Chadong, the Border Town
Anyone who has been to Chadong in Huayuan would surely agree that its most beautiful spot is the area around the West Gate ferry. The emerald pool, the rustic ferryboat, the antique buildings, and the lush green hills in the distance—everything looks so pleasing. Especially on a clear day when the sun sets in the west, the huge sun and fiery sunset clouds against the distant mountains...
This article is compiled from the original travel notes on the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com); it is a record of trips from earlier years. Time-sensitive information such as ticket prices, schedules, and accommodation prices is subject to the latest announcements from scenic areas and transportation authorities; the itinerary ideas and attraction introductions still have reference value.
Of those who have been to Chadong in Huayuan, probably no one would fail to admit that the most beautiful place here is the area around the West Gate ferry crossing. The emerald-green deep pool, the simple and ancient ferryboat, the antique buildings, and the lush mountain forests in the distance all look so pleasing to the eye. Especially on a clear day when the setting sun is sinking in the west, the huge sun and fiery red evening clouds shine behind the distant mountains, and together with the people and things by the river all sway in illusory reflections in the water, making one truly feel as if placed in the fairyland of Penglai.
On a day in the early winter of 2002, I once traveled with friends, dusty and weary, to this border town at such a sunset, and on that wooden ferry, I admired this marvelous scenery and was intoxicated for a long time. We used the boatman's wooden pole to pull hard on the iron cable, sailing the boat across and back, while in our minds we imagined the images and stories of Cuicui, Grandpa, No. 1, No. 2, and the fleet master Shunshun from Border Town. Our hearts felt full of interest and boundless joy. Of course, the ferry crossing and characters in Border Town are fictional, but this real ancient ferry crossing in Chadong has indeed existed for several hundred years. It is said that long ago, a poor young man came here with no money to cross; he begged for some money on the street before he could ferry across the river. The young man then swore to heaven that if heaven blessed him and he later became fortunate and wealthy, he would definitely donate a ferryboat, providing a charitable ferry service that would not charge passengers a single cent! Later, this young man joined the army and gradually rose to the official rank of 'Dusi'. He indeed sent several hundred silver dollars to help the ancient town buy a ferryboat, and also bought dozens of mu of land to rent out as income for the boatman's livelihood. From then on, travelers crossing no longer had to pay, and this custom has continued to this day.
In the past, water transport in Chadong was very convenient. The clear river water winding around the town flowed into the You River and then into the Yuan River. Upstream it reached Xiushan County in Sichuan, and downstream it passed through Huayuan, Baojing, Taoyuan, and Changde all the way to Changsha. Before the Hunan-Sichuan Highway was built, waterway transport here was always very busy. At that time, the shuttle of boats made the ancient town's economy and trade prosperous. Specialty products from the Hunan-Sichuan border, such as tung oil, tea oil, timber, live pigs, gallnuts, and various medicinal herbs, were continuously shipped out from here. Meanwhile, goods shipped from downstream to upstream, such as cloth, cotton yarn, salt, kerosene, and candy, were unloaded here into the town for wholesale or retail trade at the market. Due to the booming trade, the ancient town's small river street appeared bustling and lively. Along the riverbank, all kinds of wooden boats, large and small, were moored. On the river street, people came and went, and in front of various inns, boarding houses, grocery stores, and cloth shops, crowds were everywhere.
Today, the former scene of this river street dock has long disappeared. The countless wooden cargo boats are gone, the sailors and trackers are gone, and along with them the resentful women and prostitutes gazing from the stilted houses are gone. The river street appears cold and quiet. The only thing unchanged is that market trade continues, but its scale seems somewhat smaller than before, and the variety of goods traded also differs from the past. The reason for all these changes on the river street seems to be attributable to the modern highway transportation network extending in all directions, because even in this remote Hunan-Sichuan border town, traveling by car is now faster than by boat.
The rise of modern highway construction has caused Chadong's water shipping to cease and made Chadong's river street dock quiet and deserted. Whether this change is ultimately good or bad seems impossible to conclude hastily. Only one thing is certain: things are always constantly changing, whether flourishing or disappearing, all conform to the laws of natural development.
At night, staying at an inn on Chadong River Street, I saw a mountain in the distance and asked the proprietress its name. She answered, Xianglu Mountain. 'Is there really a censer?' 'Of course there really is!' The proprietress said, 'On the mountaintop there is a stone pillar, over ten feet tall. Every day just before dawn, smoke comes out from the cracks in the stone pillar, which is why it is called a censer. If you don't believe it, you can go see for yourself. This is the most famous scenic spot!' 'Are there many pilgrims?'
