Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Overview — Tourism (II)
Section 2: Tourist Attractions. Xiangxi boasts numerous magical, beautiful natural landscapes and brilliant cultural attractions. Since the Mengdong River Scenic Area opened to the public in 1985, the main scenic areas (sites) that have successively opened include: I. Fenghuang Tourist Area. Fenghuang County lies on the border of Hunan and Guizhou, with countless mountains and valleys, lush forests and crisscrossing streams...
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Section 2 Tourist Attractions
Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture has numerous magical and beautiful natural landscapes and brilliant cultural landscapes. Since the Mengdonghe Scenic Area opened to the public in 1985, the main scenic areas (sites) that have successively officially opened to the public include:
I. Fenghuang Tourism Area
Fenghuang County is located on the border of Hunan and Guizhou. Within its territory are countless mountains and ravines, lush forests, crisscrossing streams and rivers, and scattered karst caves. The mountains and waters are beautiful and the scenery is pleasant. In addition, historically it was a key political and military location in western Hunan, so there are many places of interest.
(1) Fenghuang Ancient City
First built in the Song Dynasty, it was originally the seat of Wuzhai Si. In the 43rd year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1704), the Chen-Yuan-Jing Dao was moved here from Yuanzhou (present-day Zhijiang), and the expansion of the Dao city and the Fenghuang Ting city began. The ancient city has a circumference of more than 2 kilometers, city walls 5.7 meters high and 3.7 meters wide at the top, with four gates in the east, south, west, and north. The gate towers are towering, and the city is nestled against the mountains and beside the water. The streets and alleys in the city are all paved with red stone slabs. The stilted houses of the residents along the river (Tuojiang) have a unique charm. In the old days, Fenghuang had eight scenic spots such as "Dongling Greeting the Dawn," "Qifeng Standing Elegantly," "Nanhua Layered Green," and "Xiqiao Moon at Night." Now, the east and north city gates and gate towers are well preserved, with half of the city area connected to them. Ancient buildings such as the Dacheng Hall of the Confucian Temple, Tianwang Temple, Chenghuang Temple, Guandi Temple, Wanshou Palace, and Chaoyang Palace remain intact. In the ancient city are the former residences of Xiong Xiling, Premier of the Cabinet of the Republic of China, and the great writer Mr. Shen Congwen. Outside the east gate in the suburbs is Tingtao Cemetery, where the ashes of Mr. Shen Congwen are buried. In the southern suburbs is Nanhuashan National Forest Park. The park borders the Tuojiang River on the northeast and embraces the ancient city in an arc. The park is 3 kilometers wide from east to west and 5 kilometers long from north to south, with 46 large and small hilltops, 21 wells and springs, and a total area of 776 hectares, with the highest elevation at 568 meters. In ancient times it was called "Nanhua Layered Green." This park features competing beautiful mountains, lush vegetation, and a quiet and elegant atmosphere, truly a summer resort and leisure destination. In the park are rare tree species such as dawn redwood, ginkgo, dove tree, and fragrant fruit tree; precious medicinal herbs such as gastrodia, reishi, ginseng, codonopsis, white taste lotus, and wild lily; and rare birds and animals such as forest musk deer, civet, wild goat, wild rabbit, pangolin, long-tailed pheasant, and lovebird; and famous scenic spots such as Huwei Peak, Lengfeng Ao, Furong Terrace, Jingou Guayu, Kuixing Pavilion, Wenchang Pavilion, Guanjing Mountain, Guanri Terrace, Yinjiang Well, and Nanhua Zen Forest.
Fenghuang Ancient City is praised by Chinese and foreign tourists as China's most beautiful small-town tourist scenic area and is a national-level historical and cultural city. In 2005 it was rated by the state as first among "China's 9 Most Worth Visiting Ancient Towns."
