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| Furongzhen (Hibiscus Town) and Mengdong
River |
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This sleepy fishing town sited on the banks of Mengdong He (Fierce
Cave River)was originally known as Wangcun (village of the Wangs)
When the award winning film Hibiscus Town was shot here on location
it was renamed Hibiscus Town. The film, based on a novel by Gu Hua
chronicles the lives of innocent, honest, hard-working folk who are
destroyed by the political campaigns during the Cultural Revolution.
The movie makes strong denouncement about the excesses of those tumultous
years.
Hibiscus Town is normally reached by taking a one-hour train ride
from Jishou to the town of Mengdong He (Fierce Cave River)and then
changing to a ferry.
The mystique of Hibiscus Town is centred in the area around the
harbour. The best way tospend an evening in this rustic village
is to patronise the old- fashioned quayside cafes which offer piping
hot dishes admidst panaromic sunsets.
In the mornings, when grey mists envelope the harbour in gossamer
robes, the ambience is both sininster and romantic, conjuring visions
of smugglerrs, bandits and chivalrous swordsmen dressed in white.
Tourists caught a ferry to explore the Mengdong river, which is
more than 200km long and which offers many dramatic sights en route.
The cruise winds through deep gorges, quiet valleys, steep cliffs
riddled with caves and we met many people living in fishing boats
along the remote banks and islets of the Mengdeng He (Fierce Cave
River). |
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China Tour
Package
