All famous former residence inside Fenghuang old Town

The Eastern City Gate (Shengheng Gate), built in 1715 beside the river, features a purplish-red sandstone base and an old-brick tower. The 4-meter-high arch gate leads to an 11-meter-tall tower equipped with 8 shooting holes.The Northern City Gate (Bihui Gate) dates back 500 years. Constructed from local red sandstone, its outer wall features two rows of shooting holes for complete surveillance.These gates are connected by a city wall along the clear Tuojiang River, serving as a strong defense against intruders.

The former residence of Shen Congwen (1902-1988),Built in 1866 by his grandfather, Shen Congwen’s former residence is a typical West Hunan courtyard house featuring red brick walls and stone-paved floors. It consists of 11 rooms and was listed as a key provincial cultural site in 1991.Shen Congwen was born here in 1902 and later became one of China’s top modern writers, second only to Lu Xun. His masterpieces, such as Border Town, have been translated into over 40 languages.He was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Additionally, he was a renowned historian and author of A Study of Ancient Chinese Costumes.

The House of Chen Dounan, built in 1902, is made up of the first-row buildings, the court yard.the middle buildings and the last-row buildings. Protected on all four sides with a tall and strong firewall, it’s a courtyard house typical of Southeast China architecture. Here were born 2 generals of the revolutionary troops in the early 20th century: Chen Dounan(1886–1931) and hisnep hew Chen Fan( 1909–1943). Besides, here were shot inside views of old houses for such popular movies and TV seria ls as Doom of the Bandits in the Wulong Mountains, The Last King of Miao Ethnic Groups and Stories of West Hunan.

The former residence of Xiong Xiling(1869–1937) is a structure of wood and tile in the old style of South China. It has 4 rooms now exhibited in the original fashion. On June 25, 1869 of the lunar calendar, Mr. Xiong was born here. He was such”a wonder child from Hunan”as to pass the highest court test at 25 and enter the Imperial Academy. In 1913, he was elected by people as the first prime minister of the Republic of China. 

The yangs’ Memorial, a wooden structure in the courtyard style, is located in the northeast of

the town, jusont by the old city wall. It was built in 1836 with the donation of Yang Fang, commander of the aboriginal troops.