Wandering in Xiangxi
Wandering in Xiangxi Xiangxi, this beautiful and magical land, brought us too many surprises and emotions in just 9 days, from the heroic ambition of looking down on all mountains at Zhangjiajie to the exhilarating water fight on Mengdong River, and then to the sorrowful nostalgia brought by the beautiful encounter in Fenghuang. Each journey gave us a different feeling, and each place left us with unique memories. This trip can be called perfect! Departure Boarding the southbound train, just after sitting down, the fire…
Wandering Through Xiangxi
Xiangxi, this beautiful and magical land, brought us so many surprises and moving moments in just nine short days—from the lofty ambition of seeing all the other mountains as small from the top of Zhangjiajie, to the exhilarating water fights on the Mengdong River, and then to the beautiful encounter in Fenghuang that filled us with nostalgic melancholy. Every leg of the journey gave us a different feeling, and every place left us with unique memories. This trip was nothing short of perfect!
Departure
Boarding the southbound train, we had barely settled into our seats when it slowly began to move, and our journey through Xiangxi thus began amid excitement and anticipation. I love the feeling of traveling by train. When I sit alone by the window, chin in hand, lost in thought, the fragments of memory in my mind are like the scenery rushing backward outside the window—each scene extraordinarily clear. It lets a restless heart gradually calm down, away from reality, back to nature, and helps you find your true self. This is the greatest charm of travel. Of course, if you have a good friend along, the long journey won't be lonely, and you can share the moving moments and happiness, and feel that unspoken understanding and warmth of friendship—that is one of life's great pleasures.
The Magnificent and Spectacular Zhangjiajie
By the time we arrived at Zhangjiajie Railway Station, it was already noon the next day. The train was over ten minutes late, which is fairly normal for a K-series train that keeps stopping to yield along the way. As soon as we exited the station, my companion spotted the guide Zhang holding up a sign among the crowd waiting to receive passengers, and our hearts finally settled. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Guide Wang insisted on taking the backpack off my shoulders and led the two of us toward the bus stop. For independent travel, there's no private car—the guide takes you on public transportation, which is one of the keys to saving money on a self-guided trip.
Zhangjiajie's city buses are very convenient. The city isn't big, and there are usually seats available on the buses. With a guide leading the way, you also save the trouble of checking maps yourself—truly both time-saving and money-saving. Since Guide Wang still had to handle station pick-ups and ticket bookings and other external services, after seeing us to the long-distance bus station, his wife—Sister Tuo—accompanied us throughout our tour of Zhangjiajie. Sister Tuo is a local Tujia person, simple and sincere. Over several days of contact, from our initial cautiousness to later often making her laugh out loud, her honest and genuine nature left us with a completely different impression of what a guide can be.
The bus from Zhangjiajie city to Zhangjiajie Scenic Area costs only 10 RMB, and the ride takes about an hour. Zhangjiajie Scenic Area has four ticket entrances in total. Two of the main ones are the Wulingyuan entrance in the north and the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park entrance in the south, which is where we arrived. Before entering, we had lunch at a restaurant in the scenic area—this counted as the first proper meal of our originally planned 470 RMB per person, three-day two-night self-guided Zhangjiajie tour. The meals over the next few days were all pretty similar: two dishes and a soup—smoked tofu, cured meat, baby bok choy, and the like—all home-style dishes. But because climbing mountains burns so much energy, every meal tasted absolutely delicious. Before entering the scenic area, we gave our heavy backpacks to a porter (10 RMB per piece of luggage) to be sent directly to the farmhouse guesthouse in Xiaping Village where we'd stay that night, so we could travel light. Events later proved this decision to be extremely wise. Scrambling up over 3,000 steps is no joke—my companion, carrying nothing at all, was still gasping for breath. Zhangjiajie's mountains gave us a real show of force right from the start.
After entering the scenic area, the first attraction was Golden Whip Stream—a valley winding for several miles, flanked by towering, cloud-piercing grotesque rocks set off by lush, verdant mountain forests, with a crystal-clear, babbling brook underfoot. Strolling through it was refreshing and pleasant. It was just a pity that there were too many visitors in the afternoon, which spoiled the pleasure of savoring it in detail; otherwise, it would truly be a fine scene. Zhangjiajie's mountains have a charm all their own, different from Huangshan's. An orogeny tens of thousands of years ago thrust a magical undersea world up before us. Every peak stands so tall and upright, magnificent and spectacular. Standing at the foot of the mountains, we couldn't help but marvel at the Creator's magic and craftsmanship.
In fact, many of Zhangjiajie's attractions revolve around a cluster of peaks, viewed from different angles and distances—as the saying goes, "From the side, a ridge; from the front, a peak." The same cluster of peaks, viewed from different angles and distances, brings different visual impacts, but after looking for a while, you still get a bit of aesthetic fatigue. So for friends with limited time, attractions like Jiangtai (Reviewing Stand) and Wangqiaotai (Bridge-Viewing Platform) need not be visited. But if you have plenty of time, go to as many as you can—after all, everyone has different preferences and thus different feelings. For example, many friends on Ctrip said the Ten-Mile Gallery is similar to Golden Whip Stream, and that after visiting Golden Whip Stream there's no need to go to the Ten-Mile Gallery. But I think the two attractions each have their own features—especially the Ten-Mile Gallery's little white train, the railway tracks at the bends, the wooden boardwalk and wooden railings, set against the leaves along both sides that gradually turn from red to yellow to green. This scene forms a perfect setting for wedding photos. Romantic and aesthetic—these are my favorite photos taken in Zhangjiajie.
