Wu Nuo. I remember in the Korean drama "The Moon Embracing the Sun," the male lead used a mask, which is a Nuo mask from Wu Nuo culture. Wu Nuo culture is essentially a sacrificial culture with strong religious overtones, divided into Wu religion culture and Nuo culture. The main content of Wu religion culture includes Pangu worship and offering sacrifices to Pangu. Nuo culture advocates belief in deities and promotes karma, including fulfilling Nuo vows, Nuo opera, and Nuo skill performances. Fulfilling Nuo vows is a custom of the Miao ancestors to worship Nuo gods. Contents include those who fulfill vows due to illness, those who do so to seek offspring, and those who do so for promotion and wealth. Nuo opera was originally an ancient shamanic activity to expel plague demons, gradually adding entertainment elements. Nuo opera performances mainly involve wearing wooden masks, which are characteristic of this genre, often with religious and mythological content. Nuo skills are one of the manifestations of Nuo culture. In folk sacrificial activities, shamans perform sacrifices and high-difficulty skills as performances before the ritual to increase its mystery, such as climbing the sword ladder, walking on a plowshare, and spitting red fire.
Corpse driving. A type of Miao witchcraft, part of Chu Wu culture. Witchcraft includes black magic and white magic, and corpse driving belongs to white magic. The picture below is the soul-summoning bell. Corpse driving involves making a string of corpses who died away from home follow behind the driver, crossing provinces to return to their hometowns. The driver only leads the corpses through rugged mountain paths, back to the plains, and then hands them over to their families for burial. This highly mysterious technique of corpse driving is said to have been lost.
Tianmen Mountain (ticket 225 yuan). The cable car to the mountain is in the city center, taking about 30 minutes one way. It offers a panoramic view of the entire city. Due to rainy and snowy weather, visibility was poor, and the steep mountains were completely invisible, only a vast whiteness. The snow on Tianmen Mountain was heavy. There are three walking routes: East Line, West Line, and Middle Line. I walked 1500 meters on the East Line, then returned and took the West Line to visit Tianmen Mountain Temple. The mountain paths were very difficult to walk on, icy and slippery, requiring constant caution to avoid falling. Yet I saw a peculiar visitor wearing high heels—truly astonishing and definitely impossible to walk in. Visibility was very low. When I finally arrived at Tianmen Mountain Temple wrapped in clouds and mist, it felt very solemn and majestic. The temple was quite spacious and imposing, with the bell tower and drum tower facing each other in the mist. Of course, the low temperature made me shiver.
The best restaurant during this trip was in Zhangjiajie: Lekoufu. The Hunan cuisine was very authentic. I had both meals there.
At 17:25, I took a hard-seat train to Jishou (17.5 yuan, a real life experience), arriving at 18:25. There were many buses from Jishou to Fenghuang, but since it was getting late, I shared a car with three Cantonese tourists from the train to Fenghuang. The car dropped us off at Nanhua Gate. There were also three Hebei tourists in the car, all from Zhangjiajie. We chatted about our experiences and feelings, laughing all the way. As we approached, each of us called our guesthouse owners, a very real scene. Travel is like life: you walk a stretch of road with some people at a specific time, then part ways when you reach the destination. Fenghuang's night view was stunning. I absolutely did not expect Fenghuang's night to be so lively and the lights so brilliant. I first took a taxi to the guesthouse, then immediately went out to "inspect" the night scene. Fenghuang is ten times more commercialized than I imagined. Bars lined up one after another, with rock, folk, and everything else. Occasionally, drunk tourists would stagger from one bar to the next. Ear-deafening music and electric guitars were the main theme of the old street. I thought, if you want to ruin a place, let it be commercialized.
Fenghuang Ancient Town (ticket 138 yuan). Even though there are many controversies about Fenghuang's ticket, I think I would still buy it. It's a matter of personal opinion. I wanted to visit Shen Congwen's former residence and also see the ancient town museum.
