Dreamy Western Hunan (Changsha - Zhangjiajie - Furong Town - Phoenix Ancient Town)

As someone who has lived in Wuhan for many years, it's quite funny that I had never visited neighboring Hunan. In recent years, Changsha has become a well-known internet-famous city, especially for its cuisine. I planned this trip to Hunan after some thought. Though my vacation time was limited and I'm not a fan of spicy food, I still wanted to step foot in this place, experience the charm of Hunan cuisine, and admire the wonders of Zhangjiajie. Over five days, I followed the classic route: Changsha - Zhangjiajie - Furong Town - Phoenix Ancient Town. I chose to travel in May, avoiding the May Day holiday, and set off with my luggage during my annual leave.

As usual, here are the photos first: (All photos were taken with a phone; the phone's lens cover broke during the trip, alas, so the photos are not very satisfactory.)

Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon

Tianmen Mountain National Park

Western Hunan Trip Itinerary: (I booked a tour on Ctrip, 5 days and 4 nights, round-trip high-speed rail, double price: 3706 RMB)

D1: Hunan Provincial Museum - Orange Island - Huogong Palace (Free time)

D2: Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon

D3: Tianmen Mountain Forest Park - Furong Town

D4: Phoenix Ancient Town

D5: Changsha (Free time)

This time I broke my habit and joined a tour group to experience what it's like. Overall it was okay, but traveling on my own is still more enjoyable—I can go wherever I want, at any time. Different experiences bring different joys. This trip was a nice journey.

D1: Hunan Provincial Museum - Orange Island - Huogong Palace (Free time)

On the first day, I got up early and took a high-speed train to Changsha. Wuhan is quite close to Changsha; it took only a little over two hours. Upon arriving at the station, someone picked me up and took me to the hotel. This time I stayed at Zidongge Huatian Hotel, a traditional hotel with complete facilities. Four-star, pretty good.

After dropping off my luggage, I decided to go out for a stroll. It was free time today. As I mentioned before, every time I visit a city, I must check out its museum. This time was no exception. So first stop: Hunan Provincial Museum. Let's go~~~

Hunan Provincial Museum is simple in form but grand in scale, showcasing the rich connotation of Huxiang culture with its unique style. It has become one of the landmark buildings of the ancient city Changsha. Inside, there are exhibition halls with complete display and reception functions. Permanent and temporary exhibitions include "Mawangdui Han Tomb," "Hunan Famous Kiln Ceramics," "Hunan Shang and Zhou Bronze Ware," "Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in Hunan," and "Ming and Qing Paintings from the Collection."

Speaking of Hunan Museum, one immediately thinks of the famous "Mawangdui Han Tombs in Changsha." At the entrance, I saw these booklets and really liked them—truly extraordinary, exquisitely designed. I took them home as souvenirs.

Before going to Changsha, the TV show "National Treasure" was airing. I came specifically to see the Minfang Lei (bronze wine vessel). When I watched that episode, I was deeply moved. Now seeing the real thing, I was filled with emotion. If you're interested, go watch that episode—highly recommended.

The female corpse unearthed from Mawangdui Han Tomb No. 1 is intact, with moist skin, some movable joints, and still elastic soft tissues—a miracle in preservation science. It has been displayed in the museum. Out of politeness and respect, I didn't take photos. The museum is suitable for a visit of 2 to 3 hours. Admission is free with ID card exchange. History lovers must not miss it.

After leaving the museum, I went to the famous Orange Island. Orange Island is located in the center of the Xiangjiang River in Yuelu District, Changsha. Remember Chairman Mao's poem? "Alone in the cold autumn, the Xiangjiang River flows north, at Orange Island head."

Upon entering the scenic area, I bought a ticket. You can walk or take the sightseeing train, a particularly cute Thomas train that goes to the terminal station. After getting off, you can slowly walk back while sightseeing.

The garden scenery is beautiful, lifting the spirits.

The scenery along the way is very pretty. You can stroll along the Xiangjiang River, shaded by green trees, with a gentle breeze—very pleasant.

Behind this pond is the famous statue of Mao Zedong.

