Feng Huang, China. Riverside Antiquity

We almost didn't go.

Another 22-hour train ride, this time through China's deep countryside. I remember thinking it would be easier to just go back to Shanghai.

I kept my thoughts to myself.

Maybe it was the visual in my mind's eye of a city on stilts, a green river flowing through its center. The image enchanted me and this new curiosity began to restructure the itinerary.

Our early morning arrival into Feng Huang seemed underwhelming at first. Perhaps it was the long journey, the grey morning sky, or a city that had not woken up yet. Thoughts of Shanghai crept back into my head. But, it didn't take long to discover that the beauty of Feng Huang lies in its primitive simplicity.

Wooden houses on stilts, uneven stone steps, narrow alleyways all within an ancient walled city. The overcast skies turned the city into a giant soft box of light, making the colors amidst grey buildings pop.

The Tuo Jiang River not only carried tourists in boats but also served as a laundry source, kitchen basin and even bath, its waters rushing through the town at a fast pace but leaving the city seemingly untouched by time.

We almost didn't go, but thankfully we did.

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Travel & Events

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• fenghuang
• feng
• huang
• china