Fenghuang County Culture
Fenghuang, the county of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, is not only fascinating with local culture and human landscapes, but also its colorful ethnic customs, simple folk customs, unique regional culture, such as farming, festivals, costumes, diet and daily life, weddings and funerals, architecture, language, religious beliefs, etc. constitute a rich and colorful folk customs picture for your Fenghuang Travel.
Ethnic Groups in Fenghuang
Fenghuang is a multi-ethnic county, mainly including Miao, Tujia, Han, Hui and other ethnic groups that have been assigned to work here and other reasons after liberation. Among them, Miao, Tujia and Han are the main ethnic groups. The population of Miao, Tujia and other ethnic groups is 280,000, accounting for 73.26% of the total population and the population of Han is 107,500, accounting for 27.74% of the total population.
Traditional Villages in Fenghuang
- Shujiatang Village of Alaying Town in Fenghuang County
- Tang'ao Village of Chatian Town in Fenghuang County
- Lahao Village of Duli Township in Fenghuang County
- Huoluping Village of Jixin Town in Fenghuang County
- Datang Village of Jixin Town in Fenghuang County
- Laodong Village of Machong Township in Fenghuang County
- Niuguang Village of Machong Township in Fenghuang County
- Miliang Village of Miliang Township in Fenghuang County
- Guantianshan Village of Muli Township in Fenghuang County
- Huangshaping Village of Muli Township in Fenghuang County
For more information, please refer to Traditional Villages in Xiangxi
Inheritors of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Fenghuang
| Order Number | Name | Sex | Date of Birth | Project Name | Declaration Place | Classification |
| 03-1284 | Nie Fangjun(聂方俊) | Male | 1933.06 | Fenghuang Paper Offering(凤凰纸扎) | Fenghuang County, Hunan | Traditional Fine Art |
| 03-1312 | Liu Dapao(刘大炮) | Male | 1939.05 | Printing and dyeing skill of blue print cloth(蓝印花布印染技艺) | Fenghuang County, Hunan | Traditional Skill |
| 03-1316 | Long Migu(龙米谷) | Male | 1948.10 | Forging skill of Miao silver ornament(苗族银饰锻制技艺) | Fenghuang County, Hunan | Traditional Skill |
| 03-1317 | Ma Maoting(麻茂庭) | Male | 1953.06 | Forging skill of Miao silver ornament(苗族银饰锻制技艺) | Fenghuang County, Hunan | Traditional Skill |
| 04-1950 | Long Yunian(龙玉年) | Male | 1935.11 | Miao Medicine(Epilepsy therapy)(苗医药（癫痫症疗法）) | Fenghuang County, Hunan | Traditional Medicine |
| 05-2735 | Liu Xinjian(刘新建) | Male | Printing and dyeing skill of blue print cloth(蓝印花布印染技艺) | Fenghuang County, Hunan | Traditional Skill |
Miao Drum Dancing
Miao drum dancing, whose origins are in sacrificial rituals, was traditionally performed in Guizhou, Hunan and other provinces with a high Miao population. But with modern civilization wiping out old norms and customs, it has lost much of its luster among the younger generations.
Architecture Culture
In Fenghuang, there are unique regional culture and aesthetic features. Especially, the architectural and decorative elements are important parts of local decorative features. The components of folk buildings in Xiangxi include gable and roof ridge decoration, doors and windows, murals, roof beams and pillars are separately analyzed in details. The decorations have the obvious geographical characteristics. It also can be found that building decorations not only have aesthetic attributes but also cultural connotations such as pursuit of happiness, disaster prevention, moral education, etiquette and other meanings. The traditional architectural parts and decorative elements in Xiangxi have a great significance in historical and cultural levels, and owns the values of aesthetic and modern application as well. Fenghuang Ancient Town is a representative of architecture of Fenghuang County. Built in 1704, Fenghuang Ancient Town is regarded as the"National AAAA Tourist Attraction" for its unique beauty.
Miao Bandhnu Culture
Bandhnu is a traditional printing and dyeing handicraft in China. Miao Bandhnu in Fenghuang County has a long history. Bandhnu prints, which are beautiful, elegant, ancient and simple, are the competitive products of folk handiworks in Fenghuang County. Bandhnu prints can be designed to meet any needs and made into wall hanging, folding screens, quilt covers, desk covers, clothes and so on. The products are so unique with distinctive national style and strong national flavor.
Silver Ornament Culture
The Miao people in Fenghuang have the habit of wearing silver ornament. The Miao silver ornaments are various in variety and exquisite in style. Over time, they have formed a unique and highly aesthetic "silver ornament culture".
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