The Youth Mao Zedong Art Sculpture stands at Orange Island Head in Changsha. As the largest landscape project of the Orange Island Scenic Area, the sculpture is based on the image of Mao Zedong in his youth, highlighting his ambition and vigor.

After exploring Orange Island, it was time to taste some Changsha snacks. There are so many, but unfortunately I don't eat spicy food. I tried the famous Wenheyou stinky tofu—it was pretty good. Friends who love spicy food must come to Changsha; it won't disappoint. Next to Wenheyou was Cha Yan (tea brand). There are many branches. I didn't think much of it at the time, but later I found out that after opening a store in Wuhan, it's incredibly hard to get a cup, haha.

Huogong Palace—I really lament my phone camera; the photo is blurry...

Changsha is indeed a magical city with delicious food, beautiful scenery, and pretty girls. Every snap is full of lively atmosphere, making people linger.

D2: Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon

I got up early, had breakfast at the hotel—superb. Hunan's rice noodles are famous. Unlike Wuhan's wide or thin noodles, here they are flat and taste amazing.

After breakfast, I packed my luggage and gathered at the hotel entrance to wait for the tour guide. When the bus arrived, I found it was a large group—about 20 people. We boarded a coach and headed straight for today's destination: Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon.

Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon originally had two names: one was "Broken Boat Gorge": originating from Shenquan Stream, where the water from the entire Grand Canyon and the South Red Flag Canal comes. Legend has it that many broken boat planks once emerged from the spring, and locals couldn't figure out where they came from, so it got the name. The other name is "Chaos Spring Gorge": referring to the cliffs on both sides of the gorge with many streams and flying waterfalls.

The famous internet-famous glass bridge.

Many tourists take photos and leave marks—actually it's not that scary, haha.

Going down from the glass bridge, the scenery along the canyon was extremely beautiful: lush green trees, deep and serene canyons, every step a different view—a gift from nature.

There was a waterfall along the way. I stopped to admire it, found a stone step nearby to sit and rest. The mist from the waterfall hit my face, cool and refreshing.

Spotted a magical cave—wonder if there are any primitive creatures inside?

Blue water surface with patches of aquatic plants became my photo subject.

Standing on the wooden path in the canyon, looking into the distance—a long stretch of water flowing into the distance, cool air surrounding me, feeling joyful.

After walking slowly through the canyon, I left by boat. Sitting on the boat, gliding gently among green mountains and clear waters brought another surprise.

Western Hunan is mainly inhabited by the Tujia people. Their cuisine is famous for smoked bacon and Tujia Three Pots—tastes quite good.

D3: Tianmen Mountain Forest Park - Furong Town

Got up early, had breakfast, and strolled around the hotel courtyard. I noticed many tourists from South Korea. I've long heard they like to visit Zhangjiajie. Now I saw Korean cars everywhere and heard Korean voices—felt like I was the foreigner, haha.

Tianmen Mountain National Park entrance—Tianmen Fairy Mountain. Even in the off-season, there were many tourists.

After entering, I took a bus to the base of Tianmen Cave. This is the famous core photo spot: the Heavenly Ladder with 999 steps, the way to reach Tianmen, also a sacred place for making wishes and praying.

At the Tianmen Cave Heavenly Ladder, there are two ways up: walking or taking an elevator. Since I was on a tour group that had purchased elevator tickets, I took the elevator—super long elevator. Along the way, I saw religious figures and people in local ethnic costumes.

Inside Tianmen Cave on Tianmen Mountain—there is a hidden world. If there's a next time, I'll climb the ladder myself to experience it.

Looking down from above, the scenery was beautiful.

Plank roads along the cliffs, quaint and elegant.

There were also cliff-hanging glass walkways—Guigu Plank Road—crowded with tourists. This glass bridge was small, not as big as the Grand Canyon's, not thrilling—just an experience.

I really wanted to try Tianmen Mountain's cable car—7500 meters scenic cableway. Friends, you must try it once. The cable car terminal goes directly to the city center, a one-way ride of 30 minutes with beautiful scenery overlooking Tianmen Mountain. I've never ridden such a long cable car—awesome.

