Ted Guu Photography: Zhangjiajie - A road to China Pt. I

Today, people come to except China's unbeatable power. This sovereign nation, driven by the government's vision to revolutionize a once poor communist country into a rich and powerful nation triggers it's people's desire to build and improve upon this prosperous country. From the east coast to the mountainous west, China's development had reached into every corner of the nation, seemingly filling up the gaps of land with airports and cities. Now, it's very own history, 5,000 years of it along with it's nature and other nuisances to it's development projects had been seemingly disappearing, day by day, to pave way for the 'New China'. So, it is not difficult to imagine China as one big factory with no room for history and nature to survive. But here, a small town of Zhangjiajie, room was still available for nature and history to flourish in harmony, for the tourists and the population of China itself to escape from the bustling cities into a new, untold corner of the nation of China.

After I had landed in the city of Changsha, my first destination was Fenghuang Village. Built in the Qing Dynasty, it was one of the oldest living village in China, yet rarely do we see the remnants of the old lifestyle of the Miao people. This, apparently is caused the 'Miao diaspora' which led to it's people to spread across the lowlands of southern China. Despite there being tons of pubs and restaurants colorfully lit by the neon lights dominating the once beautiful poetic scenery, we can still catch a small glimpse of the culture that had long lived with the Miao people since the village was first erected 400 years ago. Along the Tuo River, we can still see local people using it as their laundry, hitting and smashing their clothes along the banks of the river. Boats, like the ones used back then is still operational for tourist to see the deeper end of the village where the poet Shen Congwen had resided and crafted his famed poetry, making his hometown village well known to the greater public.

It was quite a shame I had to leave Fenghuang village behind. There, I had found a spot so peaceful you could literally hear nothing but the rustling leaves of willow trees. The weather was cool and the view was extraordinary. That spot where I sat was well away from those Chinese tourists and that infamous, uninviting smell of smelly tofu; it was a very serene place, a place indeed worthy of a visit.

Well, I've heard many things about Mt. Tianmenshan both good and bad, so I decided to see it for myself. The pain I've went through queueing and hiking up to the mountains had paid off with one of the nicest views I've ever seen in my life. And yes, Zhangjiajie is one places in China you've got to see.

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