Fenghuang(Chinese for phoenix), a small city under the jurisdiction of the Tujia Autonomous Prefecture of Hunan Province, borders northern Guizhou Province and eastern Chongqing Municipality. Surrounded by mountains and girdled by the Tuojiang River, this small, quiet city is famous for its beautiful landscape, and as birthplace of several celebrated Chinese personages.
Fenghuang City is most famous for its Miao-style tilted houses. These are two-story wooden structures. The lower stories are supported by several heavy logs standing tilted on the ground, and the large, wide upper stories are lean over the river.
Fenghuang has developed into a popular tourist destination over the past decade. Through to the 1980s, most of the local residents made a living by rafting or cutting wood and bartering logs and folk products for their daily necessities. Life was simple and quiet, and very few tourists came to the city. When the local government began to develop tourism, many family inns opened to provide accommodation and meals for Chinese and overseas visitors.
