Before the big industrial and urban transformation took place in China I had the opportunity to take a glimpse of the old ways during a voyage in 2005, travelling across China’s south-central Hunan province into the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. In proximity to the eastern borders of Hunan lies a beautiful old town, named Fenghuang (凤凰县), literally called town of the Phoenix.

Challenging to get to (mostly dirt roads) the beautiful gem lies at the riverbanks of the Tuo Jiang (a life giving river) and is home to several ethnicities, amongst the most 2 popular .. the Miao and Tujia, but also the Yao and Hmong. Hunan but also the prefecture are renown for the Miao rebellion against the Ming Dynasty, still giving them a kind of special minority status within mainland China. Todays often overrun by broad swaths of local tourists, Fenghuang county in 2005 provided a stunning opportunity to experience some of the original ways of its very kind inhabitants.