Fenghuang Town lies in the south of Jiangsu Province and the northern end of Suzhou City. The town is considered as the southern gate of Zhangjiagang City, whose centre is located at 31°47’22.95” N, 120°37’28.14” E. Fenghuang covers an area of 78.8 square kilometers, with a population of 130,000. Profound cultural heritage, industries with distinctive features and fine ecological environment render the town a classic “town of fish and rice in the south of the Yangtze River.” Fenghuang has won such titles as one of the “Top 1,000 Towns in China,” a “National Hygienic Town,” a “National Beautiful Environment Town,” “China’s Wu Songs Town,” a “National Folk Culture and Art Town and a “National Historical and Cultural Town.” Moreover, it has been selected as a national-level pilot town for development and reform, and a pilot town for the programme of new comprehensive urbanization, a provincial pilot town for administrative structural reform, a demonstration town for cities and towns with beautiful views in Suzhou and one of the top ten tourist towns in the City. Fenghuang has been listed as a classic water town in the south of the Yangtze River in the preparatory list of World Cultural Heritage Sites.
Peach trees bloom gorgeously in the spring breeze year after year;
The long cultural heritage booms and continues for thousands of years.
Fengtian Road winds eastward and leads the visitor directly to Fenghuang Mountain. In the woods nestles Yongqing Temple. On the mountaintop erects Wenchang Pavilion. Lofty height may help little build the mountain’s fame, while those famous visitors do make it a household name. Throughout history, many literati and calligraphers climbed up Fenghuang Mountain such as Li Kan, Wen Ge, Chen Yizeng, Chen Ji, Xu Ke, Miao Changqi, Qian Lucan, and Qian Chaoding. They left behind poems depicting the landscape, praising the temple, expressing their true feelings, or echoing with one another. Famous scholars and their works have allowed Fenghuang to enjoy widespread reputation. It is no exaggeration to say that Fenghuang Mountain is the birthplace of the local culture. There have been hundreds of poems praising the beauty of the Mountain. In terms of poetic depth, elegance and sincere feeling, Yang Weizhen’s “A Visit to the Elegant Mont to Pay Condolence to the Champion Scholar Mr. Lu” written at the end of the Yuan Dynasty is considered to be one of the best. As soon as Yang Weizhen stepped on the land of Fenghuang, he was enchanted by the beautiful mountains and rivers. The exquisite view motivated the poet to create. This poem features free imagination, a novel style, refined language and heartfelt admiration, which truthfully copies the beauty of Fenghuang Mountain.
The area around Fenghuang Mountain has been a cradle of generations of talented people. According to The Amended Chronicles of Changshu County and Zhao County, there were a total of 22 Jinshi from the fifth year of Emperor Kaicheng’s reign of the Tang Dynasty (840) to the sixth year of Emperor Guangxu’s reign of the Qing Dynasty (1880). Lu Qi, a native of Fenghuang Mountain, was the top scorer in the imperial examination in the fifth year of Emperor Kaicheng’s reign of the Tang Dynasty. He is not only the only top scorer in the history of Zhangjiagang City but also the first top scorer among the 50 recorded ones in the Suzhou area from the Tang to the Qing Dynasties.
The port area to the southeast of Fenghuang Mountain was the birthplace of the prominent Jiang family in the Qing Dynasty. During the reigns of Emperor Yongzheng and Emperor Qianlong, Jiang Tingxi and his son Jiang Pujun both served as the head of the Grand Secretariat, which became a highlight in the history and culture of Zhangjiagang City. Chen Ji, a man of letters, took residence in Heyang Village, Fenghuang Mountain from the late Yuan to early Ming Dynasties. His “A Tailor’s Song” was thought highly of by Deng Shaoji in his The Literary History of the Yuan Dynasty as “the best poetic work in Yuefu style of the Yuan Dynasty.” The Bafang Lane on the west side of Fenghuang Mountain is the old home of Xu Ke, an honest and upright official in the Ming Dynasty. Xu Ke once served as the governor of Henan, and won the hearts of the locals. When he left office, “the officials and local people stopped working to see him off. They shed tears and accompanied him for dozens of miles, unwilling to separate. His former subordinates admired him so much that they gave him money as farewell gift. He turned down resolutely.” Qian Chaoding was a successful candidate in the imperial examination in the fourth year of Emperor Shunzhi’s reign of the Qing Dynasty (1647). He worked as a judge for three terms and was known for his fairness. Qian Pan, who passed the imperial examination in the 14th year of Emperor Jiajing’s reign of the Ming Dynasty (1535), lost his life in a fierce battle when assisting Changshu County Magistrate Wang Fu in the campaign of resisting Japanese pirates in the 34th year of Emperor Jiajing’s reign.
Famous scholars in the history of Fenghuang
A good minister certainly deserves admiration, while a good doctor is equally admirable. Close to Liumo Bridge on the southern bank of the Rangtang River once lived the famous doctor Miao Xiyong in the Ming Dynasty. “When having saved a life, he (Miao Xiyong) would roll up sleeves and express his excitement, but never demanded for reward.” The doctor never hesitated to help those in danger or in need. His thirty-volume Notes on Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica contributed significantly to traditional Chinese medicine.