(2) Southern Great Wall
First built during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, it winds through Tongren in Guizhou and Fenghuang, Jishou, Huayuan, Guzhang, Baojing, and other counties in Hunan, with a total length of more than 300 kilometers. The Fenghuang section is about 150 kilometers long and consists of 838 castles, sentry posts, military stations, blockhouses, and other structures. During the Qing Dynasty, more than 12,000 troops were stationed here to suppress the Miao uprisings and resistance struggles. At present, 506 various remains of different types are still preserved, including 13.2 kilometers of the Great Wall. The relatively well-preserved sections include Wangpotun, Quanshengying, and Huangsiqiao. Huangsiqiao is called a "perfect artistic masterpiece" and is currently the most completely preserved ancient city in China, with Heyumen, Shichengmen, Riguangmen, 3 artillery platforms, and more than 300 arrow crenellations. Inside the city is a cross-shaped ancient street. On both sides of the street are soldiers' quarters, stables, the yamen, the martial arts training hall, and the Guandi Temple. In the Qing Dynasty, the city was garrisoned by colonels, brigade commanders, and more than 200 cavalry and infantry, making it an important town in the Southern Great Wall military defense system. In 1983 it was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.
(3) Qiliang Cave
Located in Qiliangqiao Village, Fenghuang, 5 kilometers from Fenghuang County seat. The cave entrance is 56 meters high and 32 meters wide, the cave is 6,230 meters deep, and a stream flows through the cave for 4,200 meters. There are mountains inside the cave, caves on the mountaintops, buildings inside the cave, and more buildings outside those buildings. Inside the cave, stalactites are scattered everywhere, bizarre and colorful, with countless scenes. The cave contains five major scenic areas: the ancient battlefield, the gallery, the heavenly palace, the dragon palace, and the yin-yang river, with 37 large and small scenic spots. In the heavenly palace, stone figures of Guanyin, Laojun, fairies, and arhats are all present; in the dragon palace, the ferocious yellow dragon stone figure is remarkably lifelike. Two absolute wonders are astonishing: one is "Rain Washing the New Lotus." A huge lotus flower hangs upside down on one side of the stream, shaped like a fallen umbrella, more than 1 meter in diameter, with a waterfall pouring over the lotus flower year-round without stopping; the other is at the end of the gallery. On a vast expanse of white, snow-covered ground, lotus flowers bloom in profusion. In the distant misty haze, a stalactite takes the form of someone lightly plucking a guzheng, as if one could hear immortal music lingering, making one enchanted.
II. Mengdonghe Tourism Area
The Mengdonghe Tourism Area is located in Yongshun County, Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture, between Zhangjiajie Airport and Tongren Daxing Airport in Guizhou. Provincial highways 1828 and 1801 (second-class roads) intersect here, the Changsha-Chongqing corridor, namely National Highway 319, passes through the southern part of the scenic area, and the Jiaozuo-Liuzhou Railway runs north-south through the scenic area. The scenic area covers a total area of 640 square kilometers. The beautiful water and mountain scenery, charming local customs, numerous cultural relics and historic sites, and convenient transportation make Mengdonghe one of Hunan Province's 7 major key scenic areas and one of the 4 golden tourism routes that Hunan Province promotes to the world. It is praised by people as a scenic pearl of western Hunan. In 2004, Mengdonghe was awarded the title of National Key Scenic Area.
The Mengdonghe Scenic Area consists of five major parts: Wangcun, Laosicheng, Bu'ermen, Mengdonghe, and the Xiaoxi primitive secondary forest. The cultural landscapes are mainly Wangcun Ancient Town and Laosicheng, while the natural landscapes are mainly Mengdonghe, Bu'ermen, and the Xiaoxi primitive secondary forest. The scenery in these places is primitive and natural, forming an integrated whole, creating a wondrous vast world and an enchanting earthly paradise. Some say Mengdonghe is a poem: strolling along the five-li stone-slab street of Wangcun and setting foot in the old capital of the Tusi kings, one can read its lingering, profound charm through the ages; some say Mengdonghe is a painting: riding the waves through a hundred-li canyon and touring the calm lake scenery, one can appreciate the wonder of the Three Gorges; some say Mengdonghe is a cup of wine: clear, cold, and mellow, making one feel a tipsy romantic comfort.
