Furong: The magical waterfall ancient town in China

Furong is a little town is so inconspicuous that most travellers we met hadn’t heard of it, which only adds to its charm! Its small size hides its secret attraction, a huge waterfall right in the centre! Furong means hibiscus and in the summer you will find them blooming everywhere here.

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Is Furong town worth visiting?

Yes, it’s small but has so much to offer. It is such n enchanting little town that really draws you in.

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How many days for Furong Town?

I recommend one night or if you are pushed for time you could arrange to leave your bags with an accomodation host (chat to them beforehand to arrange).

We arrived on the train about 11:30am and our accommodation picked us up and drove us about 15 minutes into the old town, after checking in we started exploring at about 12pm. By evening we had seen everything in the old town. We spent one night here and our accommodation was excellent with river views.

You will definitely want to stay until evening as seeing the town lit up at night is part of the experience! If you plan to leave in the evening then I would plan to be in the old town until about 8:30/9pm.

Where to stay at Furong town

We loved and recommend our hotel here. The host was excellent and the room was not only comfortable but had a gorgeous balcony overlooking the river! You can check it out here-Floral Hotel·Furong Town Qichi Hotel (Great Waterfall Branch)

Do I need a ticket for Furong Ancient Town

Yes! You need to either pre purchase a ticket for Furong Ancient Town or buy one when you arrive. We pre-purchased them and just went to the booth to validate it passports, facial recognition for entry and to collect a paper ticket (make sure to keep it on you as you need it for each exit and re-entry.

Furong town ticket cost

Tickets cost 108 CNY, you can pre book them here and then just show your passport to validate them. The best part of the ticket is that you can exit and re enter as you need and it also includes 2 shows. They are both great but the first was our favourite so if you plan to leave that night you could skip the second if needed.

How to get to and from Furong Town

We took the train from Fenghuang, Phoneix Ancient Town to Furong (Furongzhen) station. From here our host organised a driver to collect us which was excellent value! We were planning on taking the train to Zhangjiajie from Furong but when we saw it left at 11:30am we decided to arrange a DiDi for the morning early. We spoke to a DiDi driver that afternoon who agreed to 300 CNY to drop us at Wulingyuan. This price included tolls and we needed to leave at 5am to make our 7am entry to the Zhangjiajie national park. The driver showed up on time and it was a smooth drive.

What to do in Furong ancient town

The old town itself is tiny and you can walk it in a couple of hours at a leisurely pace. These are the things to make sure you see in Furong Ancient Town.

Seeing the ancient town

Seeing the town is really the main attraction here. There are some sites to check out but really just wandering the old paved streets is the attraction. You will walk around in a loop, this is what you’ll find in each area.

Entrance and start of the loop:

Baishou Hall

This is the Tujia Hand-Waving Hall which was the gathering spot used for celebrations, rituals, and communal dancing. It is directly through the main entrance to the old town and the location of the first show.

Bronze Pillar Park

You won’t miss this spot right near the hand waving hall. It is dedicated to the Xizhou Bronze Pillar, an important historical relic (more on this below). The scene depicts the new alliance between the ethnic groups making a pledge by drinking of blood between Peng and Ma.

Tusi Bridge

This is the prettiest bridge overlooking the town below. It’s at the top of the town and at night it’s a great spot to view the lights. From here you cross from the entrance, across the stream and begin the main loop. It’s where the Tusi Kings would come to spend leisure time and chant. I can only imagine what this would have looked like in ancient times!

Main waterfall part of the loop:

Once you cross the bridge you’ll pass into the main historic area, here you’ll find:

Tuwang Palace

The summer palace for generations of Tuwangs. The current palace is a Ming Dynasty building and has over 400 years of history and represents the pinnacle of Tujia stilted wooden architecture.

Tingtao Road Ancient Street

This street will lead you toward the falls. Its large cobblestones and ancient buildings hold shops and is where our hotel was located.

Waterfall Viewing Platform

This is the start of the main event, on the upper level, this is the best spot to capture the wide shot of the waterfall cascading under the stilt houses. Below it there is a restaurant with a great view too. Grab a snack of hot chips and a drink here. There is a popular spot to stop for pictures before this, keep walking along the road to get to this platform though. You will also pass the location of the second performance of the night.

Furong Town Waterfall

Don’t miss the opportunity to get really close up to the star of the town! Walk down the steps to the waterfall, scan your ticket to walk all the way behind the curtain of water from the waterfall! There are some beautiful vantage spots here for pictures and it’s so incredible to walk behind the sheets of water cascading right in front of you, feel the force of the water with mist flying out.

