The Chinese city of Fenghuang, which looks the same as seven hundred years ago

Penetrating with the color and see the old China today is not so simple. Yes, of course, in the cities there are a small number of narrow streets that look the same as a couple of centuries ago, but there will always be skyscrapers, metro and autobahns behind. So the best way to see all the charm of old China is to go inland.

Fenghuang: ancient walls and temples

Fenghuang lies in the highlands of the Chinese province of Hunan. Despite the fact that the city is not at all small (about 350 thousand people live here), it looks the same as it did many centuries ago.

The red stone city wall winds along the mountains, crossing valleys and hills, and fast mountain rivers run through it, gradually flowing into the city. The path to Fenghuang lies through several gates, near which towers are beautiful. Just like several centuries ago, merchants arrived here, bypassing the stone gate, today travelers come here.

Fenghuang is considered one of the most beautiful locations in China. The territory of the old city is quite extensive: there are about 20 large streets that are interconnected by alleys and passages. In the alleys, you can still see stone wells from which water is drawn, ancient bridges laid across rivers, and many ancient temples.

From the 14th century to the present day

For the first time, a settlement in this secluded place among the mountains and greenery appeared in the 7th century. Three centuries later, an earthen city grew here, which was replaced by a stone one by the 14th century. Many of those buildings stand today. The city grew, and it was built up until the 17th century. Today, more than two hundred residential buildings standing in Fenghuang from those times are surrounded by huge old trees.

Some houses are located directly in the water, towering above the river on a stone foundation and long thin stilts resembling heron's legs. The multi-layered roofs that look in different directions are covered with tiled tiles that have faded from time to time, and young girls and adult women seem to have recently stepped out onto it, swaying gracefully on their "golden lotuses" to breathe fresh air.

It is such a China that many have remembered since childhood thanks to fairy tales, cartoons and movies, but today it is very difficult to see it live (not some kind of reconstructed copy for tourists!).

Away from all problems

Fenghuang is so well preserved due to the fact that it is located very well, far from natural disasters and destructive wars. Over the centuries, while these neat little houses rise above the river, dozens of wars have occurred in China, but not one of them has affected the city. The only invasion that the locals remember was during World War II. Then the city was occupied by the Japanese, however, fortunately, it was not bombed and after some time was quite peacefully liberated.

When the cities of China began to grow rapidly, Fenghuang passed large-scale construction. And all thanks to the locals: they valued and cherished their centuries-old heritage and opposed the construction site. The government listened to them, and now in the province of Hunan there is a nice town, untouched by modernization.

Local residents, like their ancestors, honor traditions and customs, speak their native dialect, and many architectural monuments in the style of Ming and Qing dynasties have been preserved on the streets of the city, so Fenghuang looks the same as seven hundred years ago.