(1) Wangcun Town
It is a famous town with a history of 2,000 years. In the Western Han Dynasty it was the seat of Youyang County and was known in ancient times as "the mighty town of Youyang" and "the thoroughfare of the Shu Road." It is now the gateway to the Mengdonghe Scenic Area and the main distribution center for tourists entering and leaving Mengdonghe for sightseeing. The five-li-long street paved with bluestone slabs is antique and charming, with stilted houses lined up along both sides. Wangcun Waterfall is magnificent, and nearby scenic spots such as Taiping Bridge, Niujiao Rock, Small Eight Trigrams Formation, and Lanhua Cave are enchanting. Because the famous film "Hibiscus Town" was shot here, Wangcun is also praised by people as "Hibiscus Town," and many tourists come here to taste Liu Xiaoqing's (originally Hu Yuyin's) rice tofu. The Xizhou Bronze Pillar kept in the town museum is historical evidence of the covenant between Chu King Ma Xifan and Tusi King Peng Shichou after their war in the 5th year of Tianfu of the Later Jin (940). The pillar weighs 5,000 jin, stands 4 meters tall, with 2 meters buried in the ground, and the covenant text is engraved on it, with strokes several fen deep, in Yan-style calligraphy on all eight sides. This pillar is one of the first batch of national key cultural relic protection units announced by the State Council, an important historical document for studying the Tujia and Miao peoples, and a major important landscape of the Mengdonghe Scenic Area.
(2) Laosicheng
Also called Fushi City, a national key cultural relic protection unit, located upstream from Hani Palace, the starting point of Mengdonghe rafting. According to the "Yongshun County Gazetteer," this was the old capital of the Peng clan Tusi regime of Xizhou, with a history of more than 800 years. In its prosperous period, there were "three thousand households inside the city and eight hundred families outside the city." The Qing Dynasty Tujia poet Peng Shiduo wrote a poem: "In Fushi City brocade makes nests, beside the Tusi king's palace water rises in waves; ten thousand red lanterns and layers of people, a lingering song of hand-waving dance." This describes the wealth and liveliness here at that time and the grand scene of the Tujia people dancing the hand-waving dance. Only after the "replacement of native officials with centrally appointed officials" in the 7th year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1729) did this place gradually decline and become desolate. Now there are hundreds of cultural relics and historic sites here, such as the Zushi Hall, the Peng Clan Ancestral Hall, ancient tombs, stone archways, and stone steles, and it has the reputation of being an "open-air museum" of the Tujia people. It is the best place for tourists to seek seclusion, visit the past, and enjoy scenic beauty.
(3) Bu'ermen
Located 1.5 kilometers south of Yongshun County seat, it is a famous tourist attraction in the Mengdonghe Scenic Area and a national-level forest park. In the park are distributed scenic spots such as Peiying Pagoda, the Eight Trigrams Formation, hot springs, and Xixin Pond. At the entrance, the cliffs on both sides lean inward with empty space below, with no trace of chiseling, naturally formed, hence the name "Heaven-Chiseled Stone Gate." Inside the gate, stone cliffs stand upright, covered with ancient cliff inscriptions. Among the secluded bamboo and tall bamboo is a huge rock shaped like an ancient Buddha, known as "Guanyin Rock." Below the rock is the Guanyin Temple, where incense burns year-round without ceasing, making it a major Buddhist site in the prefecture. The Bu'ermen hot spring has a constant temperature of 40°C, and tourists come in an endless stream to bathe. It is an excellent place for sightseeing, exploring secluded spots, and hot spring therapy.