In the afternoon, we arrived at Furong Town. Originally named Wangcun Village, it was renamed after the movie "Furong Town" was filmed there.

Walking on the "Five-mile Long Street" of bluestone slabs, turning to the dock plank road to see Furong Town's iconic waterfall, passing through the water curtain path to visit the Ming and Qing architecture Youyang Palace, retracing scenes from the movie "Furong Town," and tasting the rice tofu that Liu Xiaoqing sold back then...

The ancient town in the evening twilight added a rustic charm.

This is the shop where Liu Xiaoqing filmed the movie Furong Town. Having a bowl of rice tofu—delicious.

Lots of rice noodles—I wanted to eat them.

After visiting Furong Town and having dinner, we hurried to Phoenix Ancient Town. We arrived at night. I wanted a late-night snack, so I ordered a bowl of beef noodles. I went out to buy the snack. "Sister, a bowl of dry beef noodles, no chili," I said. The lady said slowly, "Without chili, it's not tasty. Our Western Hunan chili is famous." I insisted on no chili. She put down the spoon of chopped chili and silently added a spoonful of chili oil. "This chili oil isn't spicy; it's fragrant. Your noodles won't taste good without it." After confirming it wasn't spicy, I took a bite... the flavor was... extremely spicy... but delicious. Even for someone who doesn't eat spicy, I couldn't stop. After finishing, I went back and took three anti-inflammatory pills, haha.

D4: Phoenix Ancient Town

When I looked out the window this morning, the sky was overcast—I felt it would rain. I got on the bus and slowly headed toward the ancient town.

Phoenix Ancient Town was built in the 43rd year of Kangxi (1704). The east gate and north gate city towers still exist. Inside, the bluestone street, wooden stilted houses by the river, Chaoyang Palace, Ancient Town Museum, Yang Family Ancestral Hall, Shen Congwen's Former Residence, Xiong Xiling's Former Residence, Tianwang Temple, Dacheng Hall, Wanshou Palace, etc., all reflect the characteristics of an ancient town.

Sure enough, it rained midway. The ancient town in the rain gave off a mysterious aura. Walking on the stone path under an umbrella, quietly listening to the rain, enjoying the beauty—a unique charm.

Visiting Phoenix in the rain—the rain grew heavier, the sky darker. The lights on the Tuojiang River dock lit up. In the misty rain, it had a special appeal.

Phoenix Ancient Town is divided into old and new areas. The old town is nestled against mountains and rivers. The shallow Tuojiang River flows through the city. Walls built of red sandstone stand on the bank. South China Mountain sets off the ancient city tower, which dates back to the Qing Dynasty, with rusty iron gates.

The stilted house cluster is located at Huilong Pavilion in the southeast of the ancient town. It fronts an ancient official road and hangs over the Tuojiang River. It is one of the ancient architectural complexes with strong Miao architectural features in Phoenix Ancient Town. The cluster, 240 meters long, dates from the late Qing and early Republic of China period.

Playing in the water on a rainy day was also fun.

After a few hours in the ancient town, I had to return to Changsha in the afternoon. The itinerary was quite compact overall. My first group tour experience was pretty good.

D5: Changsha (Free time)

Since my high-speed train was at 1:00 PM, I didn't go out to play. The hotel I stayed at last night was interesting—there was a golden Buddha statue outside the window. It was the Wanjiali Hotel, five-star, with good facilities. There was a supermarket downstairs, and it was on top of a shopping mall. There was also a subway directly below that goes to the high-speed rail station—very convenient for transportation and shopping.

This trip to Western Hunan ended happily. It was my first time joining a tour group. Although it wasn't as free as traveling on my own, I was able to visit so many places in a short time, which was great. The only regret was that my phone camera lens cover broke, making photos blurry and unsatisfactory. Boohoo~~~

I hope to have another chance to visit Hunan. I really love this place—a land of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. I'll also try to eat some spicy food, haha. Time to go back to work and focus. Need to work hard to get a new phone and look forward to the next trip~~~~