Well, I admit I don't really like climbing mountains. The self-torment of climbing far outweighs the so-called sense of conquest. I came for Fenghuang—the misty border town described by Shen Congwen, also for the tranquil Tuo River and the faint melancholy in his books. The first stop was Shen Congwen's former residence. I read "Border Town" twice and both times I couldn't help but shed tears. "That person may come back tomorrow, or may never return." It leaves you with endless space for reflection. Fenghuang's overcast and rainy climate also creates an atmosphere of contemplation and sorrow.
The Ancient Town Museum, which is also the former residence of Chen Baozhen. The Chen family—five talents in one clan (the reformist Chen Baozhen, the modern poetry master Chen Sanli, the Chinese painting leader Chen Shizeng, the famous poet Chen Longke, and the great historian Chen Yinke)—is the most dazzling cultural family in modern Chinese history. The architectural layout of the old house complements the Chen Baozhen family. Features include four waters returning to the hall, a home within a home, a museum within a museum, the fragrance of birds and flowers, and a deep courtyard. It is absolutely worth revisiting. Every detail is impressive. Chen Shizeng's and his teacher Qi Baishi's golden saying, "Without you, I cannot advance; without me, you would retreat," conveys the joy and tacit understanding of finding a soulmate in art.
Other ticketed attractions include the Yang Family Ancestral Hall, the East Gate Tower, and Xiong Xiling's former residence. Some old houses survived because they were used as Revolutionary Committee headquarters during the Cultural Revolution. Thank heavens, the Revolutionary Committee did something good, haha.
Laogen Restaurant in Fenghuang, despite its reputation, didn't live up to it. Perhaps it's because I'm from the south, not used to the so-called sour and spicy Hunan cuisine. On the other hand, I visited Dage Snacks on Huilong Street many times. The shrimp cakes were delicious, and the boss and his wife were very sincere, always warmly inviting you to eat by the fire. Highly recommended.
A distinctive feature of Fenghuang merchants is that they don't turn on air conditioning. Almost every household uses a fire to keep warm, but not every table gets a fire, making people freezing cold. I had afternoon tea at Suli, but the longer I sat, the colder I got. Customers were either reading, lost in thought, or writing postcards. This is probably the thing to do in Fenghuang. Don't expect too much from the cake; it was barely passable. I couldn't stand the cold and fled back to the guesthouse to rest.
Next attraction: Shen Congwen's tomb. It took about 15 minutes to walk there. What moved me was the excerpt from Zhang Zhaohe's memorial text. Simple words, genuine emotions. Such a marriage is truly rare. Suddenly I thought of a passage by Mo Yan: "When the cooking smoke rises, I'll wait for you at the door. When the sun sets, I'll wait for you at the mountain's edge. When the leaves turn yellow, I'll wait for you under the tree. When the moon is curved, I'll wait for you on the 15th. When the drizzle comes, I'll wait for you under the umbrella. When the river freezes, I'll wait for you by the bank. When life is tired, I'll wait for you in heaven. When we grow old, I'll wait for you in the next life. What can accompany us to old age is not only love, but also responsibility and habit."
Evening was a good time to buy souvenirs. I strolled around the ancient town. Ginger candy and blood duck are local specialties. After buying, I sent them by courier, which was very convenient. I originally wanted to buy silver jewelry, but I accidentally learned that tourists cannot buy real silver jewelry, so I gave up. At a little past eight, I set out for a bar. I went to the most famous Sibba Bar, a folk music bar. I read the messages left by various travelers. Each message is a mood and an attitude. If photos freeze time, then these messages are interpretations of moments. The resident singer was not Zuo Li, but the folk style was in the same vein, mostly songs by Song Dongye. The singer's whistling was quite unique. I was hoping to hear something like Karen Ann, haha. Occasionally, guests would go up and sing an impromptu song. Listening to music, daydreaming, and drinking a glass of Bailey's—cheers to Fenghuang's night.
Rowing on the Tuo River. It is said that the Tuo River is most beautiful at dusk with mist. So I went to the Tuo River early in the morning. The simple boatman asked me to warm myself by the fire while waiting for other tourists to board. It was indeed freezing cold. The poetry of the Tuo River and its subtle beauty were fully revealed in the songs of the Hunan girls. During the day, only during the day did I truly feel the "Chadong" described by Shen Congwen.