(4) Mengdonghe Rafting
Mengdonghe is renowned throughout the world as the "Number One Rafting Experience Under Heaven." In 2005 it was rated as one of the nation's six "China Best Rafting Destinations." Along both banks of the river, there is a hundred-li canyon, with sheer cliffs for thousands of zhang, a narrow riverbed, steep rapids, 133 dangerous shoals, and 155 bends. On the riverbanks are flying waterfalls and flowing springs, ancient trees towering on the cliffs, and groups of monkeys, insects, and birds playing and calling, making it appear even more ethereal and strange. Tourists ride boats through the waves, braving "Yama Shoal," crossing "Ghost Gate Pass," passing "Chicken Coop Gate," squeezing through "Carp Belly," rushing "Triangle Rock," and shooting "Three Big Cannons," with thunder and lightning, soul-stirring excitement, in a state of thrilling but safe and endlessly joyful experience, most favored by Chinese and foreign tourists.
(5) Xiaoxi Primitive Secondary Forest
It is a national-level nature reserve and officially opened to the public in 2005. It is located in the southern part of the Mengdonghe Scenic Area and can be reached in 1.5 hours by boat from Wangcun. With a total area of 13,000 hectares, it is a natural botanical and zoological garden. Here mountains are layered in green, the forest sea is vast, ancient trees and vines are lush and verdant, and rare birds and animals appear among them. There are 26 species of rare and precious tree species under national key protection and 31 species of rare animals. Experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences call it "the only surviving natural green gene bank in the 13 provinces south of the Yangtze of subtropical low-altitude evergreen broad-leaved primitive secondary forest that escaped the Quaternary glaciation." This landscape is mysterious and alluring, an excellent place for ecological tourism, seeking novelty and adventure, vacationing, scientific research, and exploration.
III. Dehang Tourism Area
The Dehang Tourism Area is centered on Aizhai in Jishou City, extending east to Tangledong Cave, west to Dalongdong Cave, south from Wushan and Liantai Mountain, and north to Liusha Waterfall, with a total area of 190 square kilometers. In 1991, it was approved by the Hunan Provincial People's Government as a second batch provincial-level scenic area,
and in 2005 it was awarded the title of National Key Scenic Area.
(1) Dehang Miao Village
It is under the jurisdiction of Aizhai Town in Jishou City, 24 kilometers from Jishou City. From Jishou City, travel northwest to Aizhai Town, then follow the stream northwest for 4 kilometers to reach it. Along the banks are waterwheels, water mills, ancient ferries, and small boats, accompanied by Miao stilted houses, presenting a pastoral scene. The Jiulong Stream flows through the village, surrounded by clear and secluded mountain scenery with sheer cliffs. Crossing the stone arch bridge in the village, one can climb Pangu Peak. The peak is over 400 meters high, with two summits, large and small, at the top, covering about 5 hectares, covered by a dense primeval forest with intertwined roots. Surrounded by precipices, from the summit one can take in the entire surrounding scenery. On the mountainside of the peak is a wild wintersweet forest about 40 hectares wide, with trees 2–4 meters tall, blooming in cold winter with pale yellow flowers and a rich fragrance. From Dehang, going left for 1.5 kilometers leads to Yuquan Gate, where a white spring cascades down the mountain like a ribbon. The Yuquan Gorge has facing cliffs on both sides, with the Yuquan Stream breaking through the gate. Inside the gorge, grotesque rocks stand like a forest, each with different shapes. Following the small path along the stream to the right for about 1.5 li, one reaches Liusha Waterfall. The waterfall is 216 meters high, like a white silk hanging in the air, or a silver gauze suspended on the cliff. Near Dehang Village there are also scenic spots such as Zhuiniu Jie and the Hangxia Waterfall Group. On the mountain top at Yuquan Gate is Jidou Miao Village, with cliffs about 300 meters high, like an eagle spreading its wings. Jidou Village is located at the edge of the cliff. Looking into the distance from the cliffside, the scenery is picturesque. In the village, when peach and plum blossoms bloom, red and white compete in beauty, making the scenery especially fine. In front of Aizhai Town, Tianmen Mountain has National Highway 319 (formerly known as the Xiangchuan Highway) winding through it; this road goes from bottom to top through 15 curves before reaching the top of the slope. This mountain is steep and precipitous, difficult even for flying birds. Near the slope top is the nation's "Number One Highway Bridge." On the mountain top are the "Xiangchuan Highway Martyrs Monument" and the bronze statue of the "Pioneer of Road Opening." Standing beside them and gazing far in all directions, one sees peaks and ridges like a painting, dwellings like a grid, streams like ribbons, crisscrossing paths, and alternating yellow and green, truly a wondrously arranged natural bonsai.
