Wedged between the mountain ranges separating the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou and Hunan lies the relatively untouristed county of Xiangxi or Western Hunan. Xiangxi has a reputation of being Hunan's wild outland and if popular hearsay is to be believed, its mountainous terrain was once the lair of bandits and outlaws. But inspite of the rumours or because of it, my family and I were drawn to this strange backwater area, with its legends, minority culture, rich folklore and literary history.
Jishou is the administrative centre of the Xiangxi county and is 503km away from Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province. We made Jishou the springboard for visits to several interesting villages and small towns in the vicinity. In the course of our stay we travelled via local bus, train, taxi and ferry to explore enigmatic Fenghuang, (see related link) the romantic fishing village, Hibiscus and the remote minority hamlet of Dehang.
Jishou, the administrative centre
Jishou is typical of small towns in China which have experienced progress and prosperity but are as yet untouched by mass tourism. Its like a small boom town with wide pavements crammed with all kinds of merchandise from fruit and food to clothing, toys and household ware.
The most picturesque part of Jishou is along the banks of the Donghe. Here, traditional houses supported on wooden stilts driven into the riverbank can be seen. An antiquated ferry brings Jishou folk across the river. The ferryman does not use oars or motor. Instead, the small craft is operated by some sort of rope-pulley with the ends tied to both banks. To cross the river, just pull the ropes.
Fenghuang - or the Border Town
As the first excursion from Jishou, we chose the atmospheric town of Fenghuang. It is the birthplace of noted Chinese writer Shen Congwen who based his celebrated novel Border Town on this region. We boarded a bus at the Jishou Long Distance Bus Station and the 53km distance was covered in 40mins. Like Jishou, Fenghuang also boasts a small river - the Tuojiang and strolling along its banks gave us an opportunity to imbibe the spirit of Fenghuang.
The whole landscape appeared to have emerged from a Chinese ink painting. The dark waters of the Tuojiang blending with the autumn tinted weeping willows by the waters edge evoked an immortal picture of Chinese river idyll.
Another day breaks on the on the banks of the river Tuojiang. Womenfolk pound the mornings washing, coolies haul their loads and fishermen harvest the river. Life hums and spins endlessly and Fenghuang citizens exhibit a calm indifference to outsiders concentrating on their work. They seemed busy, self contained and contented making us glad to have glimpsed their Separate Peace.
In the words of writer Shen, "....in the sunlight as they bent over their work. Peace reins supreme and the townsfolk spend all their days in a solitude hard to imagine. Tranquillity makes them reflect more deeply on life, makes them dream more......exactly what fills their minds it is hard to say."
Coolies trudged by bearing heavy logs
Fishermen harvest the river with the help of black coromants
The fishing village Hibiscus aka Furong Zhen
This sleepy fishing town sited on the banks of Mengdong He (Fierce Cave River)was originally known as Wangcun (village of the Wangs) When the award winning film Hibiscus Town was shot here on location it was renamed Hibiscus Town. The film, based on a novel by Gu Hua chronicles the lives of innocent, honest, hard-working folk who are destroyed by the political campaigns during the Cultural Revolution. The movie makes strong denouncement about the excesses of those tumultous years.
Hibiscus Town is normally reached by taking a one-hour train ride from Jishou to the town of Mengdong He (Fierce Cave River)and then changing to a ferry.
The mystique of Hibiscus Town is centred in the area around the harbour. The best way tospend an evening in this rustic village is to patronise the old-fashioned quayside cafes which offer piping hot dishes admidst panaromic sunsets
In the mornings, when grey mists envelope the harbour in gossamer robes, the ambience is both sininster and romantic, conjuring visions of smugglerrs, bandits and chivalrous swordsmen dressed in white
We caught a ferry to explore the Mengdeng river, which is more than 200km long and which offers many dramatic sights en route. The cruise winds through deep gorges, quiet valleys, steep cliffs riddled with caves and we met many people living in fishing boats along the remote banks and islets of the Mengdeng He (Fierce Cave River)Dehang - a Miao minority hamlet
As Xiangxi is home to a sizable population of Miao minorities, we made a side trip to visit a Miao hamlet located in the scenic area of Dehang, about 30km from Jishou.
Miao hamlet located in the scenic area of Dehang,
about 30km from Jishou.
Firecrackers greeted us in a traditional
gesture of Miao welcome.
The Singing Miaos steal our hearts with songs
declaring love and friendship
Most of the villagers are farmers and they supplement their livelihood with basket weaving, cloth making and other traditional crafts.
TRAVEL NOTES
Changsha the capital of Hunan is connected to all major Chinese cities including Guangzhou by air, rail and road. Jishou, the administrative center of Xiangxi (Western Hunan) is connected to Changsha and some Chinese cities by rail and road. The small towns of Fenghuang, Dehang and Hibiscus Town can be reached by local bus, train, taxi or ferry.
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