Furong Waterfall Cave

This is the unique little secret that lies behind the waterfall. As you follow the steps behind the waterfall you’ll come across a cave that was used by the indigenous Tujia people as a place to live. It has become smaller over time due to silt build up and there are statues and information boards here to explain how they lived.

Final part of loop through the other side of the waterfall.

Once you have passed through the waterfall you will be in the other side of town, make sure to notice:

Furong Town Dock

This is where boats used to come to trade. Historically this was an important hub of activity for daily life.

Xizhou Bronze Pillar

We stumbled on this important historical relic and thankfully the information board outside explained that along with the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden Palace, it is listed as first batch national key cultural relic protection units. The inscription records the Xizhou War in 939 AD between Chu King Ma Xifan and Xizhou Prefect Peng Sichou, followed by their peace treaty and alliance in 940AD. The Bronze pillar was erected to mark a treaty boundary, delineating territories with mutual non-aggression. It’s a hugely important piece of Tujia history.

Stone Slab Street

The prosperous historic commercial street and thoroughfare. Lined with Tujia stilted houses and shops it’s where merchants would bring up their horses and donkeys laden with food from the port. The old bluestone slabs are smooth with years of use by these traders coming here for business. There are shops here that are great to browse and lots of restaurants with excellent views over the waterfall for your lunch or dinner.

Stepping Stones over a waterfall!

Hop across the stream using the fun stepping stone crossing. This is how the people crossed the river in ancient times before the bridge and it’s such a charming experience. It’s also pretty unique being at the actual top of the waterfall and just a thin rope separates you from the cascades edge!

Chastity Archway

This is the final monument before you finish the loop. It was built to remind women of the importance of being chaste, and is located outside Tofu Shop 113.

Watch the performances!

An absolute must do in Furong town and conveniently included in your ticket are 2 performances. The first starts at 7:30pm at Baishou Hall (right near where you entered). We got there a little early at 7pm and the seats were half full. We joined a family and watched the show which began with a calligraphy demonstration and auction. It was followed by a dancing performance which was pretty spectacular, showing the Tujia people throughout the ages. The dancers were excellent as was the music. This was my favourite performance and a must see. It ended with the audience being invited to join the dancers up in the centre which of course we did. We all danced around following the moves of the dancers with lots of grins and laughter.

The second performance begins at 8:30pm and is located inside a theatre and we scanned our tickets for entry. You walk there when the first dance finishes, just flow the crowd!

Beginning again with the calligraphy auction we then watched some excellent dancing which seemed to tell the story of marriage and celebration as well as some mythology. If you can get a seat in the very front rows you might be lucky enough to catch the red envelopes thrown to the crowd or be offered some rice wine by the dancers! This was a beautiful performance but I loved the energy of the first the best.

See the town at night

Another must do! In the evening once the sun sets the town lights up! It’s a magical experience to walk around the old streets with lanterns and lights all around. It truly feels like you’re in a wonderland. We took in the whole loop again (even passing under the waterfall!) in the evening and loved it. Honestly it was hard to want to go to sleep, especially as our room looked out over the river and lights!

Can you see Furong Town in a half day trip?

Yes if you just want to come to see the waterfall and town briefly, the loop takes only an hour if you aren’t stopping for lots of pictures, this is the main loop.

The Route: Entrance → Baishou Hall → Bronze Pillar Park → Tusi Bridge → Tusi Palace → Tingtao Road Ancient Street → Waterfall Viewing Platform → Furong Ancient Town Waterfall → Waterfall Cave → Covered Bridge → Furong Town Dock → Xizhou Bronze Pillar → Stepping Stones → Five-Li Stone Slab Street → Guanyin Pavilion → Chastity Archway → Exit.

Interesting fact-The town is named after the hibiscus (furong in Chinese) that blooms during the summer.

Shop for souvenirs

There are some great unique souvenirs here. Wander the streets slowly to take them all in.

Try the local food

The local Tujia food is a delicacy and their flavours different to other areas. Try them in lots of different forms at a restaurant with a view of the waterfall, Mike loved the flavours in his noodles here.

Go on a boat ride

If you have the time hop of a boat and cruise the waters. This is the perfect way to see the area from a different angle and you get to see the wider part of the water.

That’s it! Let us know in the comments if you have any questions or if you have visited Furong or China. Up next we went to Zhangjiajie and then over to the Yunnan region which were brilliant too! Check out our China Itinerary to plan your perfect 2 weeks in China!

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