Dan Du. I wanted to splurge on daydreaming in Fenghuang; this was my biggest wish for the trip. So I found this shop, ordered a latte, lit a stick of incense, and read a book. The owner has deep connections with Sibba Bar. The shop's style is also folk and fresh. There were few people, so I could sit quietly by the fire, reading. A very good experience.
Strolling through the old streets, I always discovered Fenghuang's beauty from various angles. Only then did I understand why Shen Congwen insisted on returning to Western Hunan during the Cultural Revolution. When I first saw Fenghuang, I thought commercialization had ruined the city. But at the second glance, I realized that the essence of a place cannot be destroyed by any means. It is a spirit, supported by culture, that remains resilient. Every time I aimed my camera at them, they either covered their faces or turned their backs... At 2:30 PM, I took a bus to Changsha. Fenghuang, it's time to say goodbye.
Changsha, famous for its snacks. Pozi Street's Huogongdian is a specialty. But as a southerner, I still wasn't used to it. The stinky tofu was unique: black, fried to a crisp. Also: dragon-fat pig blood, wontons, scallion oil cakes, and sister dumplings. The prices are very affordable. As for the taste, I won't comment much.
Yuelu Academy (ticket 50 yuan). A must-visit attraction. It concentrates the essence of ancient Chinese academy culture, covering architecture, gardens, and many other aspects. Most importantly, it houses the Lushan Temple Stele. "Youjun is like a dragon, Beihai like an elephant." In an era of strict Tang Kai script, using running script for a stele and standing out with a strong personality—truly a gentleman. I remember when I first practiced copying the Lushan Temple Stele, I couldn't get it right at all, completely unable to enter the door. Now I think, besides insufficient skill and technique, it's more about lacking the realm. After the snow, Yuelu Academy appeared even more solemn. Hunan University, which has no walls, is also very distinctive, with old and new buildings interspersed and a strong academic atmosphere.
China Academy Museum.
Inside Yuelu Academy, there is a detailed introduction to the current state of academies in China, as well as old admission tickets and list of successful candidates, which are quite interesting. The space is large, with many restored halls of academies, along with some plaques, stationery, and other lovely gadgets. Nowadays, most people lack such refined tastes.
Aiwan Pavilion under the first snow looked especially beautiful. Stopping the carriage to enjoy the evening maple grove—the scenery is stunning. Ancient architecture always precisely handles landscape and sightlines.
I like the feeling of ancient temples, not too flashy with gold, nor excessively large. Probably today's thinking is different. In the past, temple gates were not grand. Lushan Temple does not charge an admission fee, nor does it have obvious places to sell incense. Inside, the main hall was holding a Dharma service, and the chanting of sutras echoed. Temples should not be commercialized. Of course, in today's utilitarian-dominated world, you either conform or suffer from discrimination.
Changsha Bamboo Slips Museum.
Hunan Provincial Museum is under internal renovation and will not open for three years. It's hard to imagine what scale of renovation requires three years. So I still wanted to visit the Bamboo Slips Museum. First, to learn about the production of bamboo slips; second, to appreciate the evolution of calligraphy on bamboo slips across dynasties. Admission is free with an ID card. Besides Chinese bamboo slips, there is also an introduction to early writing media from around the world. Quite good. Unfortunately, most of the exhibited slips are replicas, but that is understandable as bamboo slips are not easy to preserve.
Tianxin Pavilion (park free, ascend pavilion 32 yuan).
Opposite the Bamboo Slips Museum is Tianxin Park, which contains Tianxin Pavilion. From a distance, the scenery was nice, but due to time constraints, I didn't climb it. Tianxin Park was almost empty, very quiet, and not large. There is also a section of ancient city wall.
As an old street in the center of Changsha, it is now fully commercialized. This section is not long. Jia Yi's former residence is here, as well as Premier Zhu Rongji's family's Taiping Granary. Both are very distinctive buildings.
Jia Yi, a Grand Tutor, and his representative work "On the Faults of Qin." Inside his former residence, there is a well he personally dug. The traces of time, alongside modern buildings on Taiping Old Street, perhaps reflect the awkward position of our traditional culture today.
This was the last stop. Admission is free with an ID card. It is not far from Jia Yi's residence, so I visited it on the way.