Rich history and culture are filled with highlights;
Ancient Tianzhuang Town features natural charm.
The Yongqing Temple at the foot of Fenghuang Mountain was built in the second year of Emperor Datong’s reign of the Southern Liang Dynasty (536). There are sixteen statues of Buddhist saints in the Arhat Hall of the temple, which are the works of the renowned Tang-Dynasty sculptor Yang Huizhi. Inside the temple, there are “Three Wonders,” namely a thousand-year-old cypress, a flesh-body bodhisattva, and a natural well with stone rails. In addition, there are “Eight Scenic Spots” inside and outside the Temple, which makes it an important part of the national-level 4A tourist attraction—the Fenghuang Mountain Scenic Area.
On the northwestern side of Fenghuang Mountain is the Heyang Folk Songs Museum. It was built in 2005, with a construction area of 3,803.5 square meters and a total area of 130,000 square meters. The museum has a Heyang Folk Songs Hall, an Exhibition Hall of Historical Relics, a Celebrity Hall and a Folk Customs Hall, etc.
Heyang Folk Songs is a general term for the folk songs which have been created and passed down by local people for thousands of years. It is an important branch of Wu Songs. Zhou Weizhi, former chairman of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, appreciated Heyang folk songs to be “the voice of the people, the feeling of the nation, a treasure of China and a wonder of the world.” These folk songs constitute an important part of Wu Songs, a national intangible cultural heritage item.
Heyang Baojuan is a kind of script for folk storytelling and singing literature that has been passed down and remained popular in the area around Fenghuang Mountain. It makes a key element of Baojuan in the area covering the ancient State of Wu, another national intangible cultural heritage item.
If one travels eastward along Fengtian Road to National Highway G204, he will see the ancient town of Tianzhuang. The town was built in the Ming Dynasty and flourished in the early Qing Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty, Yang Xiqian recorded its evolution in his A Short History of Tianzhuang. Most buildings in the town remain in their original styles characteristic of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republic of China period. Among them, the Yang Family Mansion, consisting of the three ancient residential buildings—the Bangyan Mansion (meaning “the candidate ranking the second at the palace examination), the archway in honor of Yang family’s filial piet, and the southern section of Yang family’s mansion—was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit in 2013. The Jiang’s Mansion was listed as a city-level cultural relic protection unit in Zhangjiagang in 2014. The Zhang and Chen’s Mansions were listed as controlled and preserved buildings in Zhangjiagang in 2009.
The Yang family in Tianzhuang has yielded many talents. During Emperor Xianfeng’s reign of the Qing Dynasty (1851—1861), several members of the family achieved great fame, namely Yang Sisun, a candidate ranked second in the imperial examination; the calligrapher Yang Yisun; the famous poet Yang Qi; and the filial and upright Yang Dai.
Scenic spots make big appeal to visitors;
Local delicacies enjoy fame in the south of the Yangtze River.
Honey peaches grown in Fenghuang are greatly favored by consumers due to their thin skin, juiciness, sweet taste and large size. In 2009, this peach variety won the Gold Award in the National High-Quality Peach Competition and is known as “No. One Peach in Suzhou.” There is a thousand-acre core demonstration base of peach cultivation along Fengtian Road. In March of the late spring, the thousand acres of peach trees are in full bloom with numerous clusters of flowers bearing dew drops. When one is close, they are tender and brilliant. When viewed from afar, they form floating crimson clouds. Wandering in these clouds, one feels like being in a heavenly paradise. If one pays a visit here in July, he is welcomed by branches heavily loaded with huge peaches and the intoxicating fragrance of the fruits.
Crisscrossing rivers, fertile land and abundant natural resources turn Fenghuang into a place known for its high-quality agricultural produce, among which rice is the most famous. After polished, the rice grains of the local variety are white and shiny like pearls. When cooked, the grains are perfectly soft and sticky. It is thus viewed as a first-class polished japonica rice. It is listed as a famous local product in The Chronicles of Changshu County and Zhao County in the Qing Dynasty. The black glutinous rice grown in Fenghuang, also known as “dark glutinous rice” or “red lotus glutinous rice”, is a precious glutinous rice and was selected as “rice for the imperial kitchen” in the Qing Dynasty.
Among local agricultural and sideline processed products, dried bean curd produced in Guaozhuang Village is the most distinctive one. Production of this curd began during Emperor Xianfeng’s reign of the Qing Dynasty (1851—1861). Gaozhuang dried bean curd, finely crafted with excellent quality, is tasty and sold quite well at markets in Suzhou, Wuxi, Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou, etc. In 2008, its production technique was listed as an intangible cultural heritage item of Zhangjiagang.
Nongli celery, once known and popular at Caojiadu Market of Shanghai and Nanmen Market in Suzhou, is used to cook a common dish on people’s dining tables in Suzhou, Wuxi and Shanghai. Legend has it that Han Shizhong, a famous general in the Song Dynasty, was once besieged by the Jin troops and short of food supplies. His wife Liang Hongyu picked celeries from Nongli to feed the soldiers. Therefore, people also called Nongli celery “Yu celery.”
