travel planner
For more information, visit:
China National Tourist Office:
tourismchina.org;
1-866-599-6636
Hunan Provincial Tourism
Administration:
hnt.gov.cn/english/about.htm
tourists, so again you can expect to be a bit of a tourist attraction
yourself. This lovely river town is ideal for wandering across bridges
to sample the many snacks for which it is famous. I highly recom-
mend the locally made ginger candy and the spicy freshwater crabs
on a stick.
The area is largely populated by people from the Miao ethnic
minority, and in Phoenix, you can witness (even participate) in a
Chinese tourism phenomenon. all day long, tourists play dress up in
Miao costumes, posing prettily along the Tuo River. For once the
cameras won't be pointed at you—unless you choose to dress up too!
Near the city of huaihua in western hunan, two other ancient
towns are well worth a visit. Qianyang's twisting alleys are filled
with history and picturesque red lanterns. In its prime, hongjiang
was popular for opium smoking and entertainment, including pros-
titution. The ancient town centres feature reasonably well-signed
historic sites with local people living their everyday lives and both
offer fascinating glimpses into past and present-day China.
opposite: Tianzi Mountain
in the Wulingyuan Scenic
Area was an inspiration
behind the movie, Avatar.
right: A candy maker shows
how to pull sugar for the
popular ginger candies.
Johanna Read