The Dehang Tourism Area is especially known for its rich Miao ethnic customs. Large traditional ethnic events such as the Hundred Lions Festival, the Eighth of the Fourth Month, the Miao Drum Culture Festival, zhuiniu (bull sacrifice), climbing the knife ladder, and song-and-dance evenings are dazzling and endlessly delightful. After the activities, visit a Miao family home to experience the Miao people's primitive, simple, and honest customs of production and daily life, and taste the Dehang Tourism Area's unique yinmi tea, five-grain rice, peach blossom worms, and "baogu shao" (corn liquor). In the evening, join the song-and-dance evening, leaving you immersed for a long time in the joy of the Miao village's warm hospitality and rising songs and dances.
(2) Great and Small Dragon Cave Waterfalls
The Great Dragon Cave Waterfall is located in Buchou Township, Huayuan County. The water gushes out from a cave opening in a sheer cliff 218 meters high, about 20 meters wide, plunging straight down with a sound like thunder, spray rising into the air, and a majestic momentum. On clear days, the mist turns into a multicolored rainbow, dazzling and brilliant. The Small Dragon Cave Waterfall Group is located in Paibi Township, Huayuan County, in a "U"-shaped valley. The overhanging cliffs are 300–500 meters high, and on cliffs only about 100 meters apart, four waterfalls plunge down into deep pools with tremendous force, extremely spectacular. Among them, the Small Dragon Waterfall has a drop of 147 meters, the greatest in both drop and water volume in the Small Dragon Cave Waterfall Group.
IV. Qifeng Lake Tourism Area
Qifeng Lake is a high-gorge flat lake formed in Guzhang County after the Fengtan Dam intercepted the flow, with an area of about 230,000 square kilometers, connected by water with the Mengdong River Scenic Area. The outer lake is broad, the inner lake winding, the shores tortuous, shaded by green trees, dotted with small islands, shimmering with waves, surrounded by mountains, lush and verdant, with swaying reflections enhancing one another's beauty. The main scenic spots include Shuanglong Feidu, Nine Turtles Seeking Their Mother, White Dragon Peak, Fairy Peak, Mingyue Gorge, Stone Mural Corridor, Huanglian Kuifu Rock, the ancient city of Xiaxizhou, the Warring States Chu tomb group and hanging coffin burial site on the west bank of the river, and others. There is also the 3-kilometer-long Zuolong Gorge, primitive and secluded, with ancient trees interlaced; the Red Stone Forest Scenic Area has colorful red rocks, sheer cliffs and sinkholes, thousand-year-old ancient trees, underground karst caves, as well as scenic spots such as Mandarin Duck Turtle, Moon-Watching Cave, and Stone Pagoda.
To visit this tourism area, one can take a small boat and shuttle through it, seeing the lake surface like a mirror, the blue waves like jade, and water and sky merging into one color, offering a unique sense of leisure; one can also leave the boat and go ashore to visit a farmhouse on an island in the middle of the lake, taste the flavor of "Guzhang Three Courses of Tea," and seek another kind of pleasure in local customs and folkways.
Qifeng Lake is a provincial-level key scenic area. Among its attractions, the Red Stone Forest was awarded the title of National Geopark in 2005.
