There is a general poetic peace when it begins to go dark outside and the town comes alight with shopkeepers and villagers come out to turn on the lights. If you look around, you can see them popping on, one at a time, like little fireflies coming out to play for the evening.
This area is no different, and it's made even more magical by the little river that flows through the middle of it all. And then you are faced with all these nice decisions... where to eat? where to drink? where to find an inn for the night?
- Trey Ratcliff
Read more here at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Tags: China feng Feng huang Phoenix City stuckincustoms treyratcliff stuck customs stuckincustoms.com travel blog travelblog photography photoblog photographyblog hdr high dynamic range imaging digital processing software tutorial hdrtutorial trey ratcliff east asia people’s republic of china republic prc hunan Húnán 湖南 province 省 shěng division 湘 Xiāng 湘西土家族苗族自治州 Xiāngxī Tǔjiāzú Miáozú Zìzhìzhōu Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Fenghuang County 凤凰县 Fènghuáng Xiàn Xiangxi ancient history historic historical culture harbor town village unesco October 2010 Nikon d3x
While in China, one of the small towns I visited had several little low walking-bridges across the river. It was the sort of river that was too shallow for boats, but good for fishing and washing clothes.
This one was in a residential and commercial area. Many of the women wore colorful dresses and walked back and forth across... it all seemed very nice and peaceful so I grabbed an image.
- Trey Ratcliff
Read more here at the Stuck in Customs blog.
Tags: China feng Feng huang Phoenix City stuck customs stuckincustoms stuckincustoms.com travel blog travelblog photography photoblog photographyblog hdr high dynamic range imaging digital processing software tutorial hdrtutorial trey ratcliff treyratcliff east asia people’s republic of china republic prc hunan Húnán 湖南 province 省 shěng division 湘 Xiāng 湘西土家族苗族自治州 Xiāngxī Tǔjiāzú Miáozú Zìzhìzhōu Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Fenghuang County 凤凰县 Fènghuáng Xiàn Xiangxi ancient history historic historical culture harbor town village unesco shoes sandals traditional heritage walking bridge footbridge water river confluence bright colorful October 2010 Nikon d3s
The main river that runs through Feng Huang and is criss-crossed by many bridges and walkways. To get up to them, there are long stone stairways that switchback up the sides.
In the mornings, women go down to the river with their children to wash clothes. As they go back and forth to get more loads, sometimes they put the babies into the baskets on the way up again.
from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Tags: China Feng Huang stuckincustoms treyratcliff stuck customs stuckincustoms.com travel blog travelblog photography photoblog photographyblog hdr high dynamic range imaging digital processing software tutorial hdrtutorial trey ratcliff east asia people’s republic of china republic prc hunan Húnán 湖南 province 省 shěng division 湘 Xiāng 湘西土家族苗族自治州 Xiāngxī Tǔjiāzú Miáozú Zìzhìzhōu Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Fenghuang County 凤凰县 Fènghuáng Xiàn Xiangxi ancient history historic historical culture harbor town village unesco girl woman children basket river carry stone traditional candid October 2010 Nikon d3s
The town of Feng Huang in Hangzhou district is as old-fashioned as can be. But at night, a few of the side streets and secret alleys light up with a vibrant night life. No one was surprised as me!
I went out to get a late night bite, sit by the river, and work on some sketches. I figured the light would be too low for anything of interest. But luckily, I brought my big rig just in case. And then I found this little street that was totally full of life. I could hear noise from a few streets away, so I felt my way over there until I stumbled into this.
from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Tags: stuck customs stuckincustoms stuckincustoms.com travel blog travelblog photography photoblog photographyblog hdr high dynamic range imaging digital processing software tutorial hdrtutorial trey ratcliff treyratcliff east asia china people’s republic of china republic prc hunan Húnán 湖南 province 省 shěng division 湘 Xiāng 湘西土家族苗族自治州 Xiāngxī Tǔjiāzú Miáozú Zìzhìzhōu Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Fenghuang County 凤凰县 Fènghuáng Xiàn Xiangxi ancient history historic historical culture harbor town village unesco
I feel like I'm in a hurry to take photos of all these ancient places before they become homogenized. I worry that in 10 years that every place will look like a typical street corner in Plano, Texas. Know what I mean? There's nothing horrible about having a Home Depot and an Applebee's within every five mile pod of super-structure, but it can lose a bit of charm after a while.
This is a famous old village in China where the legend tells of two phoenixes hovered endlessly, transfixed by the beauty they saw below. It's located in the western part of central China's Hunan Province. It's called Feng Huang Cheng ("feng huang" being the Chinese name for the phoenix), and I'm happy I got to spend a few days wandering around its mysterious bits. This is a good overview of the city, and I'll have many more from the insides coming soon enough.
from the blog www.stuckincustoms.com
Tags: stuckincustoms treyratcliff stuck customs stuckincustoms.com travel blog travelblog photography photoblog photographyblog hdr high dynamic range imaging digital processing software tutorial hdrtutorial trey ratcliff east asia china people’s republic of china republic prc hunan Húnán 湖南 province 省 shěng division 湘 Xiāng 湘西土家族苗族自治州 Xiāngxī Tǔjiāzú Miáozú Zìzhìzhōu Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Fenghuang County 凤凰县 Fènghuáng Xiàn Xiangxi ancient history historic historical culture harbor town village unesco sepia texture textures textural post timeless antique river water architecture October 2010 Nikon d3x SOETOP50-SpotsForDaydreamers