Wind and rain bridge
Hong Bridge
Red stone bridge of 1670 over the Tuo River in Fenghuang's old town: prow-shaped piers, a timber pavilion with shops, an upper hall of calligraphy and the wall's East Gate straight ahead.
Fenghuang, China
Fenghuang Audio Guide
Walk Fenghuang's old town with 28 audio stops narrated by experts. From the red stone bridge crossing the Tuo River to the timber houses held up on skinny legs, every place explains how a frontier fortress, its merchants and its illustrious sons still stand on the water's edge.
- ~4h of audio
- 7 routes · 28 audio stops
- Offline mode
- English
Coming soon
- 7Landmarks
- 28Audios
- ~4hOf narration
Photo: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0
7 audio guides in Fenghuang
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Houses hanging over the river
Huilongge Stilt Houses
Row of Qing houses some 240 metres long over the Tuo River in Fenghuang: timber pillars, cantilevered halls with the stable below, the 2014 flood and the flagstone street ending at Shen Congwen's grave.
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The writer's birthplace
Shen Congwen's Former Residence
Timber courtyard house of 1866 in Fenghuang's old town where Shen Congwen was born: red stone courtyard, study, cases with his 32 volumes, the Jinbianxi stream photo and furniture brought from Beijing.
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Qing guild hall
Wanshou Palace
Guild hall of the Jiangxi merchants, from 1755, on the banks of the Tuo in Fenghuang: three doors aligned with the Hong Bridge, an opera stage, a 22-column hall and the Wanming Pagoda.
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City wall gate
North Gate Tower
Red sandstone gate of the Fenghuang wall over the Tuo River: double-eaved tower, eight embrasures, the Tiaoyan stepping stones and the wharf where the boats depart.
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Qing clan temple
Yang Family Ancestral Hall
Clan temple of 1836 beside the Fenghuang wall: the door turned toward the Tuo River, an opera stage carved with dragons and phoenixes, galleries with a Miao exhibition and the altar of the Yang ancestors.
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Qing birthplace
Xiong Xiling's Former Residence
Qing courtyard house where Xiong Xiling, prime minister of the Republic of China, was born in 1870: red sandstone courtyard, lattice study, Cai Yuanpei's couplet and the bust donated by his orphans.
Fenghuang Audio Guide
What to see in Fenghuang with the EarGuide audio guide
Fenghuang is understood from the river. Over the Tuo, the Hong Bridge has raised its three red stone arches under a timber pavilion since 1670: it was market, road and market again, and it is older than the walled city itself. Downstream, the Huilongge Stilt Houses form a row of some 240 metres of timber houses that face the flagstone street and hang their backs over the water, on the thin pillars Shen Congwen called "skinny legs". On the bridge's bank, the Wanshou Palace, the guild hall of the Jiangxi merchants, lines up its three doors with the three arches so that wealth would enter with the water. The red sandstone wall opens to the river at the North Gate, with its eight loopholes and the stones that let you hop across the Tuo, and in its shadow the Yang Family Ancestral Hall turns its door toward the river and plants an opera stage before the clan altar. Inland, in two alleys, stand the birthplaces of the city's two most famous sons: that of Shen Congwen, the author of "Border Town", and that of Xiong Xiling, the "Xiong Phoenix", who became prime minister of the Republic in 1913.
With the EarGuide Fenghuang audio guide, every place reveals its history through professional narration prepared by guides who know the city and the Hunan frontier inside out. Unlike a free walking tour or a conventional guided visit, you set the pace, the order and the stops. No groups, no timetables, no internet connection.
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No internet needed
Download the routes before you head out and explore without using data.
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Smart geolocation
The narration starts by itself when you reach the point of interest.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about the Fenghuang audio guide
How much does the Fenghuang audio guide cost?
The EarGuide app is free. The Fenghuang audio guide includes 7 independent routes with about four hours of professional narration spread across 7 sites and 28 audio stops, and it is found inside the app itself.
Do I need an internet connection to use the audio guide?
No. EarGuide works entirely offline. Download the routes over WiFi before you set out and you can use the audio guide with no connection and no data use throughout your walk around Fenghuang. The map shows your GPS position in real time even without coverage.
What languages is the Fenghuang audio guide available in?
The Fenghuang audio guide is available in Spanish and English, with professional narration prepared by guides and experts in the history of Fenghuang and of the Hunan frontier.
How long does the full tour take?
The audio guide brings together 7 independent routes with about four hours of narration in total, from 30 to 45 minutes per route. They fit into one long day or two more relaxed ones: you can do them separately or string them together in a single walk through the old town.
Is the audio guide better than a free walking tour or a guided visit?
They are different experiences. The EarGuide audio guide lets you walk Fenghuang without timetables or groups, pause and resume whenever you like, and replay any explanation as often as you need. It suits independent travellers, families and anyone who prefers to understand the city at their own pace, with no prior knowledge of China.
Which landmarks and points of interest does it include?
The Fenghuang audio guide covers 7 main sites: the Hong Bridge, the Huilongge Stilt Houses, Shen Congwen's Former Residence, the Wanshou Palace, the North Gate Tower, the Yang Family Ancestral Hall and Xiong Xiling's Former Residence, with stops that range from the bridge's arches and the Tuo River stepping stones to the opera stage of the Yang hall and the red sandstone courtyards of the birthplaces.
Can I do it all on foot?
Yes. All 7 sites are in Fenghuang's old town, on the banks of the Tuo River, and none is more than a kilometre from another. The Hong Bridge, the Wanshou Palace and the Yang Family Ancestral Hall are a few minutes from one another; the North Gate Tower and Xiong Xiling's Former Residence are almost side by side, and the Huilongge Stilt Houses are at the downstream end.
Can I use a purchase in the other EarGuide apps or on another phone?
Yes. Purchases belong to your EarGuide account, not to one app or one phone. A city unlocked in the EarGuide app is also unlocked in that city's own app, and the other way round, on both iPhone and Android. Just sign in with the same account on the other device. The store's “restore purchases” button only covers the app the purchase was made in, so signing in is what carries it across.
Download the Fenghuang audio guide free
The Fenghuang audio guide is inside the EarGuide app, free and ready to use offline. Carry it in your pocket and explore the old town at your own pace.
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