'How could there not be many! Before the founding of New China, who knows how many people went to Xianglu Mountain to burn incense and worship Buddha! There were many halls and pavilions up there.'
Talking further with the proprietress, I learned that besides Xianglu Mountain, Chadong once had many other scenic spots and historic sites. For example, southwest of the town was the Heavenly King Temple, north of the town were the Horse King Temple and the Shuifu Palace Temple Pagoda, as well as the Wanshou Palace, Yuwang Palace, Ciyun Nunnery, Zhaozhong Shrine, Guanyin Hall, and east of the town was the Mao Nunnery, and so on. Most of these scenic spots and historic sites were temples and nunneries, indicating that the practice of religious belief was very prevalent. The main religions here were Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Many residents believed in ghosts and spirits. It is said that in the past, the rituals of offering incense at temples and holding relief ceremonies were held most grandly. When offering incense at temples, seven or eight Taoist priests in ritual robes led the way, followed by a band and local gentry, each holding a wooden tray containing scriptures, wooden fish, incense burners, and other items. They had to pay homage at all the nunneries and temples before returning to the Heavenly King Temple to rest. In the evening, relief ceremonies were held. There were two types of relief ceremonies. One was held on land: a platform was chosen, and Taoist priests performed rituals on a platform filled with various offerings, then burned paper money and sprinkled water and rice. The other was held on water: Taoist priests first performed rituals on a large wooden boat, then released lotus lanterns made of wooden boards one by one from the boat, with candles lit on them and money and items placed around them. The lotus lanterns were put into the water and left to float freely. After all the lanterns were released, those who could swim could jump into the water to grab the lotus lanterns. It is said that after the relief ceremony, the lonely graves and evil spirits on land and water received salvation and would no longer harm the local area, ensuring peace for the region. Without disasters, the coming year would bring a bountiful harvest. After the founding of New China, superstitious activities like sacrificing to ghosts and spirits have long ceased, but religious belief activities such as burning incense and worshipping Buddha remain free. The incense smoke at Xianglu Mountain has not ceased, and visitors from all directions love to come here to seek out historic sites and scenic spots. This is also an important reason why the border town of Chadong still holds great charm.
I wanted to find the former residence of a historical figure near Chadong. This person was named Hou Fenggang, who had served as the township head of Chadong before the founding of New China.
A woman enthusiastically led the way for us and, arriving in front of an old house on the central street of the town, said to me: 'This is the home of Township Head Hou Fenggang that you are looking for!' I looked at this old house with great surprise, not expecting that after decades of wind and rain, the house had actually been preserved intact.
According to the history I know, in 1937, the border town of Chadong was once a place where the Revolutionary Land Reclamation Anti-Japanese Army of the four-province border region of Sichuan, Hunan, Guizhou, and Hubei gathered for reorganization and was stationed. The leaders of this land reclamation army were Wu Hengliang and Long Ziyong. At that time, Chadong also had a platoon from the Kuomintang Independent 34th Brigade under Luo Qijiang and some armed personnel from the township office stationed there. Long Ziyong brought a few people and sneaked into the town one night to negotiate with Township Head Hou Fenggang. Hou Fenggang was initially full of misgivings; he did not want to ally with the land reclamation army, but he also did not dare to offend these people. That night, Long Ziyong was arranged to stay on the top floor of the fort. Unexpectedly, early the next morning, Long Ziyong planted the flag of the Land Reclamation Anti-Japanese Army on top of the fort. This made it known to everyone and forced Hou Fenggang to agree to accept the land reclamation troops stationed in Chadong, while also keeping the self-defense team neutral. The commander of the Independent 34th Brigade, Luo Qijiang, had originally sympathized with the land reclamation army and supported Long Ziyong's revolutionary activities, so his subordinates naturally also remained neutral at this time. In this way, the land reclamation army was stationed in Chadong for over a month, until the land reclamation negotiations succeeded and they accepted reorganization and set off for the anti-Japanese front.
In the ancient town of Chadong, there are still many examples of people from the three bordering provinces interacting closely, cooperating with, and supporting one another. Today, the exchanges among people in the surrounding area have increased even more, and relations have become more harmonious and friendly. The unique natural scenery and simple, natural folk customs have kept the border town of Chadong perpetually charming. Out-of-town visitors favor this geomantically auspicious place, and tourists coming to visit will surely be endless.