China - Hunan - around Fenghuang aka Phoenix City

Fenghuang

Fenghuang 凤凰 (literally "Phoenix") City is a well known and popular touristic destination in China. It is located in Hunan, in an "autonomous" county mainly populated by the ethnic minorities Tujia and Miao.

The architecture is quite well preserved, with many traditional buildings aged 300 years.

The destination became quite fashionable and as a consequence, there's a lot of typical shops and bars aimed at the young generation.

However, the narrow streets and back alleys have their charm and do indeed keep the mood and ambience quite intimate. Well, relatively, hey. This is still China. But as curious as it sounds for China, there is a certain calm in the air, somehow like time stopped its course there. Wouldn't you find engaging to stop here too and count the time at a bar?

On the evening, people abound near the Tuojiang river to freshen up. There are several installations to cross the river, which either involve to step on a plank, or the stones. And yes, these are two-ways... But if you're adventurous, go ahead! I didn't fall into the water!

The safest way to cross is through the Red Bridge, which is a covered bridge, marking de facto the center of the old town.

The entrance of the bridge.

We also took a trip by boat along the river. As often in China, you can get a discount if you agree to make a stop by a sponsored shop, further down the river. No purchase obligation, fine for us.

Anyway: let's thank our sponsor and please note that this post is brought to you by the Wine of Little King Miao, traditionally brewed according to an ancestral recipe, brings long life, several flavors available.

So back to our boat to lazily follow the river. It is indeed pleasing in China to see real old buildings (and not new buildings built to look old), and that may be the main factor to the lazy feeling in the air.

It may not look like much, but an expert's eye would spot right away: where's the concrete? Where are the ceramic tiles?

No, none of that, just authentic traditional buildings.
Although, if I lived there, I would probably never step on the balcony!

By night, all the restaurants, bars, barbecues light up in an explosion of colors reflected by the river. Of course, the Red Bridge brings its fair share of colored lights.

It seemed it was kind of tradition to put cardboard boats with candles to the river. I'm not really sure where it comes from, or if it's just a business idea. Either way, we go one! Ours is the red one below.

The cave waterfalls

This was a nice trip we did in the countryside. We started by bus, until it couldn't go forward anymore. We finished by foot along the rice fields.

There was a dam in the village, and from there we took some nice bamboo boats.

Alright, I didn't centered on the engine, but it's nice tourists boat nonetheless, right?
We arrived a bit further in the mountain to a second village, and from there to a cave which name has been forgotten along the years.

The entrance of the cave was huge. You can see it below with a person for the scale.

The cave wasn't very big, but the thing that marked me is that there was an opening in the middle. It doesn't come out fine on the photo, you have the blue and green hole, but the stones are only black.

This cave really had a setting of a secret place. There was only one way in and out, and at the end of the cave there is a second larger opening in the rocks, with this time two waterfalls. So unexpected to enter a cave to finish in a little green "clearing", for lack of better word.

Miao Village

This part of the trip is a bit controversial. At least I'm still confused about it. But well, it was one of our first holiday in China and we didn't know what to expect. Everybody does mistakes.
We were looking for thing to do around, and booked from a tour operator a visit to a "traditional Miao village". We went to the countryside by bus and finished the trip by foot to the village.

We were greeted by a group of girls in traditional clothes singing a song in Miao dialect.

Poor girls all look so unhappy...
Concerning the village, well, it does look like a poor village, like thousands you can see around China.

And... that's all? What is there to see in this village? Why are we even there?
My wife said the houses are not commonly seen. Mmmh?
When I pointed out about the unhappy girls, she said "well, they sing all day long the same song for stupid tourists, of course they're unhappy"

That's why I'm confused about it.
On one hand, it's a financial help for a community with low resources. On the other hand, I feel like it turns the village into some sort of a "zoo" where the inhabitants and their culture (it's an ethnic minority) are reduced to a "touristic attraction".
What do you think?