Border Town Chadong

Located at the junction of Hunan Province, Guizhou Province and Chongqing Municipality, Chadong was first built in the 8th year of the Jiaqing reign (1803 AD). Known as the place where "one step treads three provinces", it ranks among the Four Famous Ancient Towns of Western Hunan.

Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the lofty mountain town was enclosed by winding city walls, with a gentle river flowing past. Neat and elegant bluestone lanes wound through town, lined with antique stilted houses. A white pagoda towered overhead, and ferries shuttled back and forth at the ancient crossing, forming an idyllic poetic landscape. A poem goes: The border town’s gorgeous scenery intoxicates the heart;

One doubts they wander inside a painted work of art.

The renowned writer Shen Congwen set his novel Border Town in Chadong, bringing the small settlement worldwide fame. Though the ancient city walls and white pagoda were destroyed after liberation, the town’s timeless charm endures. Newly constructed residential buildings, grand bridges and farmers’ markets have added fresh vistas to the ancient border town. Films such as Lianxin Dam and Border Town shot their outdoor scenes here. Countless visitors come following the trail laid out in Shen Congwen’s novel, seeking the ruins of the white pagoda, the stone mill and the boatman’s grave. They stroll along the ancient bluestone paths, climb the waterside stilted buildings to listen to fishermen’s ballads drifting under the moonlight, and reminisce over the touching, beautiful tale. Chadong owes its renown to Shen Congwen’s iconic novella Border Town, which uses the town as its setting.

The Chadong River, a tributary of the Youshui River, boasts crystal-clear mirror-like waters. The ferry crossing depicted in Border Town still stands, said to mark the exact tri-provincial boundary. Local mischievous boys love to linger here, joking and boasting: "Hey, one stream of my pee can reach three provinces all at once!" The crossing remains in its original spot, yet the sharp-bowed ferry has been replaced with a square-hulled boat. It is still a pull ferry, requiring no punt poles or oars; only the bamboo rope spanning the river has been swapped for a steel cable as thick as a big toe. An elderly man still mans the ferry, though Cuicui and her yellow hound are nowhere to be seen — perhaps they have wandered off to play somewhere for the moment.

A flat meadow spreads along the bank beside the crossing, known as Green Stream Head. Lush green grass carpets the ground, ringed by thick shrubs, several clumps of green bamboo and two large maple trees. Locals say Cuicui and her grandfather once lived in a wooden house right here. Several small dwellings do stand behind the bamboo grove, yet they are brick-and-tile buildings, no trace of the original wooden cabin remains.

Age-old traditions persist in Chadong to this day. Markets are held on the 2nd and 8th days of each lunar month, known as the Border Market. From eight or nine in the morning, crowds of ethnic people from all three bordering regions stream into town in small groups. Men, women and children alike dress up as if attending a festival, especially young women decked out in full traditional regalia, their silver chest ornaments and large earrings glinting brightly in the sun. Meanwhile, trendy youngsters in T-shirts, jeans and platform shoes also wander among the crowds.

By noon, the market reaches its bustling peak, packed shoulder to shoulder with throngs of people. Stalls brim with general merchandise and local specialities alongside wandering dentists pulling teeth, fortune-tellers, street photographers, tinkerers, chicken diviners and even ancient vats for hand-dyeing cloth. Burly men bare-chested and clad in shorts also weave through the crowds, carrying long shotguns over their shoulders and holding up brightly plucked wild pheasants. The liveliest spot of all is the food stalls, where wood-fired stoves billow smoke and giant soup cauldrons bubble away. Men, women and children gather round, sweating profusely as they slurp spicy rice noodles from large bowls. Chadong’s Border Market holds immense appeal, preserving unspoiled, rich ethnic folk customs.