IRRESISTIBLE ATTRACTIONS
Unique traditions and breathtaking landscapes make the Enshi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture a perfect getaway for tourists. Xu Lin reports.
First the tourists raise a bowl of fragrant plum wine, propose a toast to each other and swallow it neat. Then, they smash the bowls onto the ground one after another, just for good fortune.However, other diners are not shocked by this, as such behavior is common in the restaurant located in the Tujia Girls’ Town scenic area, in the Enshi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture, in Hubei province.
The spectacle is a tradition of the local Tujia ethnic group. It is called shuaiwanjiu, which literally means smashing bowls.
Legend has it that an ancient Tujia hero sacrificed himself to protect his kingdom. And before he killed himself, he drank his wine and smashed the bowl to show his resolve.
Nowadays, visitors can also sample local Tujia dishes comprising fish, cured meat and dried tofu and then smash their bowls.
Waiters and waitresses dress in traditional costumes and sing local folk songs for the diners to complete the experience.
The Tujia Girls’ Town — a complex built for visitors — showcases the Tujia ethnic group’s customs and traditions with performances for visitors such as marriage ceremonies.
According to local customs, a Tujia bride has to cry at her wedding and sing a weepy song to express her emotions.
The town’s architecture features traditional stilt houses, or Tujia diaojiao buildings.
One can stay in a themed hotel, enjoy delicious food, and relax at cafes, bookstores or bars.
A two-hour drive from the town is Enshi Grand Canyon, the most famous scenic spot in the prefecture.
It’s now been dubbed the twin sister of the Grand Canyon, a gorge on the Colorado River in Arizona in the United States.
In October 2016, the Enshi Grand Canyon signed a “sister-canyon” cooperation memorandum with the Grand Canyon Resort Corporation to strengthen exchanges in marketing and training.
The Enshi Grand Canyon is a typical karst landscape, with cliffs, caves, rock pillars, subsurface streams and waterfalls.
And if you walk on the stone paths built along the cliffs, you might just became enveloped by a sea of clouds.
There are also gigantic rock pillars in a variety of shapes, including one shaped like a Chinese paint brush.
The signature rock pillar nicknamed the “incense stick” stands at 150 meters high, with a diameter of 6 meters at the base.
It takes several hours to climb to the Seven Star Village where local vendors sell boiled eggs, fried potato pies and fresh vegetables.
Afterwards, you can take a series of escalators down to the foot of the canyon and enjoy the views along the way.
You can also visit the Yellow Crane Bridge Peak Forest scenic area to enjoy similar karst landscapes of rock pillars and peaks.
In the nearby Wild Three Gorges scenic area, visitors can take a cruise to see mountains and waterfalls.
The Enshi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture draws visitors due to its rich tourism resources — ranging from ethnic culture and natural landscapes to delicious cuisine.
Enshi’s soil, spring water, animals and plants have a higher amount of selenium — an essential trace element that may help prevent chronic diseases and boost the immune system — than other parts of China. In recent years, the government is working hard to promote healthy food that contains selenium.
Official figures show that tourist arrivals in Enshi prefecture rose from around 16.6 million in 2011 to about 43.7 million in 2016, with an average year-on-year increase of 21.3 percent. Tourism income was 5.64 billion yuan ($853 million) in 2011 and reached 30 billion yuan in 2016, making the prefecture one of the fastest growing destinations in Hubei province.
Enshi is 80 minutes by plane and four hours by train from Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province.