The Fall That Splits the Town
Furongzhen Grand Waterfall
The 60 m fall that cuts through Furongzhen: a path behind the curtain of water, a cave with a legend of origin and stilt houses that light up every night.
Furongzhen, China
Furongzhen Audio Guide
Walk the town hanging from a waterfall over the You River with 18 audio stops narrated by experts. From the boatmen's old wharf to the flagstone street of the “Little Nanjing”, every corner explains how a Tujia port became a film set.
- ~3h of audio
- 5 routes · 18 audio stops
- Offline mode
- English
Coming soon
- 5Landmarks
- 18Audios
- ~3hOf narration
Photo: Autor desconocido
5 audio guides in Furongzhen
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Qing-Era Trading Street
Five-Li Flagstone Street
Furongzhen's bluestone street: it climbs from the Youshui landing stage between plank-fronted shops and Tujia stilt houses of the old “Little Nanjing”.
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Peace Treaty of the Year 940
Xizhou Bronze Pillar
The bronze column that in 940 sealed peace between the kingdom of Chu and the chiefs of the You River: a treaty engraved on eight faces, now behind glass beside Furongzhen's wharf.
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Film Set
Liu Xiaoqing's Rice Tofu Shop
The rice tofu counter tied to the film “Hibiscus Town” in Furongzhen: the No. 113 façade, its stone arch, the photo wall and a bowl of mǐ dòufu with chilli.
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River Port of the Youshui
Wangcun Old Wharf
Furongzhen's historic landing stage on the Youshui River: a port between Sichuan and Dongting Lake, with a stone stairway and Tujia hanging houses beside the waterfall.
Furongzhen Audio Guide
What to see in Furongzhen with the EarGuide audio guide
Furongzhen, the former Wangcun, looks out over the You River in western Hunan, Tujia country. Its emblem is the Grand Waterfall, a drop of about 60 metres in two tiers that splits the town in two and is crossed by a path carved behind the water. At its foot, the Wangcun Old Wharf was the “ford between Chu and Shu”, from which tung oil and mountain timber went out; from it rises Five-Li Flagstone Street, which in the Daoguang era gathered more than 300 inns and shops and earned the nickname “Little Nanjing”. Beside the wharf is kept the Xizhou Bronze Pillar, the peace treaty cast in 940 that gave the Peng chiefs almost eight centuries of power, and on the street Liu Xiaoqing's Rice Tofu Shop is still open, tied to the film “Hibiscus Town” (1986), which gave the town its present name and fame.
With the EarGuide Furongzhen audio guide, every place reveals its history through professional narration prepared by guides who know the town and Tujia culture 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 Furongzhen audio guide
How much does the Furongzhen audio guide cost?
The EarGuide app is free. The Furongzhen audio guide includes 5 independent routes with almost three hours of professional narration spread across 5 sites and 18 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 Furongzhen. The map shows your GPS position in real time even without coverage.
What languages is the Furongzhen audio guide available in?
The Furongzhen audio guide is available in Spanish and English, with professional narration prepared by guides and experts in the history of western Hunan and Tujia culture.
How long does the full tour take?
The audio guide brings together 5 independent routes with almost three hours of narration in total, from 20 to 45 minutes per route. They are designed for a half-day visit on foot: you can do them separately or string them all together in a single walk around the 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 Furongzhen 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 town at their own pace, with no prior knowledge of China.
Which landmarks and points of interest does it include?
The Furongzhen audio guide covers 5 main sites: the Furongzhen Grand Waterfall, Five-Li Flagstone Street, the Xizhou Bronze Pillar, Liu Xiaoqing's Rice Tofu Shop and the Wangcun Old Wharf, with stops that extend to the path behind the curtain of water, the salt stairway and the Tujia stilt houses.
Can I do it all on foot?
Yes. All 5 sites are inside the town, a few minutes' walk from one another: the wharf and the bronze pillar, at the foot of the waterfall beside the You River, and from there the flagstone street that climbs the cliff, where the rice tofu shop is.
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 Furongzhen audio guide free
The Furongzhen audio guide is inside the EarGuide app, free and ready to use offline. Carry it in your pocket and explore the town at your own pace.
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