V. Longshan Tourism Area
(1) Wulong Mountain
Located 35 kilometers southwest of the county seat. Within the scenic area, mountains rise and fall, peaks vie in beauty, and grass is lush and forests dense. The beautiful Pidu River winds through the 15-kilometer-long Wulong Mountain gorge. The river is clear and crystalline, with green mountains layered on both banks and dense stretches of bamboo, like a deep green natural gallery, adding endless charm to the Pidu River. More than 200 karst caves are densely distributed on both banks. Among them, Remi Cave is 3 kilometers long, with front and rear halls, and the rear hall is further divided into left and right branch halls. The cave's structure and contents almost gather the greatest achievements of Chinese caves; it has both a magnificent domed front hall and a secluded, spacious rear hall like a phoenix nest and palace chambers; there are rough and massive deposits as well as delicate and exquisite crystals, truly broad and profound, with a scene at every step. In the cave, fossils of ancient rhinoceroses from 300,000 to 400,000 years ago have also been found; rare blue and red blind fish have been discovered, the third such discovery in the world after Iran and Gejiu in Yunnan, China. There is also Catfish Cave. It is connected to the Pidu River, with a cave mouth more than 20 meters high and water more than 3 meters deep; after entering by boat for more than 50 meters, there is a broad sandbar, and at the Fish God Palace, one can see giant salamanders 1.6 meters long and weighing more than 30 kilograms. The remaining caves each have their own merits, infinitely mysterious and unfathomable, adding luster to the Pidu River and Wulong Mountain.
(2) Liye
Located 124 kilometers south of Longshan County seat, bordering Baojing County to the south and Xiushan County of Chongqing Municipality to the west, with a lowest elevation of 250 meters, it is the commercial and transportation center on the bank of the You River in southern Longshan County. The old street area has smooth, narrow, and long stone-paved roads, with Qin bricks and Han tiles and stilted houses packed closely together; the new street area, Changsha Road, is spacious and clean, brilliantly lit, leading the trend of the Hunan-Hubei-Chongqing border region. The surrounding Tujia customs are rich. In May 1982, a Neolithic cultural site was discovered at the bridge northeast of the town, belonging to the "Longshan Culture" system. In April 2002, to coordinate with the construction project of the Wanmipo Hydropower Station, under the auspices of the Hunan Provincial Institute of Archaeology, rescue archaeological excavation was carried out on the Liye Warring States ancient city, unearthed more than 37,000 Qin bamboo slips, which the archaeological world called an astonishing discovery in Qin archaeology after the Terracotta Army. In November 2002, the Liye Warring States ancient city was recognized by the state as a national key cultural relic protection unit; in 2005, Liye was awarded the title of Chinese Historical and Cultural Town, becoming a major new tourism highlight in the prefecture.
VI. Tawo — National Classic Red Tourism Scenic Area
Yongshun Tawo is the former site of the Revolutionary Committee of the Hunan-Hubei-Sichuan-Guizhou Border Province of the Chinese Soviet. On December 10, 1934, the provincial party committee, provincial revolutionary committee, military region leading organs, as well as the health clinic, arsenal, and radio station of the Hunan-Hubei-Sichuan-Guizhou Border Province moved here from Dayong (now Zhangjiajie City). The provincial party committee and provincial military region were set up in Ding Family Courtyard in Tawo, the provincial revolutionary committee in Lei Family Old House, and the Fourth Branch School of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army in Lei Family New House. In 1972 and 1983, the revolutionary sites were twice listed as key cultural relic protection units of Hunan Province. In October 1986, the former site of the Red Fourth Branch School was opened as the "Memorial Hall of the Hunan-Hubei-Sichuan-Guizhou Border Revolutionary Base Area." The revolutionary martyrs' memorial cemetery and monument built in 1981 on Tucheng Bao south of the town were listed as key cultural relic protection units of Hunan Province in January 1988. In 2001, Tawo was designated a national classic red tourism scenic area, becoming a national base for carrying out patriotic education. Here, the former sites of various organs and schools established during the period of Red Army activities are completely preserved, as well as the rooms where old-generation revolutionaries such as He Long, Ren Bishi, Xiao Ke, and Wang Zhen lived. Many Red Army slogans and other revolutionary relics remain, reflecting the heroic deeds of the Tujia, Miao, Han, and other ethnic peoples who followed the Red Army in revolution, smashed repeated enemy encirclements and suppressions, built and defended the Hunan-Hubei-Sichuan-Guizhou Border Revolutionary Base Area, and coordinated with the Central Red Army's northward Long March.