One attraction I must particularly recommend is "Hanging Garden in the Sky" (also known as the Gathering of Divine Soldiers). Taking a chartered car from Daguantai costs 120 RMB. Because it's an attraction not yet officially developed, the road is a winding, bumpy gravel dirt road the whole way, and the round trip plus sightseeing takes about two hours. At the end of the mountain road is an old house. Sister Qin said that because transportation is inconvenient, the mountain villagers here generally only come down the mountain once a month. The "Hanging Garden in the Sky" is a field these villagers cleared on a flat mountaintop to be self-sufficient.
If the Hanging Garden in the Sky made us feel the power and greatness of humanity, then the Gathering of Divine Soldiers left us completely awestruck by the magic and greatness of nature. Standing on the viewing platform opposite the Gathering of Divine Soldiers, there was just a single huge rock with no railing, and beneath our feet was a sheer cliff dropping thousands of feet. The four peaks standing opposite looked exactly like four wise and mighty generals sitting in a circle whispering. All around was so quiet that only the sound of the mountain wind could be heard. We just sat silently at the edge of the cliff, feeling the shock that nature brought us, reluctant to leave for a long time.
A fork in the road opposite the Gathering of Divine Soldiers leads to a viewing platform facing the Bailong Elevator—equally without railings, equally magnificent. Many people say the Bailong Elevator ruins the natural beauty. I don't think so—especially standing on the viewing platform opposite, looking at this man-made giant hundreds of meters tall pressed straight against the cliff face, blending seamlessly with the rock—it's truly a spectacular sight!
The Exhilarating Mengdong River Rafting
The Mengdong River lies between Zhangjiajie city and Fenghuang. The mountain scenery on both banks is beautiful, with waterfalls flying down among the rocks and birds singing melodiously. Though it can't be called turbulent and thrilling, the scenery on both banks is still very beautiful. In particular, the uniquely fierce water fights that are a hallmark of Mengdong River rafting bring out the child in everyone and add a lot of fun!
The whole rafting trip lasts three hours. You must rent a thick rain poncho, or the mountain wind will easily give you a chill. Among the 12 tourists on our boat, there was only one man, and he was a Taiwanese compatriot who didn't even know how to use a water gun. Our plan to have him protect us thus fell through, and the burden of counterattack fell entirely on me, sitting in the first row. Unfortunately, we had only one gun—millet rifles were ultimately no match for others' foreign cannons. Despite wearing a rain poncho, I was still soaked through, though luckily the poncho kept me warm. But our fighting spirit was second to none. Whenever anyone provoked us, we rose up to fight back and give them a taste of their own medicine—otherwise, a three-hour rafting trip would have been far too dull.
After coming ashore and changing out of our wet clothes, we drove to Furong Town for a quick look, then headed for the Fenghuang we had long yearned for.
The Rustic and Nostalgic Town of Fenghuang
By the time we arrived in Fenghuang, night had fallen and the lights were just coming on. The small town of Fenghuang was already unusually bustling. Because I had read many tourists' comments before coming—about how commercialized and noisy Fenghuang was—I was mentally prepared. But I still fell in love with this border town the moment I got off the bus. The moist evening breeze blew against my face, accompanied by the rushing sound of water, the noisy voices of people, and songs drifting from afar. Just like that, it brought out the town's rustic, casual, and leisurely feel to the fullest...
Just as I was worrying about where to find a guesthouse, a middle-aged woman came up to ask us on her own initiative. So she led us to a guesthouse by the Tuo River—clean and tidy, 80 RMB per night. We decided on the spot to stay there. In front of the door, the Tuo River has a small low dam, and although the rushing water was a bit noisy, it also added a touch of water-town atmosphere. From the room's balcony, we could take in the whole night view of Fenghuang. So we quickly settled in and couldn't wait to plunge headlong into Fenghuang's twilight.
Our first dinner was at "Old House Noodle Shop." The old wooden door, the high threshold, and the authentic bluestone floor inside immediately gave us the urge to stay. The delicious beef noodles and mellow sweet rice wine the young waitress brought us were even more of a delightful surprise—we exclaimed with delight. This was probably the most delicious meal we had in Fenghuang. Actually, there isn't much to eat in Fenghuang Ancient Town. Every restaurant serves the same dishes, and even the menus posted outside are almost identical—nothing but rice noodles and various wild game and cured meats. Fenghuang's snacks can't be found in restaurants; they're sold by vendors carrying shoulder poles or at roadside stalls. So encountering them is a matter of fate—truly something you can only chance upon, not seek out. Yet we happened to try almost all the snacks mentioned online, which must mean we had a special connection with Fenghuang!
Fenghuang Ancient Town is really very small. In one evening we had basically walked through all the main alleys of the ancient town. The feel of bluestone slabs underfoot was warm and casual. We just kept walking like that, yet couldn't find our way back to the guesthouse—the winding, twisting alleys had nearly made us dizzy. Wandering through Fenghuang Ancient Town, I often had the feeling of losing myself. I really wanted to stay here forever and never return to reality—or perhaps this is the real me?