The Shen Congwen's Former Residence

The Shen Congwen's Former Residence is located in the zhongying street, the south part of the Fenghuang Ancient Town. People started to know the Fenghuang Ancient Town from this famous Chinese auther, archaeologist and historian - Shen Congwen who was born on December 28, 1902 in a typical courtyard here. The courtyard was built after Shen Congwen's grandfather Shen Hongfu, formerly governor of Guizhou Province in the Qing Dynasty, purchased the old residence and demolished it in 1866. It is a firebrick-sealed one-storey building. The courtyard is divided into two parts, one is a patio paved with square red stones, the other is a chamber on both sides, with a total of 11 rooms in size. Walking into the yard, you can find that there is a small patio in the center of the countryard which is built with red rock. Mr. Shen Congwen spent his childhood and adolescence here, then left home at the age of 15 to join the army and tossed around in Western Hunan. At the age of 20, he left Western Hunan and began his life of learning and writing. The life of the ancient city of Fenghuang and the local customs of Western Hunan are the important sources of Mr. Shen Congwen's creation. Every year, it attracts numerous literature lovers. The visiting of Former Residence of Shen Congwen is usually arranged together with Fenghuang Ancient Town as a one-day tour.