VII. Jiugui Industrial Park — National Industrial Tourism Demonstration Site
Located about 5 li north of Jishou City, also called "Jiugui Liquor City," it is the production base of Jiugui Liquor Co., Ltd. The park has one Jiugui Culture Exhibition Hall, collecting precious materials on Xiangxi ethnic culture, especially Jiugui culture, and displaying the outstanding elegance of Xiangjiugui people in modern industrial civilization. The hall has six exhibition rooms: "Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Auspiciousness," "Source of Jiugui Liquor," "Soaring and Taking Off," "Master of Liquor Painting," "Overflowing Fragrance of Ink," and "Three Springs Studio." It is a beautifully shaped and richly substantive liquor production exhibition hall. In 2004, the park was awarded the title of one of the first batch of national industrial tourism demonstration sites.
VIII. Huayuan Border Town
Border Town, the name of this small town known throughout the world, comes from Shen Congwen's representative work Border Town. Shen Congwen was born on December 28, 1902, in Tuojiang Town, Fenghuang County. At the age of 14, he left home to join the army, beginning more than six years of a wandering soldier's life. Huayuan Chadong was the small town that left the deepest impression on him among those he visited. On January 1, 1934, Guowen Weekly began serializing his romantic and moving novella Border Town, filled with the fragrance of the soil, which immediately produced a strong response nationwide, and Shen Congwen rose to fame because of it. In this famous work, Shen Congwen called Chadong "Border Town," and using it as the stage, presented the story's plot one by one to a broad readership. From then on, Chadong acquired the alternate name "Border Town." In 2005, Huayuan County renamed Chadong Town as Biancheng Town, allowing the classic historical and cultural brand of Border Town to move further toward the whole country and the world. That year, Border Town was officially opened to the public.
Border Town is located in a northwestern corner of Huayuan. It is separated from Chongqing and Guizhou by a single river, and has long been known as a place where "one foot steps on three provinces." It is the last river port on the southern branch of the You River — the Huayuan River (also known as the "North River"). Since the mid-Qing period, it has been famous for its key location, gathering merchants, and distinctive folk customs, and is one of the four famous towns of Xiangxi.
The folk customs of Border Town also confirm that what Border Town says is true and not false. The people of Border Town are especially skilled at dragon boat racing and dragon dance performances. In 1999, to welcome Macao's return and the arrival of the millennium Year of the Dragon, they made a 99-section long dragon, meaning ninety-nine great fortune, and danced it into the capital to participate in the national dragon dance competition, winning three top awards at once: the national folk literature and art "Shanhua Cup," "Guoan Cup," and "Golden Dragon Cup."
In short, whether one wishes to savor Border Town, study Border Town, or embark on the path of local-color literary creation, there is great necessity in going to Chadong for sightseeing and investigation.
In 2001, the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Cultural Relics and Archaeology Team excavated Paleolithic sites and relics in Chadong. They believed that "this is the most representative site in Xiangxi," with important historical research value.
To let people interpret Border Town and appreciate Border Town, in March 2003, the CPC Huayuan County Committee and County People's Government launched the construction of the Border Town Stele Forest, carving works of Border Town written by one hundred domestic calligraphers onto one hundred natural stones of different specifications and placing them on Cuicui Island. These calligraphic works employ diverse methods and present a variety of styles, representing the highest level of contemporary Chinese calligraphy and adding a major new tourism highlight to Border Town. Also, in line with the principles of protecting ancient sites and "repairing the old as old," they repaired Border Town's "Congwen Study," stilted houses, stone-slab streets, and river port. A statue of Cuicui was placed on Cuicui Island, letting Cuicui's gaze turn toward the swift waves of the North River and toward the distance, awaiting the return of the young man in her heart. "This person may never come back, or maybe he will come back 'tomorrow'!"