A Trip to Enshi

By staff reporter LI YUAN

ENSHI Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture， estab- lished in 1983， is in southwestern Hubei Province. As the youngest autonomous prefecture in China and home to 29 ethnic minorities， Enshi boasts rich natural resources. Its forest coverage reaches nearly 70 percent， known as the “forest sea in western Hubei，” “treasurehouse of traditional Chinese medicine in central China，” and “city rich in selenium.”

In recent years， the local tourism industry has grown more and more prosperous. After seeing advertisements about Enshi and hearing travel stories from my friends， I dreamed of going there someday. One day， I saw an ad that said “Enshi – a hospitable land， and Tujia –a romantic ethnic group.” That day I decided to go to Enshi.

Tujia Folklore

After 20 hours on the train my friends and I finally arrived at our long-awaited destination —Enshi.

As soon as we got off the train we were welcomed by a wave of hot air， and took off our heavy autumn coats. Thanks to its monsoon-infl uenced subtropical climate， Enshis autumn temperature is a steady 20 degrees Celsius.

For our fi rst day we chose a guided tour， so we wouldnt have to worry about transportation. The fi rst stop was Enshi Chieftain City. Located northwest of Enshi City， the Chieftain City covers an area of about 20 hectares. It is an ancient city with Tujia architecture， preserving the local aboriginal civilization. According to our tour guide， a young Tujia girl， the Tujia are descended from the Ba people who originally lived on the Jianghan Plain， between the Yangtze and Hanjiang rivers. Later the Ba people were pushed westwards under the expansion of the State of Chu. During the Spring and Autumn Period， the Ba people established the State of Ba. In 316 BC， the State of Ba was extinguished by the State of Qin. Some of the Ba people retreated to the Wuling area bordering Hunan， Hubei， Sichuan and Guizhou provinces and lived alongside other ethnic minorities. The Tujia refer to themselves as “Bizika”or “Beijingka.”

The Tusi system was a feudal system of appointing hereditary chieftains by the central authorities to rule ethnic minorities independently in a region， on the basis of imperial laws and proprieties. The Tusi system among Tujia peoples lasted about 450 years， between the Yuan and Qing dynasties. Enshi Chieftain City was the home of the most infl uential and powerful Tujia fi gure， the chieftain. The complex represents the essence of Tujia culture and architecture.

The city gate is a monumental building， representing the dignity and virtues of the chieftain. The tower is a wooden building 25 meters high and 12 meters wide， constructed with mortise and tenon joinery. The swirling staircases on either side connect each floor and lead to the top. There are 200 doors and windows decorated with carvings depicting opera and folk legends. The gate is designed as an allusion to ancient Chinese culture； there are four floors， 12 pillars and 24 beams， rep- resenting the four seasons， 12 months and 24 solar terms in every year. On the roof there is a statue of several bats holding an ancient coin， which signifies that “fortune is at hand.”

After touring the Chieftain City， we hurried to the next destination – Enshi Tujia DaughtersCity， a place featuring local folklore. It is located in Qiliping in downtown Enshi. The Daughters City is actually a folk street with restaurants， shops and entertainment. The street is built along the river， and the road， paved with grey breccia besides stilt houses， brings Tujia folk customs back to life today.

One Tujia custom is to drink a bowl of liquor and then break the bowl. According to legend， two brothers argued， but put aside their quarrel for the sake of their people. They drank a bowl of liquor and hurled the bowl to the ground， showing that they had forgotten their quarrel. Today this tradition symbolizes friendship. The host and guests drink the liquor and smash the bowl， signifying the Chinese phrase sui sui ping an， safety and peace year after year. The first two characters are homophones for a Chinese phrase meaning “broken and smashed into pieces.” So by smashing the liquor bowl they symbolically erase their resentments.

As the guests continued to drink and break bowls， the deafening gongs and drums reminded us that the Tujia people were celebrating their “Valentines day，” with boys and girls dressed up and singing love songs.

The Tujia celebrate their “Valentines day” from 7 to 12 of the seventh lunar month. The occasion allows Tujia men and women to escape the feudal chains of arranged marriage and seek love freely. The holiday was originally popular in the Shihuiyao and Dashanding areas of Enshi， but now it is celebrated throughout the whole prefecture.

Discovering the Enshi Grand Canyon

Next we visited the Enshi Grand Canyon， 80 kilometers from the city. The canyon is very busy during festival and holidays. We arrived at 8：30 am， but the parking lot was already full.

Professor Zhang Lianggao says that the Enshi Grand Canyon is as marvelous as the Colorado Grand Canyon in the U.S. However， the Enshi Grand Canyon is matchless in terms of beauty. The 108-kilometer-long Enshi canyon features crystalclear water and bold cliffs and peaks.

We quickly reached the Yunlong River Bridge. There we entered the first scenic spot — a geo-fracture under the bridge.

It is said the geo-fracture used to be a section of the Yunlong River， which was hidden underground for 20 to 30 million years. Later， erosion caused the roof to collapse， opening the fracture as one of the wonders along the Enshi canyon. According to geologists at China University of Geosciences， it is the only geo-fracture whose two banks were formed in different geological times.

Walking down the wooden stairs， there is a trail along which tourist can see the geo-fracture. It is 7.5 kilometers long and 75 meters deep， full of fantastic rocks， leafy ancient trees and babbling streams. It was relaxing and pleasant to watch the waterfall between the two banks.

The Rainbow Waterfall is the first waterfall in the fracture to receive direct sunlight every day. As the name suggests， the water refracts the sunlight into a rainbow， creating a colorful spectacle. There are three large dark-grey travertines on the banks， resembling different faces， just like the changing faces in Sichuan Opera.

Another landmark scenic spot is One Incense Pillar. It is 150 meters tall and only four meters wide， untoppled by wind or rain. Local legend says that the pillar is a piece of incense given by a deity to the local people. People could light it in times of disaster and the deity would descend to help. The “incense” is long and narrow. In bright skies， sometimes clouds float above the pillar， creating a fairytale scene. In rain or fog the pillar is hidden in mist.

Without temples， pilgrims or buildings， the Enshi Grand Canyon features a pristine natural beauty.

Cruise along the Qingjiang River Valley

On our last day in Enshi， we took a cruise along the Qingjiang River Valley. Qingjiang is a 423-kilometer tributary of the Yangtze River. The water in the river is so clear that you can see several me- ters deep. This gave it the name Qingjiang River， in which the character “Qing” means clear. On the deck， children were still full of energy， but the parents relaxed to recover from their exertions the previous day.

The tree-day trip to Enshi was rich and full. Enshi， with its beautiful natural scenery and warmhearted locals， is always waiting for your visit！